|
A Classic Art Form: Silhouette-Making
By Joy Cagil
During the time I was growing up, I was surrounded by photographs and
people who had a love for the camera. Since I am not a youngster, I
believe this is true of most of the people who are alive during this
period in history, but there was a time when people existed without
cameras and they found a few other ways to capture their loved ones’
likenesses. Aside from the portraits painted in oils, which cost a lot
of money and took many hours of tiresome posing, silhouettes provided a
lasting documentation for people’s images.
Webster’s dictionary defines silhouette as “a two dimensional
representation of the outline of an object, as a cutout or
configurational drawing, uniformly filled in with black; miniature
cutout of the outlines of a famous person’s face.”
I first heard of silhouettes as an art form when, in a collection, I saw
a young woman’s silhouette painting. The outfit she was wearing was
enhanced with watercolors and tiny beads. Although some of the beads had
fallen off, the painting possessed a subtle but charming beauty.
A silhouette was made by making a person sit between a paper tacked to a
wall and a strong light. When the sitter’s shadow was cast on the paper,
the artist traced it. Then, he cut it out and glued it on a board.
The history of silhouettes is a long one that dates all the way back to
old Chinese dynasties. After the Renaissance, silhouette making found
some fame in Europe, and during the 18th century, it became a widespread
hobby when a French artist, Chrétien, invented a tracing and cutting
machine. In the United States the first silhouettes surfaced during the
last years of the 18th century and they were called “shades.” Alongside
the figures of society, several shades were made of George and Martha
Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Aaron Burr and other notables.
During the next few decades, other methods of making silhouettes
developed. One was to cut the outer layer of paper instead of the
silhouette and to back it with a dark cloth or gold foil background.
Later on, elements from the foreground were added to a silhouette by
hand, such as the detail of dress and hairdo. Soon enough, groups of
people, full-length figures, animals, trains and ships entered the vogue
and making silhouettes were accepted as an art form.
Nowadays, silhouettes are considered among our earlier crafts. To me,
they are as precious as old oil paintings. In the antiques market,
silhouettes done especially by Charles Wilson Peale, an artist, and his
nephew Charles Peale Polk are very valuable. If you come across a
silhouette in a museum or in an antique sale, observe it carefully,
because inside it, there is something of our heritage.
About the Author: Joy Cagil is an author on a site for Creative Writing
(http://www.Writing.Com/)
Her education is in foreign languages and linguistics. In her background
are varied subjects such as humanities, mental health, and visual arts.
Her portfolio can be found at
http://www.Writing.Com/authors/joycag
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joy_Cagil
|