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See Portrait for more about the general topic of portraits. A portrait is a painting, photograph, Sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person in which the face and its expression is predominant
The official Chinese court portrait painting of the empress and wife of Song Dynasty emperor Qinzong (1100 – 1161)
The official Chinese court portrait painting of the empress and wife of Song Dynasty emperor Qinzong (1100 – 1161)

Portrait painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to depict the visual appearance of the subject, most often a person. The Song Dynasty ( Wade-Giles: Sung Ch'ao was a ruling dynasty in China between 960&ndash1279 CE it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Emperor Qinzong ( May 23, 1100 &ndash June 14, 1161) was the ninth emperor of the Song Dynasty of China, and the last A hierarchy of genres is any formalization which ranks different types of Genres in an art-form in terms of their value Painting (pān'tīng in Art, is the practice of applying Color to a Surface (support base such as e A well executed portrait is expected to show the inner essence of the subject (from the artist's point of view, of course) not just a physical likeness. A portrait is a painting, photograph, Sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person in which the face and its expression is predominant

The term 'portrait painting' can also describe a painted portrait. Portraitists create their portraits by commission or are inspired by admiration or affection for the subject. If an artist portrayes him- or herself, the result is called a self-portrait. A Self-portrait is a representation of an artist drawn painted photographed or sculpted by the artist

Portraits can depict the subject 'full body', 'half length' or 'head and shoulders'. Beside human beings, animals, pets and even inanimate objects can be chosen as the subject for a portrait.

Contents

History

Early history

Portraiture's roots are likely found in prehistoric times, although few of these works survive today. In the art of the ancient civilizations of the Fertile Crescent, depictions of rulers and gods abound, although most of these were done in a highly stylised fashion. The Fertile Crescent is a Crescent -shaped region in the Middle East, originally incorporating the Levant and Ancient Mesopotamia, and often Some of the earliest portraits of people who were not kings or emperors are the funeral portraits that survived in the dry climate of Egypt's Fayum district (illustration, below). Faiyum ( Arabic: الفيوم Coptic:) is a city in Middle Egypt and the capital of the Faiyum Governorate. These are the only paintings of the Roman period that have survived, aside from frescos. Fresco (plural either frescos or frescoes) is any of several related Painting types done on Plaster on walls or

Roman-Egyptian funeral portrait of a woman
Roman-Egyptian funeral portrait of a woman

The art of the portrait flourished in Roman sculptures, where sitters demanded realistic portraits, even unflattering ones. During the 4th century, the portrait began to retreat in favor of an idealized symbol of what that person looked like. (Compare the portraits of Roman Emperors Constantine I and Theodosius I at their entries. Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine Flavius Theodosius (January 11 347 – January 17 395 also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great ( Greek: Θεοδόσιος Α΄ ) In Europe true portraits of the outward appearance of individuals re-emerged in the late Middle Ages, in Burgundy and France.

Renaissance

The Renaissance marked a turning point in the history of portraiture. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Partly out of interest in the natural world and partly out of interest in the classical cultures of ancient Greece and Rome, portraits—both painted and sculpted—were given an important role in Renaissance society.

