A souvenir from the Portrait Painters’ Bridge
The Place du Tertre in the Montmartre district of Paris is one of the few squares where portrait painters still offer their art
Source: pa/dpa/Peter Kneffel
WLike most beautiful things in life, souvenirs are also subject to fashions and changes. While some tourists nowadays get tattoos in countries both far and not so far away to take home as personal souvenirs, another type of commissioned painting, portraiture, is slowly but surely dying out.
For many years, painters offered their services at every corner that was halfway interesting for tourists. Today there are only a few places left, such as the Place du Tertre in Paris’ Montmartre district or on Charles Bridge in Prague, where you can discover them with their easels.
The famous bridge over the Vltava is also often referred to as the “Bridge of the Portrait Painters”. The friendly artists are part of the inventory here. Many of them offer caricatures in addition to serious portraits. Drawing is mostly done with charcoal and pencil.
Portraiture has existed since ancient times. In ancient Greece, however, little value was placed on portrait resemblance, but rather on idealization. For many centuries, people and their personalities disappeared behind the image idea, before portraits were made in the late Middle Ages that had characteristic and individual traits. Portrait painting had its heyday from the end of the 15th century to the 19th century. Then she was overwhelmed by portrait photography.
The portrait from Prague required patience
The Italian painter Pompeo Batoni (1708-1787) is considered the inventor of tourist portraits. He made a living from painting altarpieces and classical portraits before having him paint them in front of the city’s Roman ruins became fashionable among young English tourists.
They were on their obligatory trip to Europe after graduation, also known as the “grand tour”. An effigy of Pompeo Batoni greatly increased her status after returning home. Supposedly, Batoni’s success was due to his flattering interpretations of the sitter.
I also had myself painted in Prague. Vadim, who had set up his easel at the end of the Charles Bridge, looked as one would imagine such a painter: in a beret, trench coat, apron and goatee.
The author has her portrait taken on Prague’s Charles Bridge
The picture cost 40 euros and took about 45 minutes. However, I got a little impatient because it started to rain. Caricatures only take 20 minutes, which affects price and patience. The portrait resemblance of my picture can also be compared to antiquity, but at least the eyes are well taken.
Anyway, the next time I see a portrait painter, I’ll have a caricature made. It’s faster, costs less, but has the same wow effect.