According to the predominant standards, a portrait should be a faithful representation of its model. However, this is not always the case. This gallery of 1000 portraits illustrates how the genre has been transformed throughout history, and has proven itself to be much more complex than a simple imitation of reality. Beyond exhibiting the artist’s skill, the portrait must surpass the task of imitation, as just and precise as it may be, to translate both the intention of the artist as well as that of its patron, without betraying either’s wishes. Therefore, these silent witnesses, carefully selected in these pages, reveal more than faces of historic figures or anonymous subjects: they reveal a psychology more than an identity, illustrate an allegory, serve as political and religious propaganda, and embody the customs of their epochs. With its impressive number of masterpieces, biographies, and commentaries on works, this book presents and analyses different portraits, giving a reflection of the evolution of society, and above all the upheavals of a genre that has dramatically shaped the history of art. 根据明确的艺术技法标准,一幅肖像应该首先是对它的模特的真实再现。然而,这本1000幅肖像的画册阐述了在历史上体裁是如何转化的,它远比对于真实的简单模仿要复杂得多。 超越了展示艺术家的技巧,肖像画必须胜过模仿的任务,它应当公正和精确,沟通艺术家和赞助人的意图,不能背离任何一方的希望。因此,在此精选的这些沉默的见证揭示了比历史人物或无名之辈的面孔更多的东西:它们揭示的心理学比身份更多,阐述了寓言,服务于政治和宗教宣传,并且表现了它们所处时代的习俗。 本书包含了令人印象深刻的杰作,传记和评论,展示和分析了不同的肖像,由此向读者以及任何艺术爱好者揭示了社会变迁的反映,以及这一超过300个世纪的绘画体裁的突变是如何塑造艺术史的。
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