A realistic painting of a man in dark colors. Why were portraits important in early history? Using key terms from the lesson, describe the above self-portrait by Rembrandt.

Explanation:

Before photography and film, portraits provided a way to record a person’s image. Rembrandt’s self-portrait, or portrait of the painter himself, is a painting. It is a realist, frontal self-portrait, that relies strong contrasts between light and dark to show detail and emphasize the artists face. Each part is proportionate, so that no one feature is embellished, but instead compliment one another.

Portraits were considered important in early history because this is the only way to record images of people. Rembrandt popularized it.   Rembrandt's self-portrait, or portrait of the painter himself, is a painting. It is a realist, frontal self-portrait, that relies strong contrasts between light and dark to show detail and emphasize the artists face.

Explanation: