Oil portraiture is a well-established tradition in the art world. Portraits capture the essence and character of a person at a moment in time. It catches the twinkle in the eye the mischievous grin, that shomehow a photo cannot.
Those of us who are interested in producing a portrait of another human being are usually so enchanted by the prospect that every other kind of artistic endevor pales by comparison. It's an interesting phenomenon that every person on our planet has two eyes, one nose, and one mouth, and yet each of us look completely different from everyone else. This is the uniqueness that the portrait painter must catch. This "difference" plus the specific personality projected make up what we call "the likeness", and the painter's skill and sensitivity in being able to capture these elements are what make the portrait successful.
In spite of the old adage that the face reflects the soul, the foibles, failings, and weaknesses of man are not usually shown openly in the portrait. The reason for this, of course, is that the sitter, or whoever commissions the portrait, invariably wishes to present his or her best appearances, as the actor will insist on the camera catching his "good side". In spite of this, the true portrait artist is able to show depths of character and shades of cunning or synthetic emotions better than any other means of making a likeness of the sitter. Likeness is an indispensable part of portraiture, but by no means the whole story: qualities of color can aid the feeling of the spirit of the sitter; intelligent composition can render frailty or pompous bulk.
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