Portrait is about re-presenting one’s internal qualities by portraying his or her external traits. -- Hermann Deckert, “Zum Begriff der Porträtmalerei” In the old days, portraits were made to memorize a person. The protagonist’s appearance, posture, clothing, gesture and medals indicate who and how s/he was. Because a portrait was meant to “re-present” someone, people all knew that portrait was not just about objective description but involves the artist’s subjective observation. Today, due to the invention of cameras, portraits are not an important means of documentation anymore. But a contemporary artist can still contribute his or her subjective views of a certain person by making portraits. As a 21st century artist, I try to learn from the past and pass its essence down without overthrowing it. I am profoundly amazed by the cold, uncanny style and refined texture of Northern Renaissance and Flemish painting. I study the works of master artists like Lucas Cranach ,Hans Holbein the younger and Rogier van der Weyden and hope to follow their footsteps. When I make a portrait, I paint on a smooth plaster panel and apply glazing and layering techniques for a shiny, flawless painted surface, similar to that of Weyden’s or Cranach’s work. I abandon all narratives, symbols and artistic phrases that most people are familiar with, so that they can appreciate the portrait from a purely graphical angle. One must note that, while the end result looks objective, it is still under my manipulation. From the protagonist’s gesture, clothing, to the depth of field and backdrop and floor colors, all of the elements have been carefully choreographed. Viewers can thus guess about the protagonist’s personality through the subtle details that I have offered.