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Originally Posted by Julie Deane
. . . the primary thing the recipient is looking for in a portrait, especially a posthumous one, is a good likeness . . .
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I agree entirely. A portraitist's inability to convey that ineffable "certain something" about Uncle George's twinkling eyes is usually at the crux of client dissatisfaction.
Every human being has at least 1,000 faces. Only one do they present to you when "sitting". Recognition of the persons we know is based on far more than the arrangement and proportions of facial features. Complexities and nuances multiply geometrically the more intimate the viewers' relationships are with the subject.
In my opinion, a posthumous portrait is, bar none, the very toughest assignment a portaitist can accept, and many very able, well-known professionals decline to do them at all, as the problem is more akin to what comprises police witness sketches than the portrayal of living subjects.
How well did you know the deceased? Possibly a function of working from a reference photo, the painting seems to be as much about the fish as it is about the man.
I'd be gratified to read members' thoughts as to what , indeed, comprises "likeness".