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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Terence Cheesman, post: 7621590, member: 86498&quot;]This thread reminds me of an event some 30-40 years ago. At that time the government of Canada wished to honor Lester B Pearson A Prime Minister of Canada with a statue and commissioned an artist who I actually knew.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1311563[/ATTACH]&nbsp; He began to work however very quickly a problem emerged. It became to be known as the battle of the warts. As you can see with the above picture he has very few warts. These blemishes were excised from his official portraits. Even after his death the number and location of these warts were the subject of some heated controversy.</p><p>So what does this little story have to do with the thread? A portrait is by definition a careful journey between accuracy and flattery. To create an image something that we may call today a power image must be recognizable but also give confidence in that individuals worthiness to rule.&nbsp; Some of their physical features may in fact be exaggerated as long as they do not convey weakness or stupidity. As an example we have this iconic image of Augustus[ATTACH=full]1311569[/ATTACH]This image which is most notably depicted on the famous statue from Prima Porta it is likely dated sometime after 20 BC. and this image served as the model for some of his coins</p><p>Denarius of Augustus Lugdunim 2 BC -14 AD Obv Head right laureate Rv Caius and Lucius togate standing facing .&nbsp; RIC 208 3.81 grams 18mm Photo by W. Hansen[ATTACH=full]1311571[/ATTACH]</p><p>This image was a watershed as it was a clear break from the image projected by Augustus during the late Republic and Early Principate. The face is now characterized by a calm serene&nbsp; expression , the hair is now carefully arranged and the slight turn of the head conveys a remote dignity. In fact the whole composition&nbsp; is carefully done within the canon of the Classical principles of symmetry as espoused in this work by the Greek artist Polyclitus[ATTACH=full]1311575[/ATTACH]The Doryphorus a partial Roman copy from Pompeii The lost original was probably cast circa 440 BC. As with the statue from Prima Porta this image evokes a very similar visceral response from the viewer. There is an understated elegance to both images, some thing that Augustus strived to create with&nbsp; his &quot;new&quot; imagery. Thus when attempting to discern the veracity of any given image you must be cognizant of the artist conventions of the time.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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