[Alexandra Tyng]

Would anyone like to share their thoughts on what makes a portrait "traditional?"

There are so many schools of realism now, which is a good thing for all the artists like me who began painting when realism was not in fashion. Traditional realism is one, and there is academic realism (a more specific subset of traditional, or another word for the same thing?), contemporary realism, and progressive realism, and there probably more that I can't think of right now.

There are artists who imitate, at least to some degree, the look of a past style. And there are artists who take stylistic elements from the past and make their own contemporary statement.

Does the word traditional also imply an expected or preferred way in which men, women and children are depicted? Are there certain qualities that the artist is expected to emphasize? Has anyone ecountered problems when trying to depart from a client's expectations? Has anyone struggled internally with this question? I would love to hear others' thoughts on this subject.