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Portraits.  I find them endlessly fascinating.  Perhaps it’s because I find people endlessly fascinating.  Each one a virtual galaxy of details to be appreciated.  The Legacy Project is borne from that reality.  We are beautiful, we are each a galaxy, we have a story.   That’s what The Legacy Project began as.  A way to express the beauty and a kind of visual story about someone.  A story told in visual expression, interpretation, inspiration using contemporary tools and techniques.  

There are so many historic and breathtaking portraits to see, which served as my own inspiration as an artist.  I chose only a few to share here to illustrate the point, and none of them contemporary.  Thats an entirely new discussion, which I will be taking up another time.

The very first known portrait is a cave painting found in Angouleme, France circa 25000 BC.

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This following is the official Imperial Portrait of the empress and wife to Emperor Qinzong of (1100–1161) of the Song Dynasty in China.  Done by the Imperial Painter, no other name given.

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And one we all know well– George Washington by Gilbert Stuart in 1796.  I love this one.  Texturally so beautiful and the blush in the cheek, the detail in the eyes…

 

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After looking into this a bit to learn more about how it was done way back in the days before cameras and a digital darkroom… Creating a portrait took considerable time, often over several sittings.  Cézanne, on one extreme, insisted on over 100 sittings from his subject.  Goya on the other hand, preferred one long day’s sitting.  I’m with Goya.  🙂 The average was about four days.  And could still be for some traditionalists.  Some make a drawing of the face, then complete the rest of the painting without the sitter.  This is how I do it too in my own way– by making photographs and then embellishing, manipulating, and “painting” them.   In the 18th century, it would typically take about one year to deliver a completed portrait to a client.  I believe it’s the artistic germination process that adds to the time, which thankfully is now greatly shortened. 

It’s amazing how much alike all the charming Rapalje children children look.  Nearly a carbon copy of each other.  And notice the Napoleon Bonaparte hand in jacket pose on one of them.

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The Rapalje Children. Oil on canvas. Painted by artist John Durand, 1768. Collection of the New-York Historical Society. Durand was regarded as one of New York’s finest painters. He lived in the City for only a brief time –1766 to 1768, during which time he painted members of the Beekman, Bancker, Rapalje and other prominent New York City families of the era.

We all need to be immortalized!  As I get deeper and deeper into The Legacy Project it gets more and more exciting.  Mid-July I’ll begin revealing more and telling more. 🙂

 

 

 

 

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About charr

Charr Crail is a Northern California photographer and artist with an avid passion for creating unique digital imagery. Charr, a full-time freelance photographer, spans the divide between photojournalism and extraordinary art via photography and can trace back her evolution as an photographer/artist from three dominant sources. Her father made his living as a newspaper photographer and as soon as he could, was taking young Charr, then four, on assignments to capture a lifetime of experiences and images. He instilled a sense of adventure and curiosity in her as they would often meander down unknown country roads of the South – just to see and capture what was out there. Soon after, Charr would develop her eye for photography and journalism as “the river that runs through everything she does”. Charr’s mother blessed her daughter with the ability to appreciate art in its various mediums. Further, her mother was able to pass along the joy, satisfaction and excitement one can experience in actively creating something beautiful. It’s no surprise, then, that Charr would become a photojournalist and later a photo editor spanning two decades working for Northern California publications including The Sacramento Bee. Often, her assignments would include community events with a “close to home” theme woven into every image and story she captured. Her photojournalistic experience has therefore been nuanced through everything she produces. She’s also drawn to the wonder of color and the beauty that can be found in the composure of a face and the make-up of the human bodyscape. Charr has won countless awards for masterful pieces including; the Professional Photographers of America LOAN Collection for two consecutive years, WPPI Grand Award and her work has been featured in the Di Rosa Museum in California’s beautiful Napa Wine Region and is also part of the permanent collection. Separately, she instructs digital photography workshops that teach students how to blow out the creativity of their photography in simple methods using programs like Adobe Photoshop and how to market using mobile devices-- Visual Content Creation using Mobile Devices.. Charr lives in Sacramento with her husband Chris and kitties Leeloo and Sadie.

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