In the Shadows

The myth surrounding the origins of art is a story of shadows and profiles. The Greco-Roman tale centers around a Corinthian maiden and her desire to memorialize her lover’s face. The night before her beloved’s departure into battle, she traces the outline of his shadow against the wall, aided by candlelight. The resulting profile portrait has often been celebrated as the first artwork, but it may also be described as one of the earliest recorded silhouettes—the name given to painted or cut-paper profiles.

Silhouettes, also known as “shades” or “shadows” because of the black paper used to make the profiles, emerged as a popular art form in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Unlike oil painting, this type of portraiture was inexpensive, required only paper and scissors, and could be produced in a matter of minutes by artists and amateurs alike. The silhouette craze of the 19th century was further energized by the popularity of physiognomy, a theory that one’s inner character could be deciphered through facial features presented in profile. In fact, the most widely read treatise on physiognomy,published between 1775 and 1778, relied on silhouettes to make its case.

Although photography would replace the medium as the most cost effective and instantaneous art form, artists have continued to utilize and reference the silhouette. Selected from Telfair Museums’ permanent collection and spanning many centuries, this exhibition offers examples of silhouettes from the past and present. Although artists have since experimented with and expanded the possibilities of the art form, their works are proof of its enduring appeal and undeniable power.