Unusual Family Portraits: Do You Have One?

Aaron over at Apartment Therapy New York sent us this hilarious link to a series of famous family portraitures, and they brought flashbacks of seeing some of our childhood friends' family photos and paintings (yes, some actually had family portraits painted and hung over their fireplace). My father was a hobbyist painter, so we had some portraits done, one of my mother which still hangs proudly since my father's passing. Do you have family paintings in the home?

Artist Kirk Demarais, the talent responsible for the works above, describe his own affinity for family portraits as such:

"The family portrait format felt perfect since this type of photography is basically a study in pure affectation. And what's great about them is that the veneer of smiles is always too transparent to disguise the strain, the physical discomfort, the uneasiness, and often the volatile emotions bubbling beneath. Amazing how we don our most painful clothes and stand under all-illuminating heat lamps in a vain attempt to appear natural, happy, and 'at our best.' Then we send this piece of fiction to everyone we know. I vividly recall the agony of being forced to rest my hand on my sister's shoulder for literally minutes at a time!"

Oh the memories. If you'd like to revisit the memories without the agony, you can enjoy the portraits above at Crazy 4 Cult show at Gallery 1988

Comments (17)

I love the portrait of the family from The Jerk - my favorite movie!

posted by valleyval on July 30th 2009 at 3:47pm
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we have several (alone and together), mainly becuase a good friend is an accomplished water color artist. They are fairly abstract... as we prefer them to be.

posted by modern on long island on July 30th 2009 at 4:19pm
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What a hoot!

posted by GreatFriend on July 30th 2009 at 4:24pm
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those creep me the hell out, lol. I love the lost boys one, though. I had a portrait painted of my parents. it's nice.

posted by chusmabilly on July 30th 2009 at 4:32pm
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I find huge family portraits over the mantle somehow freaky and self-obsessive.

posted by whytephoenix on July 30th 2009 at 4:37pm
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i hate them! the colors r always way off, no lighting or bad lighting, and they r just weird. no never, they also remind me of 80s art or something u were made to do in high school. ether get a photographer or put something else up.. *cringe*

posted by zhenpoo on July 30th 2009 at 5:03pm
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We don't have any at home but I did Photoshop an old photo of my aunt so that she looks like a four-legged girl from a sideshow. Mom didn't appreciate it.

posted by riye on July 30th 2009 at 5:10pm
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Ha - I KNEW that was Corey Haim!!!

posted by dmh on July 30th 2009 at 5:35pm
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I want the Lost Boys one, The Shining and Poltergeist! Those are three of my favorite movies of all time. I watch them all at least once a month.... I know, pathetic.
We don't have painted portraits, just very old photo portraits that are rather creepy of long dead family members.

posted by cassielynn on July 30th 2009 at 5:39pm
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Everyone looks like they're carved out of potatoes. And not always the nicest shaped potatoes...

posted by Estelle on July 30th 2009 at 6:39pm
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Estelle, I award you comment of the day! Potatoes!

posted by gregory on July 30th 2009 at 8:15pm
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Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

posted by suzy8track on July 30th 2009 at 10:55pm
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WOW! These are hilariously AWFUL. Someone would have to have a big sense of humor to actually hang one of these up! I do love The Lost Boys portrait, however!

posted by Honey Child on July 30th 2009 at 11:40pm
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The Jerk is my favourite movie ever. I love that portrait. I think if I was going to pick one to hang in my home though, I would pick the family from The Shining. It's so awfully creepy.

posted by DanielleTodd on July 31st 2009 at 8:45am
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Have you seen these?

http://www.brandonbird.com/signifier_signified.html

posted by patri on July 31st 2009 at 11:23am
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These remind me of the portrait of the Blume family in Rushmore. Very Wes Anderson.

posted by redweather on July 31st 2009 at 11:41am
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And this is me & my husband, in 1990.
We wanted to make a portrait every ten years, to show the aging.
But we haven't changed a thing - except for my smile. Now I have one...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10267385@N06/3775420947/

posted by enfinlavoila on July 31st 2009 at 4:20pm
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