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Sunday, July 10, 2011

Effective Distortion - Elongation



This sensitively wrought portrait of the Egyptian king Akhenaten benefits from elongation.  The trimming away of the mass of his face subtly forces more attention on his features.  He is known for bucking the religious establishment of his time and focusing devotion to one god: the sun.  Nefertiti was his wife.


This portrayal of a Roman General is fashioned to resemble the very epithet which was perhaps  commonly, maybe even universally pronounced among the Legions he commanded.  Use your imagination.  I think he looks like a cruel martinet and an all-around jerk.



The habitual practice, by Amadeo Modigliani, of distortion by elongation is at its best in this painting of his young girl friend.



Finally, the most familiar and systematic stretching of the figure, apart from the elegant work of Sandro Botticelli, is fashion illustration.


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