Members' talk and Q&A
About
Each portrait reveals something of the artist who created it and the sitter who posed for it.
In this online conversation, we take a closer look at the art of posing, modelling, and sitting. We are joined by opera singer and artist, Peter Brathwaite; art writer and theorist, Dominic Blake; and art historian and practicing artist, Aliki Braine.
Each has explored this subject through their own practice. Peter created his series ‘Rediscovering Black Portraiture’. Dominic is a practicing model and speaks through his ongoing lecture series ‘Are Life Models Artists?’. Aliki looks closely at artworks when lecturing on art history and through her own creative practice.
We will look to examples in our collection and examples from our speakers’ work to explore what makes posing an art in itself.
Speakers
Peter Brathwaite is an acclaimed opera singer and writer, broadcaster, and visual artist. His first book, Rediscovering Black Portraiture (Getty Publications), is based on his photographic series of the same name. He has been exhibited by King’s College London/Wellcome Trust; Bristol Museum & Art Gallery; Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford; and Kensington Palace. He is represented in the permanent collections of the Barbados Museum & Historical Society and the Museum Hof van Busleyden, Belgium. He has written for The Guardian and The Independent. He appears frequently on BBC Radio 3, where he has authored and presented programmes on Black history and the cultural legacy of enslavement.
Dominic Blake is a London based art writer and theorist. His ongoing lecture series ‘Are Life Models Artists?’ has featured at The National Gallery, University of Cambridge and The Courtauld. A life model at the Royal Academy of Arts since 2014, he is currently completing a translation of his lecture into a monograph (2026).
Aliki Braine studied at the Ruskin School of Fine Art, Oxford, the Slade School of Fine Art, London and the Courtauld Institute, London, where she was awarded a distinction for her masters in 17th-century painting. Having worked for the National Gallery’s Education Department for 20 years, she is now an Associate Lecturer at Camberwell College of Art and delivers lectures and courses for the Wallace Collection, the Arts Society and Christie’s Education. Aliki is a practising artist who regularly exhibits her photographic work internationally.
Watch again
This online Members' event will be recorded. Recordings are usually available in your National Gallery account within three working days of the event.
This recording will be available for two weeks.
Closed captions
Automatic closed captioning is available for this event.
The art of posing
Members' talk and Q&A
Free for Members
This is an online event, exclusive to Members, hosted on Zoom.
Members, please book your free ticket to access this event. You will receive an E-ticket with instructions on how to access your online events, films and resources via your National Gallery account. Only one ticket can be booked per account.
