Field
History, art History
visual arts
Level
The royal portrait: from myth
to reality
Summary
Examining these two works provides an approach to the question of realism, which
is defined here as the faithful, direct expression of reality in the art of the portrait.
By "portrait" is meant a representation, based on a real living model, by an artist
who attempts to reproduce or interpret the person's features and characteristic
expressions.
Documents
Bust of Henri IV, anonymous drawing, circa 1610–1620.
Musée national du château de Pau
Inv. P.2004.7.1
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Commentary
Right from the start, the question of "reproduction vs. interpretation" was present in
the portrait genre. Since all Classical portraits were posthumous, they naturally fall
within the scope of interpretation. This connection with mortality can be seen in the
founding myth of portraiture as recounted by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History:
on a wall, a young girl from Corinth traces the projected shadow of her fiancé, who
must leave to go/for to war. The portrait thus was a substitute for those dead or
absent, and did not come into its own until the Renaissance. Although posthumous
representations continued to be produced, two new types of portrait emerged –
those presenting an idealised human portrayal, and those that attempted to depict
the physical and psychological particularities of the subject. The portrait of Henri IV
seems, at first glance, to belong to the latter category.
Tapestry was governed by other rules. Although we can identify Henri IV's sizeable
nose, his arched eyebrows and bulging forehead, considered noble criteria of the
period, the classically-inspired attire and the array of decorative details give the
impression of an idealised presentation/representation of the Henri IV. One might
term this image allegorical in the sense that it primarily expresses an idea rather
than a real individual. It presents a king that brought peace, reconciliation and
revived the arts.
The artist who executed the drawing seems to have preferred realism. The king's
features, at times ruthlessly rendered, leave the overall impression of the King's
mature and jovial personality. His gaze is softened by his almond-shaped eyes and
heavy eyelids, and his smile is tempered by the gravity of his wrinkles, beard and
grey hair. It is not so much the portrait of the king that is represented here, but a
kindly fatherly figure.
This said, one could also question the realism of this portrait. Executed in the 19th
century, it falls within the family of posthumous images that began at the end of
Henri IV's reign, and continued through the following centuries. As with allegorical
images, this type of portrait spread the image of the King's character, closeness to
his subjects and humanity. "Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the
good qualities, but it is necessary to appear to have them" (The Prince, Machiavelli).
Henri IV understood how important it was to control the dissemination of his image,
and he tasked Paris's largest engraving workshop with distributing images and
leaflets.
Suggestions for student activities
These activities are appropriate for middle-school students. Two approaches might
be taken: "Images and their relationship to the real" (realism, symbolism, poetry,
metaphor and allegory) or "Images in the artistic milieu" (the question of the means
and distribution of artistic images, the artist as both witness to and participant in his
or her time). Students could be asked to "understand the relationship between the
subject and its image" and "explore the goals of the image production."
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First part:
"Create an image of yourself in an everyday situation"
Tools/materials: a photograph of each student, scissors, glue, pencils, felt-tip pens,
coloured pencils, pastels and paint.
Medium: a 50x32cm sheet divided into two approximately equal parts. The first part
of the activity will be done on one side of the sheet.
Time: 50 minutes.
This can be followed by a discussion of the idea of "the setting" of daily lives, reality,
realism and the use of realism for specific ends.
Next, analyse the students' projects in light of related works of art: still lives, in
particular the scenes depicted in paintings by Vermeer (Girl with a Pearl Earring,
The Painter in his Studio), the artwork produced in workshops prior to the late 19th
century, when artists (Impressionists) began to paint outdoors. Other works that
could be considered include portraits that seem to have been "done on the spot",
from Ingres to recent photographic works (images of politicians in daily settings).
Or, compare the photographs of Jeff Walls with newspaper images.
Second part:
" Create an image of yourself in the most prestigious setting you can imagine"
Tools/materials: a photograph of each student, scissors, glue, pencils, felt-tip pens,
coloured pencils, pastels and paint.
Medium: a 50x32cm sheet divided into two approximately equal parts. The second
part of the activity will be done on the second part of the sheet.
Time: 50 minutes.
This can be followed by a discussion of the various types of viewpoints: does
everyone have the same idea of prestige? What situations, presentations, contexts
and settings are used to highlight prestige?
To understand how these criteria are influenced by personality, desires, different
societies and periods, analyse a number of works around the theme of portrait and
ceremonial attire. For instance: Portrait de Louis XIV by Hyacinthe Rigaud, or a
comparison between two portraits from the same period in which the subjects' dress
and posture are similar (Napoléon in his Study by Jacques-Louis David compared
with Portrait of Monsieur Rivière by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres). Contrast this
with the images of rappers on CD cases, which also display identifiable, codified
postures and clothing.
Analyse works that display scenes of power and heroic situations (The Battle of
Arques, diverse royal and presidential portraits).
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Document
A so-called "Arsenal" hanging for Sully with Henri IV depicted as Apollo (detail), 1600–1610.
Écouen, musée national de la Renaissance
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