Portraits and Persons

by Cynthia A. Freeland

In Portraits and Persons , one of our leading philosophers of art illuminates the fascinating and fundamental questions posed by this enduring art form. Cynthia Freeland's discussion is remarkably free-wheeling. For example, in considering the simple question of whether one can have a portrait
of an animal, she ranges from Descartes and Darwin to William Wegman's "May Ray" and David Hockney's dachshunds, and she sheds light on such issues as whether or not animals possess soul, mind, or individuality of character. Indeed, throughout the book, Freeland addresses a whole host of fascinating
philosophical problems posed by the art of portraiture. How exactly have artists through the ages managed to depict the inner state of the subject being portrayed? Is it in fact possible for an artist to capture someone's individual "air," their unique aura? And how has science been used to help in
this quest? Featuring more than fifty halftones, this is an exhilarating philosophical exploration of portraiture that highlights its important contribution to the complex evolving discourse about human nature.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art

384 pages, Hardcover

First published August 13, 2010

About the author

Cynthia A. Freeland is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of Womens Studies at the University of Houston. She has published several essays on aesthetics and film, and is the coeditor of Film and Philosophy (1995).

Reviews

[Kathleen O'Neal · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Portraits and Persons" is a book with a lot of potential that is ultimately left unfulfilled by the time that the book is done. Perhaps the most surprising thing about it to me was that it is not a work of philosophy in the sense that I would have assumed given how the author bills it at the outset coupled with her professional credentials as a philosopher. Instead of addressing some of the really interesting philosophical questions about portraiture which one could raise, the author instead combines art history, literary theory, and personal reflection while occasionally raising worthwhile philosophical questions and concepts that are barely explored. What is frustrating is that even when Freeland does raise some philosophical topics worth exploring, she moves on fairly quickly to something far less germane. This is disappointing given that I think this author does have the potential to have written the book that this should have been.

[jed · Rating 1 out of 5]

When the common blue-collar workers in western civilization complain about the elitist natures of professors and how distant they are from the real world, they are talking SPECIFICALLY about the context of this ego-trip.