Renaissance Faces at National Gallery

The exhibition of Renaissance Faces at National Gallery is a stunning collection of portraits from the likes of Holbein, Titian, Botticelli, Van Eyck, Durer and Bellini. Bringing together a rare collection of Renaissance portraiture, the exhibition is a vibrant and fascinating exploration of the countenance from 500 and 600 years ago.

Housing one of the greatest collections of Renaissance portraiture in the world, the exhibition of Renaissance Faces at National Gallery highlights the strengths of the galleries own selection, combined with some stunning loans from around the world. From the Museo Nacional del Prado comes the majestic portrait of Philip II amongst other Habsburg court masterpieces.

Portraiture was a huge business in the 15th and 16th century, making the Renaissance Faces a fantastic reflection of the popular painting style of the time. With pictures of individuals being shipped across the world as well as being shown in the owners house, portraits were a key aspect of everyday life from marriage, friendship and courtship to politics, court affiiliations and family structure.

It was also believed during the time that a person's face was a true mirror to the soul and reflected in their beauty was their inner morality and virtue. This importance stressed on good looks, meant that portrait painting played a vital role in Renaissance social life, in promoting marriage and political alliances. Renaissance Faces at National Gallery allows you to see the full gamut of these kinds of portraits from the simple pictures of children to the intriguing Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling by Holbein.

Full length portraiture is also included in the exhibition at National Gallery, with its emphasis on the political and courtly role. Depictions of Philip II by Leone and Pompeo Leone are stunning examples of this imposing style, where the subject is conveyed in the most statuesque and majestic way.

Full of grand and luxuriously painted pictures and demonstrating the skill of the Renaissance painters, the portraits in Renaissance Faces at National Gallery also demonstrate the amazing cross cultural exchange of art that took place at the time. With portraits crossing the oceans from court to court, and home to home on a very regular basis, the style and manner of the likes of Titian and Van Eyck became widespread across Europe, influencing artists from the well paid court painters to the lower echelons of portrait painting.

A stunning collection of portraits from the 15th and 16th century, Renaissance Faces at National Gallery is a wonderful chance to explore the ways in which the face was depicted across Europe, and the amazing influence that powerful artists had on the world.

Renaissance Faces, Van Ecyk to Titian is on show at the National Gallery until Wednesday 18th January 2009. To book tickets, phone 0870 906 3891 for more information.

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