Amy Findeiss
"Portraits are not just likenesses, but works of art that engage with ideas
of identity as they are percieved, represented and understood in different
times and places. Identity can encompass the character, personality, social
standing, relationships, profession, age, and gender of the portrait
subject. These qualities are not fixed but are expressive of the
expectations and circumstances of the time when the portrait was made. While
conventional, formal, commissioned portraiture has remained popular to the
present day, artists also produce portraiture to explore their own psyches,
represent their intimate circles, or serve as manifestos of artistic style
or purpose. An observation of any two portraits of the same individual by
the same or different artists reveals just how unstable the idea of likeness
can be. Likeness is a problematic concept. While artists nearly always
produce portraits with some hint of likeness of the individual, portraits
also stress the typical, conventional, or ideal aspects of their sitters."
