Animal Quote by Kiki Smith
“You start with a generic body, but I think the first wall you hit with portraiture is comprised of history and storytelling and the nature of characters - whether they are historical or coming from literature or documentation. Those are the references we have to people, besides your family, and the intimacy of portraiture is in the specifics of individuals. For me, it came out of doing things about animals.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Art Talk with Kiki Smith, 2015
Portraiture requires confronting historical narratives and character depth, beyond personal familiarity, to capture individuality.
In simple terms: Portraits need history and character depth to feel personal.
Key Takeaway
Study history and literature to enrich portrait work.
Themes
art
portraiture
history
character
storytelling
Mood
reflective
inspired
Type
educational
inspirational
When to use this quote
- art school projects
- gallery exhibitions
- personal commissions
- museum curations
Key Concepts
Narrative depth
cultural context
identity
visual storytelling
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you balance personal intuition with historical references?
- What stories do you want your subjects to tell?
A Different Perspective
Relying heavily on history may limit spontaneous expression.
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