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Portraits

Portraiture is one of the earliest genres of art and its style has significantly evolved throughout the ages. Given our inherent fascination with other humans, portraiture has been a preeminent theme within the visual arts. For a long time, having an artwork that depicted one's likeness was reserved for an elite. For those in power, from Pharaohs to Emperors, portraits were a way of conveying their power and status. This tradition was carried on during the Renaissance, particularly within the Italian and French nobility. By the time of the Baroque era, the quiet everyday life scenes of ordinary people started to spark some interest for a few artists, with iconic artworks such as Dutch master Johannes Vermeer's 1658 oil painting Milkmaid. In the mid-19th century, figurative art was transformed by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists like Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. Truly radical for their time, the artists broke the conventions by exploring the possibilities that bold colours and swirling lines could offer.

The Impressionists paved the way for new avenues of representation and expression, picked up by 20th-century modern painters, like Henri Matisse, Edvard Munch, or most famously Pablo Picasso. From lines to colours to shapes - all the aesthetic conventions that had restrained the art of figurative paintings were challenged. The sitter's personality, their emotion and their inner psyche became as important, if not more, than their physical appearance, which led artists to move towards more conceptual and abstract styles. These same changes were applied to artworks depicting the body.

Photography is also an important medium in portraiture. Andy Warhol's pop art created a fascination for the celebrity portrait with his colourful Marilyn Monroe. Artists quickly understood the influence wielded by celebrities. An icon can be representative of a whole era: Marilyn Monroe represented the glamorous Hollywood of the 50s, Serge Gainsbourg the scandalous French 60s, and fashion model Twiggy the British pop 60s. From actors to singers, models to dancers, there is something genuinely emblematic about celebrities and their faces that we know so well.

Carole Benichou's Pop Art-inspired portrait paintings gives new life to 60s and 70s pop icons, like Claudia Schiffer or Brigitte Bardot. Alternatively, get inspired by Genevieve Gaignard's self-portrait photographs and her kitsch aesthetic. She plays with the conventions of low-brow American culture in a humorous way and sheds light on some of its injustice.

Browse Artsper's themed selections to discover the best of contemporary portraits and artworks dedicated to the human body, from black and white photography to nude sculpture and stunning paintings.