KENDAL.- Can portraits be taken at face value?

Portraiture is a long established artistic tradition. From the early silhouettes and court paintings of majestic figures to contemporary political statement-portraits which challenge and provoke, portraiture has never been about creating a simplistic likeness. This exhibition deconstructs portraiture examining the basic principles and how these have been used time and time again to produce engaging portraits of people, places and times.

The exhibition begins by exploring the artist’s self-portrait and asking why an artist would paint themselves. What are they trying to show? Is self-portraiture about narcissism and self-indulgence? Is it about practicing a technique? Many artists throughout history have painted self-portraits and this section includes outstanding works by Mark Gertler and David Bomberg. As the exhibition progresses visitors will be able to see how the self-portrait has been utilised for alternative purposes such as in Brian Griffin’s photography showcasing popular culture and in the politicised work by Rodney Donald, Self Portrait (Black Man Public Enemy), 1900.

The portrait of a friend, loved one or by commission also features heavily in the exhibition. The dynamic between artist and sitter is intriguingly documented in Bernard’s photographs of Lucian Freud and his infamous sitter, Sue Tilley. In this situation the artist has a close intimacy with the subject as voyeur and author of the immortalised image while simultaneously objectifying the sitter, reducing her to lines, shapes and colours. Many works in the show illustrate how a once personal relationship of artist to subject can be generalised to represent the artists view of a type of person. This is particularly evident in Vanessa Bell’s The Cook, Bernard Meninsky’s Portrait of a Girl and William Patrick Roberts’ A Gipsy Girl.

The exhibition continues to explore the notion that many artists have created portraits that are not of people, or not just of people, but can be portraits of popular culture, places and political opinion. The eye-catching and unforgettable work by Chris Ofili entitled Popcorn Shells, will rest against the walls of Abbot Hall propped up by elephant dung and will greet the visitor as they enter the North Gallery. Ofili’s intriguing work features the faces of famous Jazz musicians admired by the artist. In their collective presentation this work ceases to be about one musician in particular and becomes about the collect impact of Jazz music and its cultural bearing.

This exhibition presents portraiture in a variety of medium including painting, collage, bronze and new media. Sitting peacefully against a wall in the gallery will be the hyper-realistic sculpture by Siobhan Hapaska, entitled Saint Christopher. Although initially surprising and unsettling, this man rests in a calm, contemplative manner. Created predominantly from wax and incorporating human hair this work disrupts the safety of the contained 2D works showing that portraiture can occupy and invade a viewer’s space becoming almost too close for comfort.

The final section of the exhibition challenges the viewer pushing the boundaries of what portraiture can be used for. While both Sarah Lucas’ and Tracey Emin’s pieces are self-portraits they are also boldly challenging gender and sexuality through a re-examination of their own bodies. Marc Quinn’s Template for My Future Plastic Surgery addresses ideas of transformation, vanity and absurdity. The artist cast other people’s body parts and collaged them onto an image of himself.