BEST PORTRAIT PAINTERS TODAY SERIES

Sargent had an uncanny ability to capture the nuances of expression that telegraphed the character of his sitters, and his name is synonymous with easy elegance. His work is frequently considered the pinnacle of portraiture. The fine art portraits of John Singer Sargent evoke a time when people of high society used calling cards and dressed for the opera. Portrait of Laurence Millet, 1887 by John Singer Sargent In addition to being a successful portrait artist, her images recall the world of Ayn Rand and fully capture the verve and energy of her era. Wildly popular with the upper echelons of Parisian society, her classically inspired, neo-Cubist portraits of elite members of this private world were influenced by her admiration for Picasso and Modernism. Lempicka’s paintings are unabashedly strong and mirror the exhilarating possibilities that emancipation afforded women. Lempicka embraced a radically different approach than the female artists who proceeded her. Tamara de Lempicka is an embodiment of the new aesthetic and also the new freedom granted to women in the modern age. Like many greats of 20th century art movements, Art Deco artists celebrated modernity and all it represented. Rau)Ī mere thirty years after Van Gogh, the world had changed dramatically. Portrait d'homme à lunettes by Tamara de Lempicka, 1941 ( M. Stylish Woman with a Flower Hat by Tamara de Lempicka, 1926 (M. When Van Gogh moved into an apartment overlooking a carpenter’s yard, he quickly began creating works on paper like the one above that celebrates nobility in the people others often overlooked. His initial desire to be a minister had a strong influence on his artistic life, and his portraits of working - class people are among his most well - known works.

Van Gogh was a man who felt deeply, particularly caring for the working poor. No one has been able to emulate his pulsating paintings that burst with color, but his art has inspired a myriad of artists, including Picasso. Vincent Van Gogh is a Post-Impressionism giant and one of the most beloved heroes in art history. Also, venerated as one of the greatest printmakers of all time, Rembrandt’s deft command of line and sensitive handling of value created prints that are considered the pinnacle of the art form as in the portrait above.Ĭarpenter by Vincent van Gogh, Circa 1882 (M. His more than forty penetrating self portraits list among the icons of art history. Known for his lush use of paint and magnificent use of light, this Baroque master elevates humanity with penetrating and sensitive portraits that revel in the individuality of his subjects. The prolific Dutchman’s fascination with portrait art began early and continued throughout his career. Rembrandt van Rijn was creating his portraits of wise elders 250 years before Picasso was born. Old Man with Beard, Fur Hat and Velvet Cloak by Rembrandt, made in 1632 (M. The example here reflects the assurance of his stroke and his keen ability to create powerful images with the simplicity that is only available to a great master.

BEST PORTRAIT PAINTERS TODAY SERIES

In 1965, just eight years before his death, Picasso began a compelling portrait series of bearded men. Never one to stop expanding, toward the end of his life Picasso was still exploring painting portraits. Demoiselles d’ Avignon, Guernica, and Ma Jolie triggered seismic waves that changed the course of art history.

This father of modern art broke barriers that other artists didn’t even question. Pablo Picasso affected the course of modern art like no other artist. Eight Popular Portrait Artists Who Were Undisputed Masters of Their Age Picasso (1881-1973)īuste d’homme barbu by Pablo Picasso, Circa 1965 (M.

A list of eight famous portrait artists who captured the spirit of their age follows. Perhaps this interplay between two personalities contributes to their presence. Transmitted through the filter of the artist’s personality, they can reveal something about the maker as well as the subject. Portrait art focus es on specific individuals and appear s in the form of paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and sculpture. We do not know the names of those long -ago artists, but today the names and stories of many painters are as familiar to us as the images they left behind.įayum Portrait, artist unknown, 1st-3rd century BC The earliest painted portraits date from the 1st-3rd century AD and were found in Egypt. Costumes and circumstances change, but the expressions and features of the human face are constant. People from ages past look out at us from their golden frames and remind us how much we humans are the same. The human face draws our attention and art is no exception.

Best portrait painters today