Portraits
All representations of the natural world, but portraiture especially, represents an interesting challenge to the artist since it goes beyond the mere reproduction of physical likeness.
Even the well executed photo-realistic portrait will give us a deeper sense of the subject. Every line, wrinkle and that special light in their eyes or the lack thereof will reveal so much about the person.
While painting a portrait, the artist becomes a visual story teller and by carefully peeling away layers, he/she exposes the fundamental being.
Working closely with the subject will create a deep level of communication and intimacy and bring to the painted surface a feel for the personality traits, events and thoughts that might have shaped the person's looks.
Beyond that, the eyes, righteously called 'windows to the soul', will carry a definite taste of the subject's true being.
Much information is intuited by the artist about his/her subject in this process that will also be reflected in the colors, shapes and the mood of the portrait to form the unique visual reality as seen through one painter's eyes.