BarkTV: portrait of an innovator

[Extract] In his book Multiple arts, Jean-Luc Nancy describes the portrait as 'first and foremost an encounter', though in fact, as Nancy clearly appreciates, the art of portraiture puts multiple encounters into play. The most obvious is that between the viewer and the subject of the artwork, an experience often charged with an unnerving immediacy.

Yet all portraits await viewers already imprinted with the echo of encounter. More than most, this is an art form that calls attention to the relationship between artist and subject: two people united in a shared project of portrayal. It is into this prefigured relationship that the viewer enters, assuming the vantage point of an artist who never completely vacates their place. Nancy describes this effect as the artist occupying the foreground of the canvas. From here, the viewer faces the figure before them: another being presenting themselves for encounter.