Art History Lecture w/ Tom Richards - Portraiture Pt.2

An Installment in the Art History related content on The FAA Collective Patreon

Dear Patrons,

Thank you for your support! This week we would like to present you with the second part to an art history lecture with Tom Richards, Assistant Director of The Florence Academy of Art. In this lecture we continue to explore the history and many potentials of the genre of portraiture through an analysis of a few selected examples. (Pt. 1 link under “Additional Resources”)

With Tom Richards’s direction, we delve into particular facets of the artworks such as their historical context, the relationship of the artist to the sitter, and various compositional and technical decisions. The selected works cover a diverse range, and as we are guided from artworks such as a sculpture by Bernini, to portraits by Peter Paul Rubens and his pupil Anthony van Dyck, works by Velazquez, Frans Hals, and John Singer Sargent (complete list indexed below) we are explained and asked to consider aspects of the artworks such as if the portrait in question is the focus or a part of a larger work, the identity of the subject and their relationship to the artist, how the artist captures the vivacity of the subject, and the purpose behind the portrait’s creation. Through these lines of inquiry and more we learn to better understand these portraits - not only as individual works, but how they fit into the grander scheme of Art History as well. 

Although Art History Lectures are currently on hold at The Florence Academy of Art until schools in Italy reopen, there are over 10 available to view on our Patreon. All are accessible with a subscription here: https://www.patreon.com/m/2685644/posts?filters[tag]=Art%20History%20Lectures

We hope you thoroughly enjoy this lecture! 

Artwork Index:

-Peter Paul Rubens (1577—1640)- Portrait of Isabella Brant, 1625. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.

-Peter Paul Rubens- Four Studies of a Male Head. Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.

-Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641)- Portrait of Cornelis van der Geest, before 1620. The National Gallery, London. 

-Sir Anthony van Dyck- Portrait Study of a Bearded Man. Private Collection. 

-Sir Anthony van Dyck- Cadinal Guido Bentivoglio, 1623. Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti, Florence. 

-Sir Anthony van Dyck- Portrait of the landscapist Martin Ryckaert (1587–1631) in Polish costume, c1631. Museo del Prado, Madrid. 

-Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598—1680)- Portrait of Pope Innocent X, c1650. Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome. 

-Diego Velázquez (1599—1660)- Portrait of Pope Innocent X, c1650. Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome. 

-Diego Velázquez- Portrait of Archbishop Fernando de Valdés, 1640-1645. The National Gallery, London. 

-Frans Hals (1582-1666)- Officers of the St. George Civic Guard, Haarlem, 1627. Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, the Netherlands. 

-Frans Hals- Regents of the St. Elisabeth's Hospital, Haarlem, 1641. Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, the Netherlands. 

-John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)- George Henschel, 1889. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

-Hanna Hirsch-Pauli (1864-1940)- Portrait of Artist Venny Soldan-Brofeldt, 1887. The Gothenburg Museum of Art, Göteborg, Sweden. 

-Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669)- Self portrait. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 

John Singer Sargent- Portrait of Elizabeth Garret Anderson, 1900. National Portrait Gallery, London. 

-Sophie Ribbing (1835-1894)- Boys Drawing, 1864). Gothenburg Museum of Art, Göteborg, Sweden. 

-Peter Paul Rubens- Portrait of a Young Girl, 1615-1616. Collection of Lichtenstein Museum. 

Additional Resources:

This lecture was originally recorded as part of a joint Art History-Materials lecture at the Florence Academy of Art with Tom Richards and Toby Neve who demonstrated how to mix lead white oil paint by hand. Being so, discussion of lead white paint and its use in portraiture recurs in this lecture. If you are interested in learning about grinding oil paint by hand, make sure to check out Techniques w/ Toby Neve - Grinding Lead White by Hand  https://www.patreon.com/posts/techniques-w-by-33583731 on our Patreon! 

Part 1 of the series - Art History Lecture w/ Tom Richards - Portraiture Pt.1 - can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/art-history-w-pt-35945732

Tom Richards was born in London in 1982. In addition to his experience as a painter he has an MA in Art History from the University of St Andrews, graduating in 2005. Since then Tom has divided his time between London and Florence. In recent years he has exhibited his work in London and undertaken numerous commissions in Europe and beyond. Before joining The Florence Academy of Art he trained extensively with Charles H. Cecil, a former colleague of Daniel Graves. 

To view his work please visit:

https://www.instagram.com/tominflorence/

https://www.tawrichards.com/

https://www.florenceacademyofart.com/alumni-gallery/tom-richards/