|
Peggy, I was interested in your comment that "portrait art bridges the gap between commercial art and fine art." I often think of commercial art as something that's created in order to sell something else and isn't art for the sake of the art itself. Commercial art may be created to sell books, cars or whatever.
On the other hand, most of what we consider the best "fine art" in the world was created on a commission basis. The Sistine Chapel was painted because Michaelangelo was commissioned by the church. (I'll bet they had something to say to him about what they wanted done, too!) Rembrandt's portraits were mostly created as commissions, too. He pretty much supported himself during his lifetime as a commissioned portrait artist!
I think of portraiture as purely fine art, not at all as commercial art, since a portrait painting exists for itself (art for art's sake). Because a portrait is often done as a commission doesn't take away from that, at least to my way of thinking.
|