Portrait medals, based on the medals made in classical times, were popular in Italy. A medal is usually a Coin -like sculpted object of metal or other material that has been engraved with an Insignia, Portrait or other artistic rendering Those by Pisanello are particularly fine. Pisanello (c 1395 &ndash probably 1455 known professionally as Antonio di Puccio Pisano or Antonio di Puccio da Cereto, also erroneously called Vittore During this period the tradition of the portrait miniature began, developing out of the skills of painters of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts. A portrait miniature is a miniature Portrait painting usually executed in Gouache or watercolor. The word miniature, derived from the Latin minium, Red lead, is a picture in an ancient or Medieval Illuminated manuscript Artists also revived the classical practice of making portrait busts, good examples of which are the elegant sculptures of Francesco Laurana. Francesco Laurana (de la Vrana, (c 1430 &ndash before 12 March 1502) was a Dalmatian born sculptor and Medallist in Croatia Profile portraits, inspired by ancient medallions, were particularly popular in Italy between 1450 and 1500. Later, profile portraits depicted donors, represented in the paintings and altarpieces they had commissioned. Important portraitists include Sandro Botticelli, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci. Raphael Sanzio, usually known by his first name alone (in Italian Raffaello) (April 6 or March 28 1483 – April 6 1520 was an Italian painter and Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer One of best-known portraits in the Western world is Leonardo da Vinci's painting titled Mona Lisa, which is a painting of an unidentified woman. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda) is a 16th century portrait painted in oil on a Poplar panel by Perhaps the finest 16th-century portraitist was Venetian artist Titian, who portrayed many leading figures of his day. Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c 1485 &ndash August 27 1576 better known as Titian, was the leading painter of the 16th-century Venetian Italian Mannerist artists contributed many exceptional portraits that emphasized material richness and elegantly complex poses, as in the works of Agnolo Bronzino and Jacopo da Pontormo. Mannerism is a period of European art which emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. Agnolo di Cosimo ( November 17, 1503 &ndash November 23, 1572) usually known as Il Bronzino, or Agnolo Bronzino (mistaken Jacopo Carucci ( May 24, 1494 — January 2, 1557) usually known as Jacopo da Pontormo, Jacopo Pontormo or simply One of the best portraitists of 16th-century Italy was Sofonisba Anguissola from Cremona, who infused her individual and group portraits with new levels of complexity. Sofonisba Anguissola (also spelled Anguisciola; c 1532 - 1625 was an Italian painter of the Renaissance.

Northern European artists used the profile format far less often, and very seldom after 1420. In the Netherlands, Jan van Eyck was a leading portraitist; The Arnolfini Marriage (1434, National Gallery, London) is a detailed full-length portrait of a couple. Jan van Eyck or Johannes de Eyck (jɑn vɑn ɛik (before c 1395 &ndash before July 9, 1441) was an Early Netherlandish painter active The Arnolfini Portrait is a Painting in oils on Oak Panel executed by the Early Netherlandish painter Jan van Leading German portrait artists include Hans Holbein the Younger and Albrecht Dürer. Albrecht Dürer (ˈalbʀɛçt ˈdyʀɐ ( May 21, 1471 &ndash April 6, 1528) was a German painter, Printmaker

The Night Watch or The Militia Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq (1642). Oil on canvas by Rembrandt, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
The Night Watch or The Militia Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq (1642). Night Watch or The Night Watch (De Nachtwacht is the common name of one of the most famous works by Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon Oil on canvas by Rembrandt, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15 1606 &ndash October 4 1669 was a Dutch painter and etcher.

Baroque and Rococo

During the baroque and rococo periods (17th century and 18th century, respectively), portraits became even more important. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc Rococo is a style of 18th century French art and Interior design. In a society dominated increasingly by secular leaders in powerful courts, images of opulently attired figures were both symbols of temporal power and wealth, and a means to affirm the authority of certain individuals. Flemish painters Sir Anthony van Dyck and Peter Paul Rubens excelled at this type of portraiture. Also during these periods, artists increasingly studied the facial expressions that accompanied different emotions and they emphasized the portrayal of these human feelings in their work. In particular, Italian sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini and Dutch painter Rembrandt explored the many expressions of the human face. "Bernini" redirects here For people named Bernini see Bernini (surname. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15 1606 &ndash October 4 1669 was a Dutch painter and etcher. This interest fostered the creation of the first caricatures, credited to the Carracci Academy, run by painters of the Carracci family in the late 16th century in Bologna, Italy (see Annibale Carracci). Annibale Carracci ( November 3, 1560 - July 15, 1609) was an Italian Baroque painter.

Group portraits were produced in greater numbers during the baroque period, particularly in the Netherlands. Dutch painter Frans Hals used fluid brush strokes of vivid color to enliven his group portraits, and Rembrandt experimented with unconventional compositions and chiaroscuro into the group portrait, most notably in his famous Night Watch (1642). Frans Hals (c 1580– August 26, 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter especially famous for portraiture. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15 1606 &ndash October 4 1669 was a Dutch painter and etcher. Chiaroscuro ( Italian for light-dark) is a term in Art for a contrast between light and dark Night Watch or The Night Watch (De Nachtwacht is the common name of one of the most famous works by Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon Bernini's bust Scipione Borghese (1632) captured the subject in mid-conversation and is considered a benchmark of baroque portraiture both because of its lifelike depiction of the subject and because it showed the subject in action. "Bernini" redirects here For people named Bernini see Bernini (surname. Cardinal Scipione Borghese (1576 – October 2, 1633) was an Italian Renaissance prelate Art collector and member of the noble

