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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…


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Painting, Grace Kelly, Marin Marcos

Marin Marcos

Painting . 160 x 130 x 3 cm Painting . 63 x 51.2 x 1.2 inch

$20,918

Print, Le Cri, Sagrasse

Sagrasse

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

$465

Painting, Sur la plage, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Painting . 114 x 146 x 3 cm Painting . 44.9 x 57.5 x 1.2 inch

$2,324

Painting, l'endormie, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Painting . 110 x 80 x 0.3 cm Painting . 43.3 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch

$2,092

Painting, Néfeles, Rocio Mazuecos

Rocio Mazuecos

Painting . 162 x 130 x 2.5 cm Painting . 63.8 x 51.2 x 1 inch

$8,716

Painting, Marcel Duchamp, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Painting . 114 x 146 x 3 cm Painting . 44.9 x 57.5 x 1.2 inch

$2,092

Painting, Mademoiselle 33, Kaige Yang

Kaige Yang

Painting . 50 x 30 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

$1,511

Painting, Portrait, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 30 x 24 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch

$872

Painting, Requiem, Natia Sapanadze

Natia Sapanadze

Painting . 50 x 65 x 3 cm Painting . 19.7 x 25.6 x 1.2 inch

$3,486

Painting, Portrait No.3, Renjie Gao

Renjie Gao

Painting . 60 x 50 x 4 cm Painting . 23.6 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

$1,162

Painting, Portrait, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 30 x 24 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch

$872

Painting, Models, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Painting . 120 x 185 x 4 cm Painting . 47.2 x 72.8 x 1.6 inch

$6,624

Painting, Portrait No 94, Renjie Gao

Renjie Gao

Painting . 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting . 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,395

Painting, Portrait, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 30 x 24 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch

$872

Painting, Octave, Zwy Milshtein

Zwy Milshtein

Painting . 54 x 37 x 0.1 cm Painting . 21.3 x 14.6 x 0 inch

$1,859

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled 35, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Fine Art Drawings . 70 x 100 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 27.6 x 39.4 x 0 inch

$1,627

Painting, Portrait, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 30 x 24 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch

$872

Painting, Encounter 5, Adam Norgaard

Adam Norgaard

Painting . 60.6 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 23.9 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

$884

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled 13, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Fine Art Drawings . 70 x 90 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 27.6 x 35.4 x 0 inch

$1,511

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled 7, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Fine Art Drawings . 70 x 90 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 27.6 x 35.4 x 0 inch

$1,511

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled 4, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Fine Art Drawings . 70 x 90 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 27.6 x 35.4 x 0 inch

$1,511

Painting, La gardienne, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Painting . 126 x 173 x 5 cm Painting . 49.6 x 68.1 x 2 inch

$4,184

Painting, Portrait, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 30 x 24 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch

$872

Painting, Resonance, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 200 x 140 x 2 cm Painting . 78.7 x 55.1 x 0.8 inch

$5,811

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled 11, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Fine Art Drawings . 70 x 90 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 27.6 x 35.4 x 0 inch

$1,511

Painting, Untitled, Adam Sabhan

Adam Sabhan

Painting . 40 x 40 cm Painting . 15.7 x 15.7 inch

$2,905

Painting, Untitled, Adam Sabhan

Adam Sabhan

Painting . 40 x 40 cm Painting . 15.7 x 15.7 inch

$2,905

Painting, Le Bal, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Painting . 80 x 120 x 4 cm Painting . 31.5 x 47.2 x 1.6 inch

$11,621

Print, Tradition, Ger Doornink

Ger Doornink

Print . 87 x 72 x 1 cm Print . 34.3 x 28.3 x 0.4 inch

$1,139

Painting, Moth, Natia Sapanadze

Natia Sapanadze

Painting . 30 x 40 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

$2,905

Painting, Le plongeon, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Painting . 126 x 173 x 4 cm Painting . 49.6 x 68.1 x 1.6 inch

$4,881

Painting, Fleur bleue, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Painting . 188 x 120 x 2 cm Painting . 74 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch

$4,067

Fine Art Drawings, 24.40, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Fine Art Drawings . 63 x 93 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 24.8 x 36.6 x 0 inch

$1,743

Painting, Portrait, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,162

Painting, Jackdaw, Elizabeth Becker

Elizabeth Becker

Painting . 101 x 66 x 0.3 cm Painting . 39.75 x 26 x 0.1 inch

$2,212

Painting, Blackbird, Elizabeth Becker

Elizabeth Becker

Painting . 66 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Painting . 26 x 40 x 0.1 inch

$2,428

Painting, Grackles, Elizabeth Becker

Elizabeth Becker

Painting . 66 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Painting . 26 x 40 x 0.1 inch

$2,428

Painting, Le retour I, Kaige Yang

Kaige Yang

Painting . 30 x 50 x 1 cm Painting . 11.8 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

$1,859

Painting, Mademoiselle 35, Kaige Yang

Kaige Yang

Painting . 50 x 50 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

$1,859

Painting, Sisyphus, Ya-Wei Li

Ya-Wei Li

Painting . 120 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 47.2 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

$6,857

Painting, Nocturne, Zwy Milshtein

Zwy Milshtein

Painting . 39 x 27 cm Painting . 15.4 x 10.6 inch

$1,627

Painting, Portrait rouge, Hom Nguyen

Hom Nguyen

Painting . 80 x 60 x 3 cm Painting . 31.5 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

$25,567