An American Portrait Photographer, Philippe Halsman

An American portrait photographer, Philippe Halsman, in the mid 1900’s once said, â€Å"A true portrait should, today and a hundred years from today, the Testimony of how this person looked and what kind of human being he was.† He provides a good point, as he gives his opinion that portraits are a representation of an individual, to show the memory of their soul through artwork even if it’s photographs, paintings, drawings, or sculptures. Whether it is to remember the past or present, portraits tell their own story in a moment of time through the frame of the artistic eye. Portraits consist of many underlying layers that are exposed by the artist to mesmerize the viewer to the unique personality of an individual by the style of the portrait,†¦show more content†¦For example, Yousuf Karsh characterizes Muhammad Ali (plate 1) through a powerful photograph, not only as an individual but an American hero who shows power and strength. When looking at the imag e the most apparent form is his face and the emotion that is being expressed. While Ali’s head is turned at forty-five degrees, he remains to have eye contact with the viewers, which means he is not afraid to show the world who he is and how he wants to be represented. Furthermore, the bold stance of his fists carefully placed on his hips and his shoulders slightly forward exemplifies his fearlessness and confidence that he has in himself and that many others who chant his name know him to be. While Karsh identifies a more serious approach to a portrait that captures what Muhammad Ali stood for, there are also more whimsical ways to apprehend the narration of a person. Gwenn Seemel is one amazing artist that truly captures the essence of a person and makes them come alive on the canvas. During the course of an hour long interview, Seemel takes hundreds of photos while her subject spills his or her whole life’s story. In a video about her artwork and the process that go es with it she states, â€Å"Portraits should not be a still thing.† While portraits are often a two dimensional representation of an individual, their spirit is conveyed by the sitter’s facial expression and the style in which the artist wants to convey their personality. In a portrait of a young girl named Lily (plateShow MoreRelatedThe Mirror Like Reflection Of Art956 Words   |  4 Pagesshow how the social, political, and religious circumstances of the different art periods affect the way women were represented. Comparing the work of Johannes Vermeer and Philippe Halsman it is clearly to see how the separations of centuries and different techniques affected the vision of the women’s beauty. Although both, American actress Grace Kelly and The Milkmaid, represent femininity as the main idea, one shows a realistic expression of the beauty, the other image is the author’s perception of