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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, L'éponge, Zwy Milshtein

Zwy Milshtein

Painting . 91 x 64 x 1 cm Painting . 35.8 x 25.2 x 0.4 inch

$5,230

Painting, Sans titre, Zwy Milshtein

Zwy Milshtein

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

$2,905

Painting, Mazel Tov 2, Katalin Soós

Katalin Soós

Painting . 66 x 55 x 3 cm Painting . 26 x 21.7 x 1.2 inch

$581

Painting, La peintre, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Painting . 100 x 70 cm Painting . 39.4 x 27.6 inch

$639

Painting, La pêche, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Painting . 100 x 70 cm Painting . 39.4 x 27.6 inch

$639

Painting, Les genêts, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Painting . 100 x 70 cm Painting . 39.4 x 27.6 inch

$639

Sculpture, Ave VI, Rocio Mazuecos

Rocio Mazuecos

Sculpture . 27 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture . 10.6 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch

$843

Painting, Portrait, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 29 x 21 x 0.3 cm Painting . 11.4 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch

$523

Painting, Le cycliste, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Painting . 50 x 35 x 0.1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 13.8 x 0 inch

$209

Painting, Ralf, Lisbeth Buonanno

Lisbeth Buonanno

Painting . 15 x 10 x 1 cm Painting . 5.9 x 3.9 x 0.4 inch

$639

Painting, Portrait, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 29 x 21 x 0.3 cm Painting . 11.4 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch

$523

Painting, Grief, Elizabeth Becker

Elizabeth Becker

Painting . 50.8 x 40.6 cm Painting . 20 x 16 inch

$356

Painting, Spring, Katalin Soós

Katalin Soós

Painting . 45 x 45 x 3 cm Painting . 17.7 x 17.7 x 1.2 inch

$465

Painting, Portrait, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 31 x 20 x 0.5 cm Painting . 12.2 x 7.9 x 0.2 inch

$523

Painting, Portrait, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 31 x 20 x 0.5 cm Painting . 12.2 x 7.9 x 0.2 inch

$523

Fine Art Drawings, Portraits, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Fine Art Drawings . 18 x 11 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 7.1 x 4.3 x 0.1 inch

$581

Painting, The cage, Olivier Massebeuf

Olivier Massebeuf

Painting . 116 x 81 x 2.5 cm Painting . 45.7 x 31.9 x 1 inch

$1,395

Painting, Horizon B3, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

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

$186

Fine Art Drawings, The Honest Man, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Fine Art Drawings . 29.5 x 21 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.6 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch

$558

Fine Art Drawings, Sketch, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Fine Art Drawings . 16 x 24 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 6.3 x 9.4 x 0.1 inch

$442

Sculpture, Ave V, Rocio Mazuecos

Rocio Mazuecos

Sculpture . 27 x 33 x 14 cm Sculpture . 10.6 x 13 x 5.5 inch

$843

Sculpture, Ave IV, Rocio Mazuecos

Rocio Mazuecos

Sculpture . 26 x 20 x 23 cm Sculpture . 10.2 x 7.9 x 9.1 inch

$843

Painting, Selo - 3, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting . 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting . 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

$93

Fine Art Drawings, Women, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Fine Art Drawings . 5 x 12 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 2 x 4.7 x 0 inch

$523

Sculpture, Ave III, Rocio Mazuecos

Rocio Mazuecos

Sculpture . 26 x 36 x 12 cm Sculpture . 10.2 x 14.2 x 4.7 inch

$843

Painting, Selo F1, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting . 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting . 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

$93

Painting, Desvelo VI, Rocio Mazuecos

Rocio Mazuecos

Painting . 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting . 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

$581

Painting, El coro, Rocio Mazuecos

Rocio Mazuecos

Painting . 195 x 130 x 2.5 cm Painting . 76.8 x 51.2 x 1 inch

$10,680