The portrait is a genre of fine art dedicated to the depiction of a certain person or group of people, an individually similar display of a person on canvas or paper, with the purpose of presenting it to others, showing the character, inner world, and life values of the depicted. In short, portrait paintings are artistic images of people that show their inner world.
There are chest-, waist-, hips-, knees-, and full-length portraits.
The portrait can have a different turn of the head: in full-face, a quarter turn to the right or left, half-turned, three-quarters, in profile.
Portrait paintings are classified by size, format, execution manner, and painting style.
SIZE: portrait miniature, easel portrait (graphic, painting, sculpture), monumental portrait (fresco, mosaic, monument);
FORMAT: square, round, oval, rectangular, vertical, rectangular horizontal;
EXECTUION MANNER: pastel, watercolor, oil, photographic, engraved, dry brush;
PAINTING STYLE: realism, accademism, impressionism, expressionism, abstract art, surrealism, pop art, cubism.
Classification of the Portrait
- Self-portrait;
- Group portrait;
- Children's portrait;
- Female portrait;
- Male portrait;
- Allegorical portrait;
- Military portrait;
- Genre;
- Historical;
- Intimate;
- Chamber;
- Equestrian.
The most important thing is the person's face. Most of the artists' time is devoted to it. Their task is to convey the similarity and character as accurately as possible, to feel the person's frame of mind, good or bad mood, to make the portrait living. Depicting a human face in the portrait painting is the most difficult thing for artists.
Famous Portraits:
"The Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci
"Girl with Peaches" by Valentin Serov
"The Lady with an Ermine" by Leonardo da Vinci
"Equestrian Portrait of Charles V" by Titian Vecellio
"The Rider" by Karl Bryllov
