An Exquisite Eye: What Makes a Portrait?

When do we see a painted face as a record of a real person versus a fantasy or a fiction? In this talk, art historian Susan Tallman draws on the Tavitian collection to explore one of art's persistent enigmas—the boundary between portrait and invention. From Lucas Cranach's ambiguous heroine to Wallerant Vaillant's enigmatic self-portrait to Élisabeth Louise Vigée-Lebrun's self-presentation in revolutionary disguise, Tallman’s talk takes up a question that runs from Mesopotamia to the age of AI. This talk is presented in conjunction with the exhibition An Exquisite Eye: Introducing the Aso O. Tavitian Collection. Image: Lucas Cranach the Elder, Portrait of a Young Woman Holding Grapes and Apples (detail) , 1528, oil on panel transferred to canvas. The Clark, Gift of Aso O. Tavitian Foundation, 2025.1.9 When do we see a painted face as a record of a real person versus a fantasy or a fiction? In this talk, art historian Susan Tallman draws on the Tavitian collection to explore one of art's persistent enigmas—the boundary between portrait and invention. From Lucas Cranach's ambiguous heroine to Wallerant Vaillant's enigmatic self-portrait to Élisabeth Louise Vigée-Lebrun's self-presentation in revolutionary disguise, Tallman’s talk takes up a question that runs from Mesopotamia to the age of AI. This talk is presented in conjunction with the exhibition An Exquisite Eye: Introducing the Aso O. Tavitian Collection. Image: Lucas Cranach the Elder, Portrait of a Young Woman Holding Grapes and Apples (detail) , 1528, oil on panel transferred to canvas. The Clark, Gift of Aso O. Tavitian Foundation, 2025.1.9