George Jacques Desmeules, “Froso”, 1926, Pastel, Collection of Costas and Rita Severis Foundation
George Jacques Desmeules came to Cyprus from Switzerland following an archaeological expedition and decided to stay here forever. He loved drawing and writing about Cyprus and about his life on the island through which he left us a variety of information and images about life in Cyprus in the 1920s.
Activity one: A portrait
Did you know that…
A portrait is an artistic display of a face and that is where it got its name from. You can find portraits in paintings, photographs, statues and various other forms of art.
Other than physical characteristics, a portrait will also transmit additional information for the person portrayed such as their character, their profession, their mood etc.
Georges Jacques Desmeules painted the portrait of Froso.
Observe the painting and consider…
- How old is Froso?
- What kind of character does her look and pose reveal?
- What do you think she is looking at?
- Where is she?
- What is she thinking?
- What are her feelings?
In CVAR’s paintings collection, there are many portraits. Some represent historical persons such as the last queen of Cyprus Caterina Cornaro and others represent unknown persons.
Now, observe and compare the two portraits and find three differences and three similarities.
Activity two: Mother’s day
Did you know that…
Every year, on the second Sunday of May we celebrate Mother’s Day. This day is an opportunity for us to show our love for mothers with little things and homemade gifts or creations.
For this Mother’s Day, we propose you create a special portrait of yourself and give it as a present to a mum you admire. To do this, just follow the steps below:
- Take a large piece of paper.
- Cut a smaller, rectangular piece of paper and stick it where you would normally draw the head. Stick it on the left or top side so that it can open like a window.
- Take a mirror and observe the characteristics of your face.
- Draw your portrait so that your head is on the rectangular piece of paper you stuck.
- Now open the window you created and paint inside an image of you and your mum.
- Give the portrait to a mum you admire with a big kiss and a warm hug!
An example of such portraits
