EPPH - Every Painter Paints Himself

A Visit to the French Ambassador

I’ve just been to see Palazzo Farnese, the great French Embassy in Rome, partly designed by Michelangelo, which is rarely open to the public. They’ve arranged a wonderful exhibition with loans from Naples and Parma to celebrate the Farnese family and the generations that lived in the palace. There are some wonderful paintings including two El Grecos. If you’re in Rome, don’t miss it. Besides, standing in the ambassador’s vast office overlooking Piazza Farnese is a thrill in itself.

The portrait section begins with Titian’s Portrait of Paul III, the man that built the palace. Convinced of this portrait’s accuracy the organizers inform visitors that  although Titian portrayed the Pope at age 75 he “still looks strong and determined with a penetrating gaze.” Whose gaze is it, though? Titian’s or the Pope’s?

It’s so frustrating that no-one listens. Historians and art historians just go on claiming that portraits by great artists portray the sitter. They don’t and they should know it. I've been saying it for years now. The trouble is they only listen to their own kind in one great incestuous circle, each perpetuating the other's mistake. One day, though, sooner or later, they’ll have to face facts: art is not photography. It’s art. Pretty simple, really.