Rococo artists, who were particularly interested in rich and intricate ornamentation, excelled at the refined portrait. Their attention to the details of dress and texture increased the efficacy of portraits as testaments to worldly wealth. French painters François Boucher and Hyacinthe Rigaud proved to be remarkable chroniclers of opulence, as were English painters Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds. François Boucher ( September 29 1703 – May 30 1770) was a French painter, a proponent of Rococo taste Hyacinthe Rigaud ( Hiacint Riagau) ( July 20, 1659 – December 27, 1743) was a French painter of Catalan origin Thomas Gainsborough (christened 14 May 1727 &ndash died 2 August 1788 was one of the most famous portrait and landscape painters of 18th century Britain. Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA (16 July 1723 &ndash 23 February 1792 was the most important and influential of 18th century English painters In the 18th century, female painters gained new importance, particularly in the field of portraiture. Notable female artists include French painter Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Italian pastel artist Rosalba Carriera, and Swiss artist Angelica Kauffmann. Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun ( April 16, 1755 - March 30, 1842) was a French painter, and is recognized as the most famous woman As Snuff -taking became popular Carriera began painting Miniatures for the lids of snuff-boxes and was the first painter to use ivory for this purpose Maria Anna Angelika/Angelica Katharina Kauffmann ( October 30, 1741 &ndash November 5, 1807) was a Swiss-Austrian painter.

18th and 19th centuries

In the late 18th century and early 19th century, neoclassical artists depicted subjects attired in the latest fashions, which were derived from ancient Greek and Roman clothing styles. Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and The artists used light that had great clarity to define texture and the simple roundness of faces and limbs. French painters Jacques-Louis David and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and Italian sculptor Antonio Canova were leading practitioners of neoclassical portraiture. Jacques-Louis David (August 30 1748 &ndash December 29 1825 was a highly influential French painter in the Neoclassical style considered to be

Self-portrait (1906), Umberto Boccioni.
Self-portrait (1906), Umberto Boccioni. Umberto Boccioni ( October 19 1882 &ndash August 17 1916) was a painter and a sculptor.
Anne in White (1920) by George Bellows.
Anne in White (1920) by George Bellows. George Wesley Bellows ( August 12 or August 19, 1882 - January 8, 1925) was an American painter, known for his

Romantic artists, who worked during the first half of the 19th century, preferred to paint exciting portraits of inspired leaders and agitated subjects, using lively brush strokes and dramatic, sometimes moody, lighting. Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the French artists Eugène Delacroix and Théodore Géricault painted particularly fine portraits, the most noteworthy being Géricault's series of portraits of mental patients (1822-1824). Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix (26 April 1798 &ndash 13 August 1863 was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of Théodore Géricault ( September 26, 1791 &ndash January 26, 1824) was an important French painter and lithographer known for Spanish painter Francisco de Goya painted some of the most searching and provocative images of the period, including La maja desnuda (c. La maja desnuda ("The Nude maja " is an Oil painting on canvas by the master Spanish painter Francisco de Goya 1797-1800), which is believed to be a portrait.

The realist artists of the mid-19th century created objective portraits depicting ordinary people. Realism in the Visual arts and Literature is the depiction of subjects as they appear in Everyday life, without embellishment or interpretation French painter Gustave Courbet created many realistic portraits, while French artist Honoré Daumier produced many caricatures of his contemporaries. For the French Admiral see Admiral Courbet (1828-1885 Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( 10 June 1819 &ndash Honoré Daumier ( February 26, 1808 &ndash February 10, 1879) was a French Printmaker, Caricaturist, French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec chronicled some of the famous dancers in the theater. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (ɑ̃ʁi dø tuluz loˈtʁɛk (24 November 1864 &ndash 9 September 1901 was a French painter, printmaker, draftsman French painter Édouard Manet, whose work hovers between realism and impressionism, was a portraitist of outstanding insight and technique. Impressionism was a 19th-century Art movement that began as a loose association of Paris -based Artists exhibiting their art publicly in the 1860s

Self-portrait (1887) by Vincent Van Gogh.
Self-portrait (1887) by Vincent Van Gogh.

