Thinking of giving art for Christmas?

Explore our gift guide

Portrait

Sadness, melancholy and gloom have found an outlet in artists throughout history and in the depiction of figurative art. Through artists, humanity and their emotional and physical states are portrayed to be viewed and related to. The instant recognition of such a grave subject also plagues human history itself, thus carving out its own rightful spot amongst the history of art movements. In Edgar Degas' 1875 painting L'Absinthe, where viewers see a portrait of a young woman solemnly contemplating her situation, disengaged from their gaze, her surroundings, maybe even from herself. 

Dark hues and colors define somber portrait painting and can highlight the cause of such sadness, whether that be the subject's emotional state or a greater rendering of the world's expanse and the human existence within it. Existential or not, the traits of somber artwork can be found in our own collection of portraits on Artsper. The portraiture work of Nicolas Fropo de Habart works the body in all its dimensions to create an absolute feeling of vastness while Antoine Stevens also depicts wandering souls in his dimmed portraiture. But given the nature of humanity, somber depictions of the figure are not entirely unexpected…


Read more
Sculpture, Baby Boero Bleu, Sagrasse

Sagrasse

Sculpture . 11 x 6 x 8 cm Sculpture . 4.3 x 2.4 x 3.1 inch

$99

Painting, La famille, Pitu

Pitu

Painting . 114 x 162 x 5 cm Painting . 44.9 x 63.8 x 2 inch

$8,367 $7,531

Painting, Untitled, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 31 x 20 x 0.3 cm Painting . 12.2 x 7.9 x 0.1 inch

$523

Painting, Dame Nature, Hom Nguyen

Hom Nguyen

Painting . 116 x 81 x 3 cm Painting . 45.7 x 31.9 x 1.2 inch

$28,214

Print, Thilan, Hom Nguyen

Hom Nguyen

Print . 52 x 35 x 3 cm Print . 20.5 x 13.8 x 1.2 inch

$1,743

Painting, Memories, Reinaldo Chavez

Reinaldo Chavez

Painting . 30 x 60 x 0.6 cm Painting . 11.8 x 23.6 x 0.2 inch

$1,278

Painting, Damsel, Busari Adewale

Busari Adewale

Painting . 121.9 x 106.7 x 2.5 cm Painting . 48 x 42 x 1 inch

$3,151

Painting, Sympathie, Marta Grassi

Marta Grassi

Painting . 73 x 60 x 2 cm Painting . 28.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,395 $1,255

Painting, Océan, Laurent Betremieux

Laurent Betremieux

Painting . 73 x 60.5 x 2 cm Painting . 28.7 x 23.8 x 0.8 inch

$1,569

Print, Multiple, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Print . 60 x 80 cm Print . 23.6 x 31.5 inch

$110

Sculpture, Ave I, Rocio Mazuecos

Rocio Mazuecos

Sculpture . 26 x 30 x 12 cm Sculpture . 10.2 x 11.8 x 4.7 inch

$843

Sculpture, Vanité, Philippe Pasqua

Philippe Pasqua

Sculpture . 22 x 48 x 48 cm Sculpture . 8.7 x 18.9 x 18.9 inch

$16,270 $8,135

Painting, Outremer, David Jamin

David Jamin

Painting . 100 x 100 x 2.5 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1 inch

$4,300

Painting, Stella Serena, Ger Doornink

Ger Doornink

Painting . 50 x 70 x 4 cm Painting . 19.7 x 27.6 x 1.6 inch

$9,878

Painting, Sans-titre, Victor Hasch

Victor Hasch

Painting . 117 x 66.6 x 3 cm Painting . 46.1 x 26.2 x 1.2 inch

$1,453

Painting, Révéler, David Jamin

David Jamin

Painting . 46 x 38 x 2 cm Painting . 18.1 x 15 x 0.8 inch

$1,162

Painting, En pointillé, Marta Grassi

Marta Grassi

Painting . 130 x 162 x 2 cm Painting . 51.2 x 63.8 x 0.8 inch

$4,532

Painting, You Man, Hom Nguyen

Hom Nguyen

Painting . 280 x 180 x 5 cm Painting . 110.2 x 70.9 x 2 inch

$72,051

Sculpture, Freedom, Sagrasse

Sagrasse

Sculpture . 26 x 24 x 10 cm Sculpture . 10.2 x 9.4 x 3.9 inch

$273

Sculpture, Ave II, Rocio Mazuecos

Rocio Mazuecos

Sculpture . 26 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture . 10.2 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch

$843

Print, Romance, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Print . 44.5 x 32.5 x 0.1 cm Print . 17.5 x 12.8 x 0 inch

$628

Painting, J'ai rêvé, Marta Grassi

Marta Grassi

Painting . 46 x 55 x 2 cm Painting . 18.1 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,511

Painting, La Sarde, Olivier Daumas

Olivier Daumas

Painting . 41 x 33 x 2.5 cm Painting . 16.1 x 13 x 1 inch

$1,046

Painting, Souvenirs, Zwy Milshtein

Zwy Milshtein

Painting . 100 x 73 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch

$13,945

Painting, Portrait bleu, Hom Nguyen

Hom Nguyen

Painting . 80 x 60 x 1 cm Painting . 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch

$10,866

Painting, Dots, Sakurako Hamaguchi

Sakurako Hamaguchi

Painting . 53 x 45.5 x 2 cm Painting . 20.9 x 17.9 x 0.8 inch

$767

Sculpture, Luxury Blue, Sagrasse

Sagrasse

Sculpture . 25 x 15.5 x 15.5 cm Sculpture . 9.8 x 6.1 x 6.1 inch

$325

Painting, Chut, Laurent Betremieux

Laurent Betremieux

Painting . 73 x 54 x 2 cm Painting . 28.7 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch

$1,569

Painting, Soft Murmur, Damilola Ilori

Damilola Ilori

Painting . 101.6 x 76.2 x 2.5 cm Painting . 40 x 30 x 1 inch

$3,507

Painting, Blue Skull, Philippe Pasqua

Philippe Pasqua

Painting . 195 x 159.5 x 0.1 cm Painting . 76.8 x 62.8 x 0 inch

$17,432 $12,202

Sculpture, Love Colors, Sagrasse

Sagrasse

Sculpture . 24 x 34 x 12 cm Sculpture . 9.4 x 13.4 x 4.7 inch

$267

Sculpture, Yolo Chain, Sagrasse

Sagrasse

Sculpture . 66 x 34 x 32 cm Sculpture . 26 x 13.4 x 12.6 inch

$755

Painting, Reverb, David Jamin

David Jamin

Painting . 130 x 97 x 2.5 cm Painting . 51.2 x 38.2 x 1 inch

$4,881

Sculpture, Fuck Colors, Sagrasse

Sagrasse

Sculpture . 24 x 31 x 12 cm Sculpture . 9.4 x 12.2 x 4.7 inch

$267

Print, Piece Of Art, Sagrasse

Sagrasse

Print . 54 x 27 x 5 cm Print . 21.3 x 10.6 x 2 inch

$465

Painting, Blue Time, Hanna Sidorowicz

Hanna Sidorowicz

Painting . 60 x 120 x 3 cm Painting . 23.6 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch

$5,346

Painting, TAMARA, Antoine Stevens

Antoine Stevens

Painting . 224 x 147 x 2 cm Painting . 88.2 x 57.9 x 0.8 inch

$11,621