what is a portrait?

this is a self portrait by Jacob Lawrence. Lawrence uses bright lively colors in this painting which can describe a lively happy person. he places himself in a room that is fool of things. for example in his hand there are paint brushes that describe that he has a passion for painting. he is also placed in a room that looks like place that can be comfortable because the person is happy in the painting. Lawrence reinvents the concept of portrait because its not traditional i the sense that, it doesn't look realistic but more cartoony.

this is a portrait of Dr. Gachet by Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh uses dull cool colors to portray the person that contrast against the warm colors of the table. the table holds books that seem that they can be important to the person and that is the reason that they are there. the background seems blank and dull like the person is lost or bored and not happy with what they are doing. can Gogh is not a traditional portrait artist the person doesn't look realistic because of the way that he uses the brush strokes, so he is an artist that reinvents the concepts of portraits.

this portrait is called librarian by Guiseppe Archimboldo. Archimboldo has reinvented the concept of portrait because in this one he doesn't even use the body of the person to create the person, he uses what the person uses in everyday life to give the story of the person. he uses a dark background that brings the attention to the more bright colors of the books. he also has more details on the books rather than the face of the person which draws the attention to the books or the body of the portrait.