The impressionists of the late 19th century relied on family and friends to model for them and painted intimate groups and single figures represented either outdoors or in light-filled interiors. Impressionism was a 19th-century Art movement that began as a loose association of Paris -based Artists exhibiting their art publicly in the 1860s French painters Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Pierre Auguste Renoir created some of the most popular images of individual sitters. Claude Monet ( French klod mɔnɛ also known as Oscar-Claude Monet or Claude Oscar Monet (14 November 1840 &ndash 5 December 1926 was a founder Pierre-Auguste Renoir ( February 25, 1841 &ndash December 3, 1919) was a French Artist who was a leading painter in Noted for their shimmering surfaces and rich dabs of paint, these portraits are often disarmingly intimate and very appealing. American artist Mary Cassatt, who worked in France, was noted for her engaging portraits of mothers and children. Mary Stevenson Cassatt ( May 22, 1844 &ndash June 14, 1926) was an American painter and Printmaker. Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh, both postimpressionist artists of the late 19th century to early 20th century, painted revealing portraits of people they knew, but they are best known for their powerful self-portraits. Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903 was a leading Post-Impressionist painter. Post-Impressionism is the term coined by the British artist and Art critic Roger Fry in 1910 to describe the development of French art since Manet.

John Singer Sargent (January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) spanned the change of century and was generally considered to be the most successful portrait painter of his era. John Singer Sargent (January 12 1856 &ndash April 14 1925 was the most successful portrait painter of his era During his career he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than Sargent was born in Florence, Italy to American parents. He studied in Italy and Germany, and then in Paris under Emile Auguste Carolus-Duran. Carolus-Duran was the name adopted by the French painter Charles Auguste Émile Durand ( July 4, 1837 - 1917 who was born at Lille.

20th century

Early 20th-century artists expanded the repertoire of portraiture. Fauvist artist Henri Matisse produced powerful portraits using nonnaturalistic, even garish, colors for skin tones. Les Fauves ( French for The Wild Beasts) were a short-lived and loose grouping of early Henri Matisse (31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954 was a French Artist, known for his use of Colour and his fluid brilliant and original draughtsmanship Spanish artist Pablo Picasso painted many portraits, including several cubist portraits, in which the likeness of the subject is inferior to the stylistic appearance. Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso (October 25 1881 &ndash April 8 1973 Cubism was a 20th century Avant-garde Art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European Expressionist painters provided some of the most haunting and compelling psychological studies ever produced. Expressionism is the tendency of an artist to distort reality for an Emotional effect it is a subjective art form German artists such as Otto Dix and Max Beckmann, as well as Austrian painter Oskar Kokoschka, produced notable examples of expressionist portraiture. Wilhelm Max Beckmann ( February 12 1884 – December 28 1950) was a German painter, draftsman, Printmaker, Oskar Kokoschka (1 March 1886 – 22 February 1980 was an Austrian Artist, Poet and Playwright, best known for his intense expressionistic

Portrait production in Europe and the Americas declined in the middle of the 20th century, a result of the increasing interest in abstraction and nonfigurative art. More recently, however, there has been a revival of portraiture. English artists such as Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon have produced powerful paintings. Lucian Michael Freud, OM, CH (born 8 December 1922 is a British painter of German Origin Francis Bacon 1st Viscount St Alban KC QC (22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626 was an English Philosopher, Statesman, and author Many contemporary American artists, such as Andy Warhol, Alex Katz and Chuck Close, have made portraits and the human face a focal point of their work. For the song by David Bowie, see Andy Warhol (song. Andrew Warhola (August 6 1928 &ndash February 22 1987 known as Andy Warhol Alex Katz (born July 24 1927) is an American figural Artist associated with the Pop art movement Chuck Thomas Close (born July 5, 1940, Monroe Washington) is an American painter and photographer who achieved fame as a Photorealist, through

The end of the 20th century marked a revival of figurative art and as a side effect the market for painted and sculpted portraits increased significantly. Beside the market for corporate and clerical portraits, that has been quite stable through the ages, it became common practice for the middle-class to commission portraits of children, beloved ones, whole families or even pets.

Gallery

See also

References

Footnotes


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