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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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Print, Femmes, Alain Bonnefoit

Alain Bonnefoit

Print . 39 x 29 x 8.5 cm Print . 15.4 x 11.4 x 3.3 inch

$1,743

Fine Art Drawings, Nu allongé, Olivier Daumas

Olivier Daumas

Fine Art Drawings . 16 x 26 x 0.02 cm Fine Art Drawings . 6.3 x 10.2 x 0 inch

$174

Painting, La danse, Alain Bonnefoit

Alain Bonnefoit

Painting . 116 x 76.5 cm Painting . 45.7 x 30.1 inch

$2,905

Painting, Anne, Philippe Pasqua

Philippe Pasqua

Painting . 120 x 100.5 x 10 cm Painting . 47.2 x 39.6 x 3.9 inch

$17,432

Photography, Nun Blum, Cécile Plaisance

Cécile Plaisance

Photography . 70 x 50 x 5 cm Photography . 27.6 x 19.7 x 2 inch

$9,878

Painting, Resting, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Painting . 80 x 100 x 3 cm Painting . 31.5 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

$2,440

Painting, Girls, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Painting . 60 x 50 x 3 cm Painting . 23.6 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

$1,976

Painting, Diamant, Nathan Chantob

Nathan Chantob

Painting . 90 x 59 x 3 cm Painting . 35.4 x 23.2 x 1.2 inch

$4,997

Fine Art Drawings, Nu au corset, Olivier Daumas

Olivier Daumas

Fine Art Drawings . 26 x 12 x 0.02 cm Fine Art Drawings . 10.2 x 4.7 x 0 inch

$174

Painting, Virginie, Paul Laurenzi

Paul Laurenzi

Painting . 50 x 61 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 24 x 0.8 inch

$1,627

Painting, Highway, Nathan Chantob

Nathan Chantob

Painting . 90 x 90 x 2 cm Painting . 35.4 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch

$5,230

Painting, Allégorie, Yoann Merienne

Yoann Merienne

Painting . 180 x 120 x 5 cm Painting . 70.9 x 47.2 x 2 inch

$15,108

Painting, Lumière, Nadège Dauvergne

Nadège Dauvergne

Painting . 81 x 60 x 2 cm Painting . 31.9 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$2,324

Painting, Anatomy Lesson, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Painting . 33.5 x 50 x 0.2 cm Painting . 13.2 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

$930

Painting, Untitled 12, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Painting . 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Painting . 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch

$1,046

Painting, Untitled 7, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Painting . 70 x 100 x 0.1 cm Painting . 27.6 x 39.4 x 0 inch

$1,395

Fine Art Drawings, Femme 1, Roger Decaux

Roger Decaux

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

$4,648

Fine Art Drawings, Sans titre, Philippe Pasqua

Philippe Pasqua

Fine Art Drawings . 40 x 30 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch

$3,486

Print, Untitled, Maria Carbonero

Maria Carbonero

Print . 45 x 30 x 0.1 cm Print . 17.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

$581

Painting, Desire, Jolanta Johnsson

Jolanta Johnsson

Painting . 34 x 30 cm Painting . 13.4 x 11.8 inch

$581

Painting, Back, Nathan Chantob

Nathan Chantob

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

$8,716

Painting, Clara, Marie-Ange Daudé

Marie-Ange Daudé

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

$2,557

Print, Nu, Alain Bonnefoit

Nu

Alain Bonnefoit

Print . 76 x 54 x 0.5 cm Print . 29.9 x 21.3 x 0.2 inch

$523

Painting, Surface, Bill Bate

Bill Bate

Painting . 92 x 122 x 4 cm Painting . 36.2 x 48 x 1.6 inch

$3,992

Painting, Nude, Rosen Markovski

Rosen Markovski

Painting . 90 x 60 x 3 cm Painting . 35.4 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

$1,278

Painting, Asian Story, Dinh Y Nyi

Dinh Y Nyi

Painting . 139.7 x 86.4 x 5.1 cm Painting . 55 x 34 x 2 inch

$17,264

Painting, Untitled 6, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Painting . 25 x 37 x 0.1 cm Painting . 9.8 x 14.6 x 0 inch

$813

Painting, Untitled 4, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Painting . 24 x 37 x 0.4 cm Painting . 9.4 x 14.6 x 0.2 inch

$813