Friday, 12 October 2012

The Art of Silhouette

The silhouette has a long history in art, arguably the most basic (yet effective) manner of capturing a likeness. With all other variables removed, emphasis lies solely in the accuracy of the form depicted. An iconic art-form of this style is silhouette profile portraiture, popular and fashionable through the 18th-19th centuries. The method usually involved either cutting the form from black paper or card, which would then be mounted- or painting. The birth of photography took it's toll on this tradition, though it lasted through to the Victorian era, a romantic vestige of nostalgia in an age of technological supremacy.


-The works of William Bache


-Self-portrait of Auguste Edouart


A significant source of inspiration for some of the choices made in my current project (conceptually and aesthetically) was the receiving of this beautiful piece as a gift from my girlfriend... silhouettes and ravens.


-A collection of possessions formerly belonging to Thomas Julius Brook...


(First year 'Invented Personas' Project)



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