Portraiture is a unique and vast art category. This class will focus upon a select number of ‘faces’ from the Renaissance to the present to address The following questions: Firstly, what is a portrait? What functions does a portrait serve? What is the task of the portraitist? Relatedly, what do the clues of costume, pose, gesture, expression, and setting tell us about the sitter? How may the representation of a woman reveal something of her role in society? Crucially, how are we to define the concept of ‘identity’? Then also, the 'selfie': why do so many artists paint self-portraits? Finally, how does the media exploit the iconic nature of celebrities? (Warhol) As we shall see, the simple definition of a portrait - the representation of a unique individual - belies the complexity and contradictions of portraiture. This class is more than about FACES. It is about WHY they look as they do, and HOW they communicate with us. (This is a repeat from last year).