Defining Portraiture: How are portraits both fact and fiction?

A portrait is like a story told through pictures, it shows who someone is, but also lets us imagine things about them.

Think of a portrait like a favorite stuffed animal you bring to school every day. It's the same animal, but sometimes you tell your friends it’s brave, and other times you say it’s sleepy. A portrait can show what a person looks like, their eyes, hair, smile, just like how your stuffed animal always has the same face, but you can pretend it feels different things.

A portrait is also like writing a story about someone else. If you draw your mom with a big smile and a flower in her hand, that’s not just what she looks like, it might be telling us she’s happy or maybe she likes gardening. It's like when you write "My mom is the best cook", it’s true, but it also adds something extra.

Sometimes a portrait is like taking a photo of your favorite toy. You see exactly what it looks like right then. That’s like a portrait that shows someone just as they are, no added imagination, just facts.

So portraits can be both real and made-up, like how you can love the same stuffed animal for many different reasons! A portrait is like a story told through pictures, it shows who someone is, but also lets us imagine things about them.

Think of a portrait like a favorite stuffed animal you bring to school every day. It's the same animal, but sometimes you tell your friends it’s brave, and other times you say it’s sleepy. A portrait can show what a person looks like, their eyes, hair, smile, just like how your stuffed animal always has the same face, but you can pretend it feels different things.