Three Voices in Portraiture: Actor, Artist, and Audience

Abstract

This article explores the interaction of artist and actor voice as presented by Lawrence-Lightfoot and Davis in three portraits of African American secondary school female principals that had been constructed in the lead author’s dissertation study. After describing various manifestations of actor and artist voice, emphasis shifts to a third voice—that of the audience. The responses of six diverse reviewers are examined in terms of how they reflect the artist’s intent and add new meaning to the portraits. The article concludes with brief thoughts about the interpretation of portraits, the uses of portraits, and the factors that prepare an audience to learn from a portrait.