About the Louis Braille Bicentennial Image
This image of Louis Braille was designed by artist Judith Krimski in celebration of the bicentennial of his birth on January 4, 2009. The challenge was to illustrate Louis Braille's vitality today while honoring his place in history. Krimski chose the silhouette, a common form of French portraiture two hundred years ago (prior to the invention of the camera). Skilled artists made silhouettes by looking at a subject's profile, or side view, and cutting out just the outline of the face, freehand, on black paper. Within minutes, the artist could produce an image with a remarkable resemblance to the contours of the face of his subject. (Even today, iPod commercials portray silhouetted figures dancing to the music they're listening to on their iPods.) But to capture Louis Braille's genius, Krimski ignited a "fire in his head" by painting Louis's naturally curly locks in vibrant colors - orange, purple, lime, teal - giving the image a decidedly current look. The space between his head and formal collar suggests a cravat, a long-strip neckband and forerunner to the necktie. Louis is facing left.
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