In Western Art, Portraiture has been used by many artists.
However, most recent students of portraiture are choosing a different representation of the works of art by coming up with portrait works that seem to have a different representation from those in the earlier times. Various artists such as Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt, and Andy Warhol have used their artistic works to redefine portraiture as an artistic genre. The essay introduces us to the artist's means of making portraiture through their own unique styles.
Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Wilhelm Uhde, 1910
In the above artwork, Picasso invented one unique way of representing art through the concept of using cubism. Considered one of the most influential means of representing art, the Portrait of Wilhelm Uhde, 1910 is represented through a unique combination of broken objects which were put on a plane to represent the face of Wilhelm Uhde. The portrait which represented a three-dimensional form was uniquely influenced by the African Tribal Masks which were highly viewed by Picasso as a highly styled way of representing human imagery. The uniqueness of the work of art, Portrait of Wilhelm Uhde, is also visibly an influence of the artwork of Pablo which was obviously inspired by Paul Cezzane. The above-mentioned artist used his artistry to make paintings that offered a difference from the other works of art. Generally, the introduction of cubism in the above works of art revolutionized the artistic industry and brought a new style of representing art.
Rembrandt, Portrait of Nicholas Ruts, 1631
Rembrandt's work of art, Portrait of Nicholas Ruts, 1631
is a unique representation of artistic work which had not been explored prior to the above drawing. Rembrandt represented the imagery of Nicholas Ruts as a unique and more true and faithful representation of two-dimensional artistic works. The uniqueness of the portrait lies in the rather professional glamour that has been put in the works of art when representing the image of Ruts who was a skilled trader based in Cologne. The unique representation of the portrait of Nicholas Ruts was then taken up by other artists and now forms part of artistic representation in the 21st
Andy Warhol, Gold Marilyn Monroe, 1962
The painting, which was made by Andy shortly after the death of Monroe is a true representation of the unique artistry that was represented by the artists. Andy brought the idea of silk-screening into the works of art at a time when none of the artists at the time had come up with the idea. Andy had first made a general golden paint on a canvas which was then followed by a silkscreened image of an earlier photo of Monroe. The image was used to change the narrative behind the death of Monroe as it represented Monroe as a founder and a central pillar in popular culture. The painting also evoked religious facts related to icon painting as a reference to the spirituality of Monroe following the suicide she had earlier committed.
Conclusion
The three artists, Andy Warhol, Rembrandt and Pablo Picasso had through their time achieved status in the art world by introducing unique aspects of artistic representations of their works. The works involved a personal feeling among the people due to their personal appeal and uniqueness which was truly a revolution in the art industry.
