People By People

John Hurt
Stuart Pearson Wright


Sir Bill Morris
John Keane
Unless stated all images copyright National Portrait Gallery, London

However there is much more to it than that. Everyone is naturally tuned to be able to find out what they can about another person from their face and dress. What does that face say? Though the Mona Lisa has attracted much comment, there are more subtleties of expression and more tales to be told from that 'look in the eye' from one visit to these amazing exhibitions of people.

The science of determining a person's inner qualities and character from external appearances evolved (apparently) from Aristotle who noticed that the shape of a body or body parts conveyed personality. This became popular again in the 18th century - significantly through Johann Lavater's Physiognomy - the belief that character and temperament could be read in the contours of the human face. A little later Phrenology arose from Franz Gall who took it even further by making a case for the measurement of intelligence and other attributes related to the shape of a skull and even the brain within it. His theory developed from his observation as a student that people with prominent eyes appeared to be better learners. More recently body language has fascinated scientists from anthropologists to psychiatrists.

Long before scientists pursued their theories artists painted and sculpted people more than any other subject. Religions were the main patrons of the arts in depicting icons and scenes from the scriptures. Then private patrons commissioned paintings with their likeness in the figures - even the angels. Many a 'Last Supper' portrays dignitaries of the time when it was painted. Portraiture developed from simply getting a good likeness to capturing the expression of the sitter in a portrait. It became a measure of an artist's skill or greatness.

The beauty in a human face has long been linked to the appreciation of symmetry - yet in these times robots in films are depicted as perfectly symmetrical. Historical references to beauty always contained the views and morality of the monarchs or rulers of the era. It seems on looking back through the ages that the beauty artists portrayed was something of themselves.

At the National Portrait Gallery you can browse through history and see, through the eyes of the artists of the time, the people of the time. This has to be one of the most satisfying places to absorb life as it was lived with a minimum of politics, propaganda or opinions. Each work is a statement about somebody by somebody.