I've recently developed a passion for Renaissance portraiture. In an era before photography, portraits were the only way of capturing a likeness. Realism was highly prized, and the skills in capturing details are quite incredible.
No less than the faces, the art of capturing fabrics and backgrounds were highly developed. Even with a black background, the composition of negative space is as considered as the likeness itself.
But here's the duality: the more lifelike the rendering, the more surreal it becomes. Real but not real. But beautiful nonetheless.