Choose a portrait painted before 1800. You can choose any one you like so long as it isn’t discussed by Jeeves in the essay. Find out what you can about the sitter. You don’t need to research your subject extensively. Just find out basis facts: the subject’s name, their social standing, their main accomplishments. If nothing is known about your subject, choose another picture. Make certain you document your research both by citing it in the references list and by using in-text citations.
In an essay of no more than 500 words, discuss the sitter, what they are wearing, and whether they are smiling or smirking. How does their dress reflect their social status? Are there other clues in the picture that tell us something about the subject?
If it seems relevant, mention the colours the painter has chosen and how his subject has been lit (is it in sunshine, for example, or dark shadow). What does this painting say about smiling or smirking in portraiture?
In this essay, you may personalize your response. You can, if you like, discuss how the painting makes you “feel.” You can use the first person. However, you must make certain that you correctly document everything. You also must include a link to the painting you’ve chosen. Note: titles of paintings should be put in italics.
You will be evaluated on the strength of your writing and on the quality of your documentation. Make certain you introduce your quotations properly. Use snippet quotations rather than long ones.
Note: you won’t be able to complete the assignment successfully if you chose a painting of an unknown subject.
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