Face

Artworks whose focus is the human face. Considered central to human identity and human expressions of emotion, faces have historically been the primary feature of portraiture in Western art. The range of potential facial presentations seems infinite, though the most common are three-quarter and frontal views. In the West, since the 19th century, the increasing access to art and the tools of art making—especially achieved through the means of photography—has widened portraiture’s accessibility. Prior to the 19th century, portraits were commissioned only by the elite, though today ubiquitous digital technology allows virtually anyone to be the subject of a portrait.