--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Those words . . . national and portrait…" description: "\"“Those words . . . national and portrait. They were both to do with identity: the identity of a culture (place, language and history), the identity of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d7/a-s-byatt-5275_art_those-words-national-and-portrait-they-w_180052.png" --- # Those words . . . national and portrait. They were both to… ![“Those words . . . national and portrait. They were both to do with identity: the identity of a culture (place, language and history), the identity of an individual human being as an object for mimetic representation.” quote by A.S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d7/a-s-byatt-5275_art_those-words-national-and-portrait-they-w_180052.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d7/a-s-byatt-5275_art_those-words-national-and-portrait-they-w_180052.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d7/a-s-byatt-5275_art_those-words-national-and-portrait-they-w_180052.png) > ““Those words . . . national and portrait. They were both to do with identity: the identity of a culture (place, language and history), the identity of an individual human being as an object for mimetic representation.”” [A.S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote links language and portraiture to how cultures and individuals define themselves through representation. **In simple terms:** Language and portraiture shape cultural and personal identity. Key Takeaway Recognize how representation reflects identity. Themes identity culture representation art language Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical critical observational When to use this quote - museum curation - personal branding - art education - media analysis - genealogy research Key Concepts mimetic representation cultural identity selfhood Questions to Reflect On - How do portraits influence our sense of self? - In what ways does language shape cultural identity? A Different Perspective Representation can oversimplify complex identities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation/) ## Related quotes > [“Daniel Maclise (whose 1839 oil of Dickens hangs today at the National Portrait Gallery).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/daniel-maclise-whose-1839-oil-of-dickens-hangs-today-at-the-national/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) > [There is something uniquely depressing about the fact that the National Portrait Gallery's version of the Barack Obama 'Hope' poster previously belonged to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/there-is-something-uniquely-depressing-about-the-fact-that-the/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [“Our national security can only be assured on a very broad and comprehensive front. 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