Silhouette
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A silhouette is a view of an object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior. The word is an eponym named after Etienne de Silhouette, a finance minister of Louis XV who in 1759 imposed such harsh economic demands upon the French people that his name became synonymous with anything done or made cheaply.
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[edit] In art
A silhouette is a form of artwork. It is most commonly a human portrait in profile, in black. They do not show any facial expression. Silhouettes are most often made by a skilled silhouette artist by looking at a subject's profile, whether in person or from a photograph, and simply cutting out their likeness freehand.[citation needed]
Two hundred years ago, long before the camera was invented, someone wishing to have an inexpensive portrait created of their loved ones would have visited a silhouette artist. Within minutes and using only a pair of scissors and a skillful eye, he wood have produced a little njh with a remarkable resemblance to his subject.[citation needed]
In America, Silhouettes were highly popular from about 1790 to 1840. The invention of the camera signaled the end of the Silhouette as a widespread form of portraiture. However, their popularity is being reborn in a new generation of people who appreciate the Silhouette as a nostalgic and unique way of capturing a loved one's image.
[edit] In Popular Culture
Silhouettes have been used in many of the opening credit sequences of the James Bond films, where girls dancing in silhouette appear to be naked.
Silhouettes have also been used by recording artists in music videos. One example is the group The Pussycat Dolls - in one of their videos, Buttons, Nicole Scherzinger is seen showing her body as a silhouette.
Early iPod commercials portrayed silhouetted dancers wearing an iPod and earbuds.
[edit] Military usage
Silhouettes of ships, planes, tanks, and other vessels used by the military are used by soldiers and sailors for recognition purposes. See Jane's Fighting Ships, aircraft recognition.
[edit] In graphic design
To silhouette is to separate (mask) a portion of an image so that it does not show. For instance, a background.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Silhouette Artists List of silhouette artists, both living and historical.
- GAP Guild of American Papercutters
- Costume Silhouettes Fashion silhouettes from the 1920s and 1930s.
- Silhouette Gallery A collection of silhouette style photographs.
