2 Audley Square
Mayfair, London W1K
UK
Founded in 1994, THE COURSE offers art history lectures, opera and literature courses, guided museum visits and London walks.
This course will examine the changing face of the portrait from the 6th century to the present. It will look at how and why its meaning and function have mutated and why artists are still drawn to this medium despite the advent of photography. It will also explore whether a portrait has to convey an accurate likeness and how artists went about trying to convey “character”.
RE-INVENTION OF THE SELF: The Art and Artifice of the Self-Portrait
When is a portrait a portrait and when is it not a portrait? We will take a look at the Art and Artifice of the Portrait & Self-Portrait and examine both known and unknown figures. What possible use were portraits and what meaning did they have to those who commissioned them?