Heath

I first found out about this portrait around the time of Ledger’s death, it was in an article online for winning the Archibald Prize, which is quite an honor in Australia from what I’ve read. With the simple title "Heath", it was created by an artist named Vincent Fantauzzo. Being a painter, the first time I saw this portrait it amazed me. Everything about this painting is excellent. I’m under the impression Fantauzzo used oil paints, however I couldn’t find anything about the medium in any of the articles. The attention to detail alone, is just ridiculous. It’s one thing for a painting to look like a photo image, but there’s also a certain something about a good painting that surpasses the effectiveness of a photo. Fantauzzo uses highlights and shadows perfectly. The tattoos on his arms look just as they would on actual skin. There’s so much detail in Ledger’s skin; the wrinkles on his forehead, the detail in his hands, you can even seen the veins in his arms.
Not only is this painting great by a technical standpoint, but even the concept of the portrait is good. The idea for the portrait was actually part Ledger’s, representing an internal conflict. The portrait was painted a little less than a year before Ledger’s death, which makes it intriguing and sad. Most articles I've read said Ledger had trouble sleeping after acting back to back in two films. The dazed and distant look on his face, and the two ghosts of himself whispering in his ear depict an image of a burdened man, and show the stress playing two roles at once could have put on him. It’s one of the best portraits I have seen, definitely one of my favorites. The painting is currently on display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia. It’s a beautiful piece of art, and a fitting tribute to an amazing actor.