We started a lesson this week on silhouettes and it is a two part lesson which we will conclude after Thanksgiving break. We are in the process of making a covered wagon silhouette with a watercolor sunset in the background.
A French finance minister in the 1700's, Etienne de Silhouette had a hobby of cutting peoples profiles which were referred to as "shades" or "profile miniatures". This is where the term silhouette is derived from. So why was this man's name synonymous with the art of paper cutting? One theory is the word came about as a joke. By associating Silhouette's name with the cheapest art form available at the time, this ridiculed his cheapness and the small economies allowed during his term in office, which was short lived...only eight months. Therefore, it was joked about due to Etienne's short time in office, all one caught of him was his shadow. There is no doubt that a black profile was the cheapest form of portraiture available, and a simple alternative for those who could afford no other method. In the mid 1800's, the use of lights and projectors were making it so silhouette artists were tracing profiles and the demand of the art form was on the decline. The sihouette has repeatedly fallen and risen in popularity over the last two centuries.
