# Portraying People

## Overview
In this chapter, “Portraying People,” students explore how individuals are depicted through observation and drawing. The chapter develops artistic skills and observational awareness through hands-on activities like portrait drawing, examining historical representations of people, imagining future roles, and analyzing the relationship between clothing and identity. The activities help learners appreciate diversity and individuality in appearance, roles, and dress.

## Key Topics Covered

### 1. Drawing Portraits of Classmates

- **Observation Skills**: Students closely observe facial features of classmates — such as face shape, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, hair — and identify differences and similarities.
- **Portrait Drawing Activity**:
- Work in pairs to sketch a partner's face on A4 sheets.
- Focus on shape of the face (circle, oval, egg-shaped, etc.).
- Note spacing of features like eyes, hairline, eyebrows, and ears.
- Add personal style — drawings need not be realistic.
- Use colors thoughtfully to complete the portrait.
- **Class Collaboration**:
- Cut out individual portraits.
- Assemble a large group portrait using everyone's drawings.
- Discuss variation in facial features and presentation styles.

### 2. Studying Historical Art: Portraits of Buddha

- **Exploring Art Styles**:
- Study different representations of the Buddha from various time periods.
- Compare differences in **style**, **facial features**, and **expression**.
- **Styles Explored**:
- **Gandhar Style** (100 BCE – 400 CE)
- **Mathura Style** (300 CE)
- **Ajanta Style** (500 CE)
- **Sarnath Style** (500 CE)
- **Thanka Style** (Bodhisattva Buddha)
- **Key Learning**:
- Portraits can depict more than just appearance — they reflect cultural, historical, and stylistic choices of different eras.

### 3. Imagining Your Future Role

- **Self-Expression through Drawing**:
- Reflect on what you want to be when you grow up (e.g., doctor, artist, electrician).
- Draw yourself performing 3–5 different roles.
- Consider both real and imagined professions.
- **Class Reflection**:
- View each other’s drawings.
- Discuss common and unique role choices.
- Identify what makes certain drawings stand out or feel special.


### 4. Clothes and Roles

- **Understanding Identity through Dress**:
- Explore how people’s roles (e.g., farmer, painter, musician) are often imagined through the clothes they wear.
- Reflect on how visual clues shape our understanding of professions and gender.

- **Activity – Draw a Farmer**:
- Imagine and draw a farmer.
- Observe variations in drawings across the class:
- Are all farmers shown as men?
- What kind of clothes are they wearing?
- Are all drawings similar or different?

- **Discussion Questions**:
1. How did you decide what the farmer should look like?
2. Are there farmers of different genders?
3. Where have you seen images of farmers before?
4. If the person wore different clothes, would they still be a farmer?

- **Observation Exercise**:
- Choose any three people in different roles around you (e.g., shopkeeper, tailor, traffic police).
- Draw them and imagine other possible roles they might have.
- Compare these with the farmer drawings — observe shifts in how roles are depicted.

- **Creative Role Reversal**:
- Choose someone in your family or community.
- Draw them in the clothes they usually wear.
- Then, draw them in the same clothes doing a completely different and unusual task — something fun or inspiring!

## New Terms and Simple Definitions

| Term | Simple Definition |
|--------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| portrait | A drawing or painting of a person, mainly showing the face and shoulders |
| facial features | Parts of the face — eyes, nose, mouth, ears, etc. |
| style | A special way something is drawn or done |
| Gandhar | An ancient style of art from the Kushan period with Greek influence |
| Mathura | A traditional Indian art style showing strong features and expressions |
| Sarnath | A calm and spiritual style of art from the Gupta period |
| Bodhisattva | A wise person who helps others and is shown in Buddhist art |
| profession | A job or role someone does for a living |
| identity | The way someone sees or shows who they are |
| visual clues | Hints or information we get by looking at something |

## Practice Questions

### Easy (3)

1. **What is a portrait?**
**Answer**: A portrait is a drawing or painting of a person's face and shoulders.

2. **Name two facial features you observe while drawing.**
**Answer**: Eyes and nose.

3. **Which part of the face helps you smile?**
**Answer**: The mouth.

### Medium (2)

4. **What is the difference between Mathura and Gandhar styles?**
**Answer**: Mathura style is more Indian and expressive, while Gandhar style shows Greek influence and is more detailed.

5. **Why do artists study old artworks?**
**Answer**: To understand different ways people were shown and to learn from historical styles.

### Difficult (3)

6. **How can clothes give us clues about a person’s profession?**
**Answer**: Clothes often match a person's job, like a doctor wearing a coat or a farmer wearing traditional workwear.

7. **What changes when you draw the same person in a new role?**
**Answer**: The pose, tools, and expressions may change to match the new activity.

8. **Why is it important to show people of different genders in drawings?**
**Answer**: It helps show equality and breaks stereotypes about who can do which job.

### Very Difficult (2)

9. **If you draw a musician as a farmer without changing clothes, how might that affect how others view the drawing?**
**Answer**: It may confuse viewers or inspire them to think beyond normal roles, encouraging creativity and new ideas.

10. **Can a portrait show feelings? How?**
**Answer**: Yes, through facial expressions, eyes, and the way the features are drawn, a portrait can show emotions like happiness, sadness, or peace.

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