Museum Research

National Portrait Gallery

As part of my research into historical portraits we went on a educational trip to the National Portrait Gallery in London. There were many different painting with varying styles and effects, I found the diverse range inspirational for the chosing the portait to which I will design my makeup from. I found it very helpful to look in close detail at the methodology in which the artists had created the artwork, it allowed me to take note of the texture, depth and medium used. I was also able to see how the differing mediums were affected by age, some had cracked and dried more than others creating interesting surfaces on the paintings. I found that many of the portraits from specific eras looked very similar as most portraits were completed in the style of the tim and with oil on canvas. Whilst looking through the gallery I focused my detail on the facial features and potential postiche work that I could create for my final prosthetic transformation. 

The exhibition on the Tudors was particularly interesting as it showed the different styles from the same era, giving an overview of the hairstyles and costumes of the era. I found it particularly interesting to look at Henry VIII as he has so many differnt portraits completed during his reign allowing me to create an accurate visual concept of his facial features. 

National Gallery

As further research we went to the National Gallery to see a greater range of portraits, to be able to see the detail of the texture within the paintings. There was a more diverse range of portraits within the gallery showing differnt styles of work that would allow for more experimentation in styling when creating the historical portait. The paintings in this gallery included a wider range from portraits to landscapes by many different artists. The portraits included in the gallery gave me an insight into many more different styles of portrait allowing me to see the differences in technique used to paint and the way in which the portraits have aged creating textures on the surface. Many had begun to flake and crack due to the paint used drying out a peeling away from the canvas. This is an important aspect to consider with the design of my portrait recreation as if it has occured on the painting it will be an important aspect to include.  

Hunterian Museum

The final museum that we visited was the Hunterian Museum in London. This was an additional museum durng the trip, I felt it was important to visit as it had a large amount of infomation on the anatomy of human beings. There were many skeletal frames showing the structure of the face and the anatomy which I will need to follow in order to create a realistic portrait. I now understand where the flesh falls and how the skeletal frame holds the head shape, this will be important to create the prosthetics, particularly the nose piece as it must look flesh like and help with understanding the amount of support the skull will give to different areas of the face.  

Overall the trip to London was very informative allowing me to get a better understanding of historical portaits and the way in which they age and transform, the colours which stay strong and those which fade. It has also given me inspiration for different artsists to research and various sitters who could potentially be good for the project. It is very different to see a portrait in person rather than a photograph of it, therefore it has allowed me to see elements of a historical portrait that I may not have noted in the photograph. These elements are all important points to consider when creating my historical portrait and I will endevour to make the final outcome as successful as possible.