“You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul”- George Bernard Shaw ("George Bernard Shaw Quotes at BrainyQuote.com", 2016).
An artist will change the essence of a portrait to suit the works subject by incorporating the elements and principles of art in different ways. Ben Quilty’s, Margaret Olley and John Beard’s, Janet Laurence are both portraits of inspiring woman that have particular elements and principles within them that change the way the subjects are presented. Ben Quilty’s portrait of Margaret Olley (2011, oil on linen, 170x150cm) shows a change in Quilty’s art style, transitioning from masculine artworks to more feminine ones (artgallery.nswgov.au). John Beard’s portrait of Janet Laurence (2007,
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Quilty chose to paint Margaret Olley because he was inspired by her feminism and passion on social and political issues (artgallery.nsw.gov.au). Quilty stated that Margaret Olley had been a friend and a great supporter of him; when he first asked to paint her she declined (artgallery.nsw.gov.au). However, Quilty persisted and Margaret Olley finally agreed to become his subject (artgallery.nsw.gov.au). John Beard was good friends with Janet Lawrence and their relationship developed in a unique way when Lawrence was his subject. Both artists were awarded the Archibald Prize for their portraits (artgallery.nsw.gov.au). The fact that both artists were friends with their subjects would have affected the use of elements and principles in each of the portraits. …show more content…
Quilty, who used bright warm colours, stated that he used them because “you only had to walk into her (Margaret Olley) home, which is also her studio, to see that you couldn’t use anything else but striking colour” (“Home:Art Gallery NSW”,2016). The brown, red, and orange colours help generate a warm, loving mood and also frame the face so that the work is balanced. These colours contrast with the light blues in the bottom left corner of the artwork creating unity. In comparison, Beards does not incorporate the use of colour that Quilty does, creating a refined mood and unity in a different way. Beard uses a black and white colour scheme to highlight the subject and create a more distinctive tone. The dark shades surrounding Janet Lawrence emphasise her face and create rhythm within it. Beard also uses space above the subjects heads to create balance within the painting and present additional lighter tones. Whereas Quilty uses the whole canvas to portray his subject, leaving white areas to balance the painting. Both artists have used different colour techniques (full colour or black and white) to develop their portrait and create their