Rückenfigur - A Powerful Artistic Effect That Puts You in the Painting
"Best Friends" by Gerard Bianco Rückenfigur is the German word that translates to Back Figure, or figure from the back. An artist has the option of painting people from the front or from the back, which begs the question: why would an artist paint a person from the back? Is it because he has trouble painting features? Are his noses always too long? Are the eyes in his portraits always pointing in opposite directions? No, not typically. The reason an artist paints a person, or people from behind is to create an atmosphere of wonder, both in the person being painted, and in the person gazing at the painting. Having the viewer think about what is going through the mind of the subject in the painting puts them in direct communication with the subject’s thought process. The viewer suddenly becomes one with the subject in the painting, which causes an impactful psychological effect upon the viewer. No longer are you, the viewer, looking at a typical portrait, thinking that this p...