Somber Portrait Painters

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, Geisha, Michelino Iorizzo

Michelino Iorizzo

Painting - 31 x 22 x 1 cm Painting - 12.2 x 8.7 x 0.4 inch

€700

Painting, The Masks, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Painting - 24.5 x 34 x 0.1 cm Painting - 9.6 x 13.4 x 0 inch

€1,200

Fine Art Drawings, Vanité, Philippe Pasqua

Philippe Pasqua

Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 30 x 0.05 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€3,800

Sculpture, Taureau 5, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Sculpture - 35 x 25 x 15 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 9.8 x 5.9 inch

€750

Print, New School, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Print - 33 x 44 x 0.1 cm Print - 13 x 17.3 x 0 inch

€650

Sculpture, Aigua IV, Teresa Riba

Teresa Riba

Sculpture - 49 x 11 x 10 cm Sculpture - 19.3 x 4.3 x 3.9 inch

€3,800

Fine Art Drawings, Le fil d'Ariane, Hom Nguyen

Hom Nguyen

Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

€3,950

Sculpture, Mystic, Rene Rikkelman

Rene Rikkelman

Sculpture - 41 x 8 x 33 cm Sculpture - 16.1 x 3.1 x 13 inch

€4,500

Print, Untitled, Maria Carbonero

Maria Carbonero

Print - 25 x 42 x 0.1 cm Print - 9.8 x 16.5 x 0 inch

€600

Fine Art Drawings, Le Cinq, Nathan Chantob

Nathan Chantob

Fine Art Drawings - 39 x 28.5 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.4 x 11.2 x 0.4 inch

€1,500

Painting, Sans titre, Antonio Saura

Antonio Saura

Painting - 30 x 23 x 0.1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.1 x 0 inch

€20,000

Painting, The Minority, Ya-Wei Li

Ya-Wei Li

Painting - 45 x 35 x 4 cm Painting - 17.7 x 13.8 x 1.6 inch

€2,000

Fine Art Drawings, Portrait, François Chapuis

François Chapuis

Fine Art Drawings - 49 x 35 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.3 x 13.8 x 0.1 inch

€580

Painting, Free, Sancko

Sancko

Painting - 50 x 50 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 inch

€990

Fine Art Drawings, Soldier, Jacques Hirtz

Jacques Hirtz

Fine Art Drawings - 41 x 29 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.1 x 11.4 x 0.1 inch

€300

Fine Art Drawings, Sepulchre, Alfred Pichon

Alfred Pichon

Fine Art Drawings - 24 x 27 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9.4 x 10.6 x 0 inch

€480

Painting, Eros, Marco Stefanucci

Marco Stefanucci

Painting - 42 x 33.5 x 2 cm Painting - 16.5 x 13.2 x 0.8 inch

€1,500

Painting, Selo-B, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting - 50 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

€250

Painting, Selo-U, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting - 50 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

€250

Sculpture, Eole, Yoann Merienne

Yoann Merienne

Sculpture - 48 x 49 x 37 cm Sculpture - 18.9 x 19.3 x 14.6 inch

€14,000

Painting, Horizon b1, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting - 30 x 30 x 3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch

€150

Painting, La côte 1b, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting - 30 x 30 x 3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch

€150

Fine Art Drawings, The General, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Fine Art Drawings - 32.5 x 42.5 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12.8 x 16.7 x 0.1 inch

€600

Painting, Horizon B3, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

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

€160

Painting, Silence 2, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting - 29 x 29 x 2 cm Painting - 11.4 x 11.4 x 0.8 inch

€160

Painting, La robe rouge, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting - 29 x 29 x 2 cm Painting - 11.4 x 11.4 x 0.8 inch

€160

Painting, Selo - N, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting - 29 x 29 x 2 cm Painting - 11.4 x 11.4 x 0.8 inch

€160

Painting, Silence 1, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting - 29 x 29 x 2 cm Painting - 11.4 x 11.4 x 0.8 inch

€160

Painting, La route -1, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting - 50 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

€250

Painting, Selo 17, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting - 50 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

€270

Painting, Selo J1, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting - 29 x 29 x 4 cm Painting - 11.4 x 11.4 x 1.6 inch

€160

Painting, Selo - Moirans, Ivan Tzonev

Ivan Tzonev

Painting - 50 x 50 x 4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

€300

Painting, Fleurs II, Yoann Merienne

Yoann Merienne

Painting - 50 x 50 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 inch

€3,800

Painting, Ozhiko, Yoann Merienne

Yoann Merienne

Painting - 22 x 27 x 2 cm Painting - 8.7 x 10.6 x 0.8 inch

€1,800

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

€540

Print, The Pill, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Print - 34.5 x 47 x 0.1 cm Print - 13.6 x 18.5 x 0 inch

€600

Print, Collectivism, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Print - 34.5 x 47 x 0.1 cm Print - 13.6 x 18.5 x 0 inch

€600

Print, Apocalypse, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Print - 34.5 x 47 x 0.1 cm Print - 13.6 x 18.5 x 0 inch

€600

Print, La Breloque, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Print - 44 x 33 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.3 x 13 x 0 inch

€600

Print, Leader, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Print - 33 x 44 x 0.1 cm Print - 13 x 17.3 x 0 inch

€600

Print, The Ceremony, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Print - 34.5 x 47 x 0.1 cm Print - 13.6 x 18.5 x 0 inch

€580

Fine Art Drawings, The Kiss, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Fine Art Drawings - 35 x 50 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 13.8 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

€800