Art History Lecture w/ Tom Richards - Portraits & Portraiture

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

Dear Patrons,

Thank you, as always, for your kind support. This week we would like to present you with a fantastic video lecture by The Florence Academy of Art’s Assistant Director, Tom Richards, on the captivating and complex art of portraiture. 

In this lecture Tom explores the concept and practice of portraiture in both painting and sculpture. He guides us through the beginnings of the art, from the idealized depictions of figures such as saints to what is perhaps the first depiction of a specific person, frescoed by Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. From there we explore works by artists such as Giorgione, Tintoretto, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Valázquez, Bernini, Hans Holbein the Younger, Joshua Reynolds, Sargent, Cecilia Beaux, and Repin; examining the context behind the works such as who and why the sitters are depicted, be it for commission or personal attachment of the artist, as well as compositional choices, how form is treated, and important elements to depict. We are also asked to delve into concepts behind self-portraiture and the use of portraits or heads as pieces of a larger work. 

In the end, portraiture solidifies in time an artist’s vision of a person, be it themselves or another, and the final work is inextricably tied to the reason behind the creation of the work, the personal relationship of the artist to the subject, and who the work is meant to be viewed by. As noted by Samuel Johnson, portraiture is more than a translation of a person’s head into artistic medium as it does three rather powerful things: it creates friendship or renews it, reminds us of absent friends, and it keeps the dead alive.  

We hope you thoroughly enjoy this lecture and would like to remind you that Art History lectures take place every Friday during the academic sessions at The Florence Academy of Art campus in Florence, everyone is very welcome to join! More information on lectures can be gained through bulletins posted on The FAA’s social media and e-newsletter. 

Tom Richards is Assistant Director of the Florence Academy of Art, Principal Instructor at the academy, and a working artist based in the UK and Italy. To view his work please visit:

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

https://www.tawrichards.com/

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