Portraits and persons : a philosophical inquiry

Resource Information

The work Portraits and persons : a philosophical inquiry represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in University of Missouri Libraries. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

Portraits and persons : a philosophical inquiry

Title remainder

a philosophical inquiry

Statement of responsibility

by Cynthia Freeland

Creator

• Freeland, Cynthia A

Subject

• Aesthetics
• Portrait drawing -- Philosophy
• Portrait painting -- Philosophy
• Portraits -- Philosophy

Language

eng

Summary

• À boundary-breaking book, mobilizing art for philosophical purposes with exciting and enlightening results.' Ivan Gaskell, Harvard University --
• Èngaging and filled with subtle insights, Portraits and Persons offers an important new perspective that enriches immeasurably our understanding of selfhood, personal identity, and portraiture.' Marya Schechtman, University of Illinois at Chicago --
• In this book, leading art philosopher Cynthia Freeland addresses these questions and more. As she shows, portraits have served two fundamental functions through the ages. Firstly, they preserve identity, bringing us closer to loved ones who are either absent or dead. And secondly, they tell us something about the subject being portrayed: not just external things such as what they are wearing, but also the subject's emotions and inner state. --
• Freeland also addresses a whole host of fascinating problems posed by the art of portraiture. Has postmodernism put an end to portraiture? Can a picture of an animal truly be a portrait? Do the self-portraits of artists like Rembrandt and Frida Kahlo amount to an autobiography? How have artists managed to depict the inner state of their subjects---both of those closest to them and those they barely knew? Is it possible for an artist to capture an individual's unique aura? And how has science been used to help in this quest? --
• As Freeland shows, portraits are far more than just pretty pictures. They are a fundamental way of looking at ourselves and others, raising profound questions about our identity---how it is revealed, and how it can be preserved even after death. --Book Jacket

Cataloging source

UKM

Dewey number

704.942

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

LC call number

N7575

LC item number

.F74 2010

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

bibliography