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Paper Topic:

Art History: Function of potraiture in Britain in the eighteenth century

Unlike word gesture , one 's attitude suggested motion , implied from a degree of fixity . Even though the repertoire of portraiture attitudes in the 18th century were often limited by the need to show the sitters as d , in good humor , or properly elevated in character . Extreme expressions were often avoided (Meyer 1995

For instance , a popular pose for portraits during the 18th century was the male pose with a hand tucked in a waistcoat . Art historians have analyzed this pose and attitude to signify the critical transformation of Britain as it emerged

as a national power in response to French challenges to the country 's political and religious autonomy (Meyer 1995 . The posture and gestures in portraits during the 18th century were often derived from ancient Roman sculpture or Italian Renaissance paintings , and often conveyed the dignified status of its sitters or subjects (National Gallery of Art , Washington , D .C , Tour : British and American ' 2006

Portraiture , as the most popular art genre in 18th century Britain came in various forms : large-scale painted portraits , portrait prints small-scale painted portraits , drawings , and miniatures . The smaller images fulfilled numerous functions - such as personal memorials fashionable decorations , or expressions of political affiliation (Huntington Library , Art Collections , and Botanical Gardens 2003

Mainly , portraiture has been regarded as a way to convey status and to acknowledge power and wealth . Portraits of art donors were included as work of arts as a way to verify patronage , power and virtue Portraiture has also functioned as a way of remembering the dead or as memorial representations of ancestors (MSN Encarta 2006

The 18th century has often been described as the period that marked the birth of the individual . Thus , one of the functions of portraiture was as an archetypical form of representation . It was also viewed as a central...

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