Back-of-the-head portraits
Can the back of your head express who you are, too?
The artist Joni Brenner painted portraits of two people, both of whom she knew well. But here she portrayed them from the back. In each case, does this portrait express something about the person portrayed, something recogniseable to those who know them, something uniquely theirs?
Joni Brenner (1969 -) Portrait of Josch Emnet (back view), 1995,
oil on canvas, 30 x 25 cm
Joni Brenner A portrait of Wilson Mootane (back view), 1995-6,
oil on canvas, 30 x 25 cm.
Beginning to draw texture
You will need:
Large books, clipboards or small drawing boards to have on your laps to press on
A4 or A3 sheets of paper
Pencils (if available, preferably a range from HB to 4B)
Room to arrange all chairs in a circle (you could work outside)
Move your desks out of the way, and arrange the chairs in your classroom in a circle, all facing the same direction, as you see in the photograph. Sitting in the chairs, each person will be looking at the back of someone’s head.
Start to draw the particular details of line that describes the hair of the person in front of you. Try not to use any “shorthand” or “short cuts” in your drawing. Use your close observation skills to describe in pencil what you see, so that anyone else in the class would recognise whom you drew.
Back-of-the-head portraits
