THE NECESSARY CONDITIONS FOR A GOOD PORTRAIT
It must combine two conditions. This lesson will deal with them.
- 1. — Present a perfect resemblance to the model.
- 2. — Be in itself a work of art.
The first of these conditions is obvious: if there is no resemblance, there is no portrait. However, the expression “perfect resemblance” supposes a series of physical and psychic elements, the realization of which is not as easy as it seems; we will see this soon.
The second condition relates to the fact that the portrait must be able to be admired and considered as a work of artistic value, in addition to its resemblance to the model. That is to say that resemblance is not enough. Identity photographs resemble the model, but no one would take a step to admire them, because they have no value on the artistic level. On the contrary, thousands of people admire every day portraits like that of Pope Innocent X by Velázquez (page 51), not because of its resemblance, which is of no importance to anyone, but for the intrinsic value of the painting as a work of art.
We are going to study the factors that determine these two fundamental conditions. Beforehand, I ask you to read, on the next page, the “Advice from Ingres to his students”, taken from a notebook of notes found by the descendants of one of his students. It is a sort of studio conversation on the art of portraiture and the drawing of figures in general; its content is eternal, completely current and entirely applicable to this teaching.
We will quote some of these phrases during this lesson, but in any case, read them now… then and always. Everything in them is important.
Ingres’ Advice to His Students
In everything we see, there is a caricature that must be grasped.
The painter must be a physiognomist and seek out the caricature.
One can only be a good artist if one penetrates the spirit of the model.
Grasp the particular character of your model; do not render only the likeness of a strong man: also show his Herculean character.
Stop at the “pose” of the head and the body; characterize the person you wish to paint. The body must not follow the movement of the head. Before beginning, study the natural physiognomy of your model; then draw the consequences from it by giving him the corresponding expression.
Before beginning, one must question the model.
There are no two people who resemble each other; give each one its individual character down to the smallest detail.
The sketch is the art of seizing the character, the master line, the characteristic feature of an object, its spirit.
One must study and observe the “poses” that are habitual to each age.
In movements, there is always one feature that matters more than another.
A draftsman must have an eye for everything, see everything at once and, right up to the last moment, preserve the harmony and exactness of his drawing.
Draw the eyes as if you were strolling.
One paints as one draws.
Attack the black vigorously, but develop, develop.
It is not the white that one sees first, but the half-tones and the deep shadows.
Details are chatterers that must be subdued.
Observe carefully the limits of the shadows, the half-tones, and the whites.
Avoid an excess of highlights that could break up the mass.
Women’s portraits must be only lightly shaded, as light as possible.
Success must be founded on form.
Perfect by starting from a principle: construct, seek, unite by means of lines, compare the great lengths, the great features, harmonize.
See the path of art: Michelangelo above all, then Raphael, who owes all his greatness to Michelangelo. Both of them reached the sublime of thought. And what path did they take to get there?
The path of humility, of submission in order to copy everything quite simply and even stupidly.
