American Faces: A Cultural History of Portraiture and Identity (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781611688924)

Portraits. We know what they are, but why do we make them? Americans have been celebrating themselves in portraits since the arrival of the first itinerant portrait painters to the colonies. They created images to commemorate loved ones, glorify the famous, establish our national myths, and honor our shared heroes. Whether painting in oil, carving in stone, casting in bronze, capturing on film, or calculating in binary code, we spend considerable time creating, contemplating, and collecting our likenesses. In this sumptuously illustrated book, Richard H. Saunders explores our collective understanding of portraiture, its history in America, how it shapes our individual and national identity, and why we make portraits--whether for propaganda and public influence or for personal and private appreciation. American Faces is a rich and fascinating view of ourselves.

Author: Richard H. Saunders
ISBN-10: 1611688922
ISBN-13: 9781611688924
Publisher: University Press of New England
Language: English
Published: 09/06/2016
Pages: 260
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 2.80lbs
Size: 11.20h x 8.80w x 0.80d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 05/01/2017