Portraits as Art According to the Oxford English Dictionary, portraiture is, "a representation or delineation of a person, especially of the face, made by life, by drawing, painting, photography, engraving... a likeness.” However, this simplistic definition disregards the complexities of portraiture. Portraits are works of art that (engage) with ideas of identity as they are perceived, represented, and understood in different times and places, rather than simply aim to represent a likeness. These concepts of identity can encompass social hierarchy, gender, age, profession, and the character of the subject, among other things. Rather than being fixed, these features are expressive of the expectations and circumstances of the time when the portrait was made. It is impossible to reproduce the aspects of identity; it is only possible to evoke or suggest them. Consequently, even though portraits represent individuals, it is generally conventional or typical - rather than unique - qualities of subject that are stressed by the artist. Portrait art has also undergone significant shifts in artistic convention and practice. Despite the fact that the majority of portraits portray the subject matter in some amount of verisimilitude, (an appearance of being true or real), they are still the outcome of prevailing artistic fashions and favored styles, techniques, and media. Therefore, portrait art is a vast art category which provides a wide range of engagements with social, psychological, and artistic practices and expectations. The word “engage” in the passage is closest in meaning to •A.construct•B.are pleased•C.are altered•D.are involved inAccording to paragraph 1，which of the following gives support of portrait painting's complexity? •A.Portraits representing faces are more true to life than portraits thatportray a whole figure•B.Portrait art comes in many varieties, which include painting,photography, and drawing•C.Portraiture tries to portray the most uncommon attributes of a givensubject•D.Portraiture is an interpretation of a subject rather than a copy of itAccording to paragraph 1, which of the following best illustrates the development of portrait painting as an art form? •A.It started as a minor art form, but became progressively more popular•B.It is a comparatively stable art form due to its fixed subject matter•C.It has been subjected to consistent and major style shifts•D.It was the first art form concerned with the identity of the subjectSince portraits are distinct from other genres or art categories in the ways they are produced, the nature of what they represent, and how they function as objects of use and display, they are worthy of separate study. [▇]First, during their production, portraits require the presence of a specific person, or an image of the individual to be represented, in almost all cases. [▇]In the majority ...
