Saturday, 1 October 2011

Kunsthalle Wien Examines the Photographic Portrait from Mapplethorpe to Goldin

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 07:25 PM PDT
artwork: Nan Goldin - Shiobhan in my Mirror, Berlin, 1992 - DZ BANK Kunstsammlung © Nan Goldin, Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery, NY
VIENNA.- When the history of photography began to unfold with portraiture, one’s own image was cause for astonishment and rapture. Since its discovery, beginning with early daguerreotypes and nineteenth century studio portraits, photography has satisfied people’s desire for their likeness and largely replaced the more costly and demanding painting. The image of the face, as the constitutive element of the portrait, is traditionally regarded as a mirror of the soul and a medium of identification. “The face is where we are,” says photographer Jonathan Miller: “We kiss, eat, breathe and speak through it. It’s where we think of ourselves as being finally and conclusively on show. It’s the part we hide when we are ashamed and the bit we think we lose when we are in disgrace.” 

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