What is PLACE
"How we experience a place can have consequence to our lives. Attachments to familiar environments can inform our sense of self and unite us with others who, like kindred spirits, call a place "home." The unique features of a particular landscape, and what we might know about its geographic and cultural histories, can inspire us to find meaning in its physical attributes. Human activities such as construction, transportation, and economic exchange shape our perceptions of the places where we live, play, and work." - Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
What is a Portrait
Portraiture is a very old art form going back at least to ancient Egypt, where it flourished from about 5,000 years ago. Before the invention of photography, a painted, sculpted, or drawn portrait was the only way to record the appearance of someone.
But portraits have always been more than just a record. They have been used to show the power, importance, virtue, beauty, wealth, taste, learning or other qualities of the sitter. Portraits have almost always been flattering, and painters who refused to flatter, such as William Hogarth, tended to find their work rejected. A notable exception was Francisco Goya in his apparently bluntly truthful portraits of the Spanish royal family.
Among leading modern artists portrait painting on commission, that is to order, became increasingly rare. Instead, artists painted their friends and lovers in whatever way they pleased. Most of Picasso’s pictures of women, for example, however bizarre, can be identified as portraits of his lovers. At the same time, photography became the most important medium of traditional portraiture, bringing what was formerly an expensive luxury product affordable for almost everyone. Since the 1990s artists have also used video to create living portraits. But portrait painting continues to flourish. - Tate Modern
Portraits AND Place
For this projects, students will create a series of photos that explore and or challenge the concept of a "place" through portraiture. Possible concepts include but are not limited to: land, home, geography, identity, ecology, economy, society, local history, migration, youth... let's add to this in class.
1) Select a concept for your project.
2) Write a two paragraph project description.
3) Fieldwork (identify possible locations/communities/people).
4) Begin to shoot project.
5) Share in progress in progress with class - 9-11.
6) Project is due 9-18
Reference Artists
