Can art make us immortal?
Drawing From Life, 8” x 6”
Looking at Art:
Ancient Egyptians created remarkable funerary portraits to preserve the image of the deceased. Actors appear before us on film long after they have passed away, looking young and very much alive. Today, with artificial intelligence, digital-afterlife technology, we can visit our deceased loved ones virtually. In February 2020, a South Korean woman was reunited with the avatar of her daughter who had died of cancer. Can you imagine what artists will do with this technology next?
Work in the Studio:
Perhaps every time we draw or paint a person from life, we extend their life. My portraits of people preserve their images at a moment in time while saving my perception of them. Is this one reason I am drawn to portraiture? Even though the work is much more traditional than virtual reality, perhaps it is no different than the work of the Egyptian artist making portraits so long ago, and in some ways, may be related to the new technology that captures our images in a whole new way. What do you think?
