Visual Art Essays

Visual Art Essays

Prompts Questions:
1. Describe the rise of the “celebrity portrait” in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

What factors fed public interest in portraits of the rich and famous?

Why would artists such as John Singer Sargent, Cecilia Beaux, and Eastman Johnson turn to portraiture as an art form?

What was expected of artists in serving the interests of the patron/sitter?

Be sure to address how these artists balanced the problems of adhering to mimetic “likeness” versus capturing “the personality” of the sitter, as well as their own standing in the artistic community.