Commissioned portrait
of Prince William and
Prince Harry of Wales
by Nicky Phipps, 2009
S
andy Nairne, Director of the British National
Portrait Gallery, oversees a collection which constantly
challenges the boundaries of the genre. Videos of famed
footballer Beckham asleep, a portrait sculpture formed by
frozen blood (mercifully kept consistently at the freezing
temperature) and a portrait of the Queen by way of a
female impersonator, included in the Queen's Diamond
Jubilee portrait exhibition, are just a few examples.
Portrait artists apprehend souls, much like the protagonist
in the opera based on Gogol's novel, Lost Souls. There is
an intimation of the divine in their work: historically, they
are the first portrait photographers, albeit through the eye
camera and hand. Sans mechanical camera, they and
what they produce remain by far the most remarkable.
In the last nearly two centuries, those among them who
create portraits using various photographic techniques,
including computer-enhanced images, have added
much to the tradition.
HYLAND
