Peer furtively into the face of a family member, a friend, or even a stranger, if you dare. What single and remarkable feature, mood or spirit captures your attention? Portrait artists have asked this question for centuries. Members of the Arts Society of Kingston (ASK) are displaying their answers at the July 2009 exhibit entitled “Heads Up, Po...
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Peer furtively into the face of a family member, a friend, or even a stranger, if you dare. What single and remarkable feature, mood or spirit captures your attention? Portrait artists have asked this question for centuries. Members of the Arts Society of Kingston (ASK) are displaying their answers at the July 2009 exhibit entitled “Heads Up, Portraiture.”
An extremely diverse response to the call for paintings, sketches and photographic submissions is characteristic of this gallery. Portraiture is no exception. In this show, member artists provide intimate glimpses of those in their lives—from strangers, to friends and relatives, to themselves (self-portraits.) Even livestock and pets are valid traditional subjects. That intimate glimpse includes the artist’s own unique point of view and her or his personal relationship to the subject.
Primitive portraiture from the prehistoric era survives as cave paintings that frequently combined human and animal forms. In ancient civilizations, portraiture was usually restricted to kings and gods. Current depictions include political caricatures, family snap shots, commissioned portraits, abstract works of art, photo journalism, religious icons and ordinary people.
Modern technology has added a huge variety of materials for today’s artist. This exhibit tips its hat to the current age of the anything-goes-technique coupled with the earliest human instinct to record the likeness or essence of a living being.
“Heads Up, Portraiture” is an exhibit of ASK members’ art and runs from July 4 to 28, 2009.
All members interested in painting, sketching or photographing portraits on Saturdays during the month of July are invited to contact ASK at 845-338-0331. Information about ASK and its programs may be found at askforarts.org.
