Readers of Faces: Poetry as Portraiture
As babies, the human face is the first thing that we learn to see and to interpret. The idea that we can capture a ‘likeness’ of a person, revealing key truths or fundamental aspects of their character in a single composition has always dominated world art, ever since early man scratched his own likeness. In this course we’ll be examining some of the techniques of portraiture and exploring how they can be applied to poetic composition, creating some of our own poetry silhouettes, caricatures and maybe even a selfie. We’ll also be considering the ethical questions that arise when we attempt to represent another person. What does it mean to have a sitter? What do the other objects and costumes in a portrait tell us about the subject? How do we negotiate the various gazes at work between the artist, the subject and the audience? Come and lock eyes with us, and maybe create some poems that will follow you around a room.
This is a private group. To join you must be a registered site member and request group membership.