Why Portraits are fine art

"Basically the principle question
of a portrait is whether it exists just to satisfy a sitter or shall it become engaging and relevant enough to justify
a direct emotional response for any viewer, including
a very distant one."

-Alexey Steele
(One of our premiere portrait artists)

From Alexey Steele interview "Buiseness. Puerto Rico" 2006 "I love portraits. Primarily it is because I love people, all kinds, everyone around me carries the very essence of today and a key to the future. I particularly fascinated by extraordinary, sometimes larger than life individuals of all walks of life. After all, I was surrounded by them most of my life and that is what seams normal to me. People of scale, vision, courage attract me personally and fascinate artistically." "My approach to portraiture is "a very personal moment of eternity". It is current and specific, yet it is timeless.""Portrait is a ticket to eternity. The trouble is most portraiture today is not that much more than a glorified photo enlargement. A lot of them lack that "live presence" we encounter when we see portraits by Titian and Velazques, Repin and Serov. As a result, some very consequential figures, whose names go down in history for better or worse, are left without this powerful, yet intimate, "testimonial" presence in a future. When our distant descendants will be evaluating and reevaluating their legacy, they will be denied the chance of an immediate connection we experience when we see the portrait of Pope Innocent X by Velazques, or Pope Paul III by Titian, or Zar Nicholas by Serov. Unfortunately today most portraits are reduced to either non-expressive "snapshot-like" smiles of social politeness or denigrated to a level of office furniture that comes with a lease on that office. In many cases this type of work lucks life, depth and conviction and therefore will never touch another soul, which is the sole purpose of the enterprise. Basically the principle question of a portrait is whether it exists just to satisfy a sitter or shall it become engaging and relevant enough to justify a direct emotional response for any viewer, including a very distant one. For me the latter is the only option worthy of time of my models as well as of my own short life. That is the only thing that makes portrait an important artistic endeavor."

Medici Portraits • 917.829.4135 • Copyright © 2009 Medici Portraits