Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Friday, April 5 will be the last South Side Shuffle of the 2018-2019 season. To thank you all for another great season, Galleria Dante will be presenting 'Rostros,' a collection of works by a group of talented portrait painters, at a cocktail reception from 6:00 to 10:00 pm.

In fine art, a portrait can be a sculpture, a painting, a form of photography or any other representation of a person, in which the face is the main theme. Traditional easel-type portraits usually depict the sitter head-and-shoulders, half-length, or full-body.

There are several varieties of portraits, including: the traditional portrait of an individual, a group portrait, or a self portrait. In most cases, the picture is specially composed in order to portray the character and unique attributes of the subject.

Among Western Art's great exponents of portraiture are the Old Masters of the Renaissance such as the Florentines Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Michelangelo (1475-1564), and Bronzino (1503-72), the Tuscan Raphael (1483-1520), and the Venetian Titian (1487-1576). North of the Alps, there was Jan van Eyck (1390-1441), the founder of Flemish painting from Bruges, and the German portraitists Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) and Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543).

Later exponents included the immortal Dutchman Rembrandt (1606-69) and the Baroque painter Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641), the Spanish court painter Velazquez (1599-1660), and the Englishman Thomas Gainsborough (1727-88). Modern portraiture is exemplified by Theodore Gericault, Edouard Manet; Paul Cezanne, Vincent Van Gogh, John Singer Sargent, Paul Gaugin, Pablo Picasso, William Orpen, Amedeo Modigliani, Otto Dix, Graham Sutherland, Lucien Freud, Chuck Close, and Frank Auerbach.

Portrait painting can be considered as public or private art. In ancient Mediterranean civilizations, like those of Egypt, Greece, Rome and Byzantium, portraiture was mainly a public art form, or a type of funerary art for Gods, Emperors, Kings & Popes. Portraits were executed as sculpture in bronze, marble or other types of stone, or as panel paintings or mural frescoes.

Although private artworks - typically for royal families - were commissioned during the Sumerian, Egyptian, and Greek eras, most ancient portraiture was public art, designed to decorate public areas and reflect the morals and religious values of the day.

Portraiture greatly expanded as a genre during the 18th and 19th centuries. This was due to several factors, including: the universal use of oils and canvas; the increase in commerce which in turn created a large group of wealthy middle-class businessmen and landowners; and the use of portraiture as a way of making a permanent visual record of individuals and families.

In any event, there was a significant growth in portrait art during this period, which was only halted with the introduction of the camera in the 20th century. The largest collection of portraiture can be seen in the National Portrait Gallery (London), which has some 200,000 examples.

As the largest and most eclectic art gallery in Puerto Vallarta, Galleria Dante represents more than fifty artists who depict, in some form, portrait painting.

This last show of the 2018-2019 season will consist of a combination of our many talented artists. They range from abstract, realism, surrealism, Impressionism, and expressionism to fantasy - from modern to old masters.

Thank you for another great season. Though we will be open all summer, this is our last Friday evening expo until November 2019, so be sure to stop by Galleria Dante on Friday, April 5 from 6:00 to 10:00 pm.

While you are there, be sure to check out Di Vino Dante, a chic wine and tapas bar overlooking Galleria Dante's sculpture garden that serves creative cuisine and cocktails. Last summer, Di Vino Dante opened a small dining area on the ground floor in a corner of Galleria Dante, for those who like to people watch. This year, they've added lunch service in the garden, daily from 12 pm. Please Note: Di Vino Dante does not take reservations on South Side Shuffle nights.