The Art and Science of Portraiture

by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Jessica Hoffmann Davis

"The writing is beautiful, the ideas persuasive, and the picture it paints of the process of careful observation is one that every writer should read. . . . A rich and wonderful book."
― American Journal of Education A landmark contribution to the field of research methodology, this remarkable book illuminates the origins, purposes, and features of portraiture―placing it within the larger discourse on social science inquiry and mapping it onto the broader terrain of qualitative research.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Research Methods, Art, Research

316 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot is an American sociologist who examines the culture of schools, the patterns and structures of classroom life, socialization within families and communities, and the relationships between culture and learning styles. She has been a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education since the 1970s.

Reviews

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great theoretical support; but I wished the authors use examples from portraits other than their own.

[Peaches · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical, accessible writing, all the information you need to know before engaging in this type of method, and arts-based research? This book is so utterly perfect for me. I spent over an hour typing quotations from it to use for future publications and I really was invigorated even re-reading it. I love the passages about relationships and the poststructural contributions to qualitative research. I can't wait to do studies with this. Really, this is a must-read for anyone interested in portraiture.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eloquent author who paints a picture while giving the details of an ethnography without feeling like research at all. She incorporates herself as the researcher into the story.

[Steven Kolber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a believer reads the bible, assiduously and with purpose. Perhaps as a result, it was a mind expanding and wonderful exploration of a method that sings to my soul.

[Jasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

read for class. 5+++ stars (if you’re interested in a qualitative methodology that bridges aesthetics and empiricism hehe)

[Lillibet Moore]

"The girl looks in the mirror and does not see her likeness. Instead, she comes face to face with a more penetrating image--one that is both revelatory and disturbing. She dos not see the literal portrayal that she expects, the smiling prettiness that she anticipates. Rather she perceives, in the refracted forms and surprising colors, a deeper, and more authentic reflection of who she is." xvii description of Picasso's painting "Girl before a mirror".

[Marlana Portolano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in the middle of reading this and I'm wrapped up with the authors in the process of portraiture every step of the way. The book describes both a writing process/product and a cultural-observation research method that go hand in hand, each influencing the other. I'm going to use this method in my own research, but it would be equally helpful to teach students the range of depth available to the author of nonfiction in the areas of voice/point of view and description of context.

[Miguel Soto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un manual muuy amplio de la metodología "impresionista" llamada portraiture. Explica lo conceptual y lo operativo, con profusión de ejemplos tomados de los trabajos de las autoras. Sí me dio la idea general que necesitaba.

[Crystal Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

So helpful, clear and inspirational!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clear and detailed. So helpful as I consider portraiture for my methodology...

[Joy Galston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic resource for qualitative researchers, therapists and writers... Beautiful prose.