Directions: Portrait: Artist Research - Karel Funk

“I was fascinated by how this boundary of personal space completely disappeared on the subway,” Karel Funk

• Hyper-realist painter
• 44 years old 
• Canadian 
• Moved to Manhattan in 2001
• MFA Columbia University
  
• Inspired by the close proximity of others whilst being crammed on a packed subway train as he was able to closely inspect every aspect of their features. 

“You could see details of somebody’s ear or neck that you’d never observe just socialising with friends because there’s this boundary we all keep.”

On contrary to the majority of portrait artists and the idea of portraits itself, I find Funk's work to be remarkable because you do not see the face. Usually when you think about portraits you think of the face, features and different aspects that can create a person. But what I love about this is that he eliminates all of the typical aspects that create a portrait and force you to pay attention to the finer details of their items of clothing, in a way that you normally wouldn't. “I wanted to convey that moment when you’re forced to look intimately at the back of a stranger’s head, but I didn’t want there to be any emotional connection,” - Karel Funk (W Magazine 2010)

Not to mention that all of Karel's work are acrylic paintings and look almost like photographs due to the hyperrealistic style of work. When compared to the previous artist that I mentioned where the face is centred and almost the main focus with lots of subliminal hints as to the their characteristics, it is interesting that Karel has purposely chosen to create a barrier between the amount that you learn about the person. In a 2010 interview with Diane Solway for W magazine, Funk claims; “My paintings give you very little. There’s nothing there to connect with except for the formal qualities, the texture of skin, hair or clothing, and the questions you’re left with about ‘Who is that person?’” So in my opinion, he has taken portraiture to a different level and perspective because it isn't about what you see, its about what you don't see. 

Karel Funk's work has inspired me in many ways, one of which is the idea of mystery that can be created when you withdraw certain aspects from what is shown.The idea of portraiture has mostly been about what we need to show in order to create connections but now I have gained a different perspective as it is sometimes what you DONT show that creates a greater effect. So now, for my project I'm thinking that I could start off with a range of shots of me and only in the end would I reveal a full image of my face. I will test these ideas out to see how they could work.