Forms of the Face – Deception and Delusion, Portrait photogragraphy in the MG collection

The photographic portrait, the beginnings of which date back to the 1840’s, was rooted in painting and adopted many of its traditional approaches. Like painting, it has always reflected pragmatic interests, fashion, artistic ambitions and scientific knowledge. The classic photographic portrait was often rejected by contemporaneous artists as an obsolete discipline full of stereotypes. Nonetheless, a number of traditional artistic and portraiture patterns are still recycled in portrait photography.