Portrait History #2

Greek Portraiture

It was in the time of Alexander that people started to discuss this new art of portraiture. Alexander himself preferred to be portrayed by his court sculptor Lysippus the most celebrated artist of the day, whose faithfulness to nature astonished his contemporaries.

His portrait of Alexander (Alexander the great) shows how much art had changed since the time of praxiteles who was only a generation older than Lysippus. Of course the trouble with all ancient portraits is that we cannot really pronounce on their likeness. Perhaps if we could see a snapshot of Alexander we should find it quite unlike the bust. Egyptians still buried there dead as mummies, but instead of adding there likenesses in the Egyptian style they had them painted by an artist who knew all the tricks of Greek portraiture.

These portraits, which were certainly made by humble craftsmen at a low price, still astonish us by there vigour and realism. Greek and roman art, which had taught men to visualize gods and heroes in beautiful form, also helped the Indians to create an image of their savoir.

The beautiful head of the Buddha with its expression of deep repose was also made in this frontier region of Gandhara..