This document provides an overview of different portraits created by various artists over different time periods. It discusses key portraits such as Hans Holbein's 1539 portrait of Henry VIII, Lucian Freud's 2000 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, Jan Van Eyck's 1434 painting "The Arnolfini Marriage", Leonardo Da Vinci's 1505-1510 "Mona Lisa", Rembrandt's 1661 self-portrait, Thomas Gainsborough's 1770s portrait of "Lady in Blue", Edgar Degas' 1876 painting "The Absinthe Drinker", Vincent Van Gogh's 1889 self-portrait, Amedeo Modigliani's 1919 portrait of "Anna Zborowska",

1. Portraiture
Hans Holbein ‘Henry VIII’ 1539 Lucian Freud ‘Queen Elizabeth II’ 2000
Here are two paintings of British Royalty painted at different times!
What are the differences between them? When were they
painted? Write notes on the back of your images in groups!

2. Lesson Objectives
Investigate portraiture and how
it has been represented by
different artists
Understand how to create a
quality artist research page
Explore further ideas associated
with ‘identity’

3. Jan Van Eyck ‘The Arnolfini Marriage’ 1434
Portraiture
In this project we will focus on
the portrait! For every project
in Art is important to study
who other artists have
approached the same theme
or technique!
Lets look at how the portrait
has developed over the
centuries and the identity of
the people in each painting!
Who are the people in this
painting?
Tell the class one thing about
their life!

4. Portraiture
Leonardo Da Vinci ‘Mona Lisa’ 1505-1510
This is one of the most famous
paintings in the world, but what
do you know about her?
Who was Mona Lisa? Describe
her identity to the class
Why is this painting so famous?
Watch the clip and find out!
Click the painting
to find out why!

5. Portraiture
Rembrandt ‘Self Portrait’ 1661
Some artists often paint
their own self portrait!
What kind of person was
Rembrandt?
Describe his personality in
one word!

6. Portraiture
In early portraiture, only
important people would
be painted as subjects!
Describe the identity of
the woman in this
painting!
Thomas Gainsborough ‘Lady in Blue’ 1770’s

7. Edgar Degas ‘The Absinthe Drinker’ 1876
Portraiture
In the late 19th Century began
to paint different subjects.
How is the woman in this
painting by Degas different
from the woman in
Gainsborough’s portrait?

8. Vincent Van Gogh ‘Self Portrait’ 1889
Portraiture
Here is a self portrait by the
artist Vincent Van Gogh.
What do you know about his
life?
Describe his personality in
one word!

9. Portraiture
Amedeo Modigliani ‘Portrait of Anna
Zborowska’ 1919
Amedeo Modigliani distorted and
stretched his portraits in the early 20th
century.
What personality does the woman in
this painting have?

10. Frida Kahlo ‘Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace
and Hummingbird’ 1940
Portraiture
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican
artist who used herself and
her identity as a starting
point for her work.
Which of these words would
describe Frida Kahlo and
why?
Happy
Depressed
Thoughtful
Shy
Aggressive
Friendly
Funny

11. Portraiture
Francis Bacon ‘Self Portrait’ 1972
Francis Bacon was an
artist who also painted
his own portrait!
What has he changed
about his own face?
Look at his photograph
and decide!

12. Wang Xiaogang ‘Les Camarades’ 2000
Portraiture
Wang Xiaogang is a
Chinese artist who portrays
the people around him!
What do his portraits say
about China today?

13. Jenny Saville ‘Boy’ 2005
Portraiture
Jenny Saville is an
artist working today
using an expressive
technique.
Look back at the first
image and describe
the differences
between the two
images!

14. Artist Research
Year 8 Artist Research Page
Annotation
on the
artwork
Copy of the
artists work
Print of
the artists
work

15. Task
Choose one
artist from
today’s lesson,
the presentation
is on Lionel and
create a
research page.
REMEMBER!
It must feature
annotation on
the work, a
copy of the
artists work and
a print of the
artists work!

16. During the lesson we have looked at different artists approach to
portraiture through the centuries!
Which painting matches which artist?
Which is your favourite and why?
Which portrait is the odd one out?
Rembrandt ‘Self Portrait’ 1661
Amedeo Modigliani ‘Portrait of
Anna Zborowska’ 1919
Frida Kahlo ‘Self-Portrait
with Thorn Necklace and
Hummingbird’ 1940

17. Homework
Complete your artist
research page for the next
lesson