Thinking of giving art for Christmas?

Explore our gift guide

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…


Read more
Print, Ameria, Yoann Merienne

Yoann Merienne

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

€800

Painting, Deux oiseaux, David Jamin

David Jamin

Painting . 46 x 61 x 2 cm Painting . 18.1 x 24 x 0.8 inch

€1,440

Print, Golden Art - DJ, Sagrasse

Sagrasse

Print . 83 x 83 x 3 cm Print . 32.7 x 32.7 x 1.2 inch

€1,350

Fine Art Drawings, Faux semblant n°2, Marta Grassi

Marta Grassi

Fine Art Drawings . 110 x 75 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 43.3 x 29.5 x 0 inch

€900

Fine Art Drawings, En campagne, Guillaume Piot

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings . 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings . 19.7 x 25.6 inch

€1,500

Photography, Promenade, David Jamin

David Jamin

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

€2,100

Painting, Océan, Laurent Betremieux

Laurent Betremieux

Painting . 73 x 60.5 x 2 cm Painting . 28.7 x 23.8 x 0.8 inch

€1,350

Painting, Eco, Rocio Mazuecos

Eco

Rocio Mazuecos

Painting . 32 x 66 x 0.5 cm Painting . 12.6 x 26 x 0.2 inch

€2,300

Sculpture, Ave I, Rocio Mazuecos

Rocio Mazuecos

Sculpture . 26 x 30 x 12 cm Sculpture . 10.2 x 11.8 x 4.7 inch

€725

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled, Adam Sabhan

Adam Sabhan

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

€800

Painting, Transition, Marta Grassi

Marta Grassi

Painting . 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting . 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch

€1,800

Sculpture, Vanité, Philippe Pasqua

Philippe Pasqua

Sculpture . 22 x 48 x 48 cm Sculpture . 8.7 x 18.9 x 18.9 inch

€14,000 €7,000

Painting, Roi du Ciel, Fabrice Leito

Fabrice Leito

Painting . 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

€4,200

Print, Relinquished, Roger Ballen

Roger Ballen

Print . 90 x 90 x 0.2 cm Print . 35.4 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch

€14,000

Painting, Faune, Laurent Betremieux

Laurent Betremieux

Painting . 73 x 54 x 2 cm Painting . 28.7 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch

€1,350

Sculpture, Oiseau, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Sculpture . 60 x 30 x 15 cm Sculpture . 23.6 x 11.8 x 5.9 inch

€800

Fine Art Drawings, Scène de corrida, Yves Brayer

Yves Brayer

Fine Art Drawings . 23 x 32 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 9.1 x 12.6 x 0.4 inch

€1,300

Fine Art Drawings, Le Philosophe, Guillaume Piot

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings . 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings . 19.7 x 25.6 inch

€1,500

Painting, En pointillé, Marta Grassi

Marta Grassi

Painting . 130 x 162 x 2 cm Painting . 51.2 x 63.8 x 0.8 inch

€3,900

Sculpture, Ave II, Rocio Mazuecos

Rocio Mazuecos

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

€725

Painting, Distrait, Fabrice Leito

Fabrice Leito

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

€3,400

Fine Art Drawings, Scène de corrida, Yves Brayer

Yves Brayer

Fine Art Drawings . 24.4 x 31.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 9.6 x 12.3 inch

€600

Painting, Chut, Laurent Betremieux

Laurent Betremieux

Painting . 73 x 54 x 2 cm Painting . 28.7 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch

€1,350

Sculpture, Bully, Sagrasse

Sagrasse

Sculpture . 35 x 22 x 18 cm Sculpture . 13.8 x 8.7 x 7.1 inch

€360

Print, Âne, Guillaume Piot

Guillaume Piot

Print . 42 x 30 cm Print . 16.5 x 11.8 inch

€90

Sculpture, Minus, Yoann Merienne

Yoann Merienne

Sculpture . 59 x 37 x 28 cm Sculpture . 23.2 x 14.6 x 11 inch

€12,000

Painting, Grivois, Laurent Betremieux

Laurent Betremieux

Painting . 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

€2,400

Sculpture, Spiteful, Sagrasse

Sagrasse

Sculpture . 37 x 16 x 33 cm Sculpture . 14.6 x 6.3 x 13 inch

€580

Print, Le Cirque, Yves Brayer

Yves Brayer

Print . 65 x 50 x 0.05 cm Print . 25.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch

€300

Painting, Vanité or, Philippe Pasqua

Philippe Pasqua

Painting . 40 x 40 x 1 cm Painting . 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

€3,990

Painting, Untitled, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 139 x 92 x 2 cm Painting . 54.7 x 36.2 x 0.8 inch

€3,200

Painting, Zayn, Ahmed Art

Ahmed Art

Painting . 30 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting . 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch

€590

Painting, Black, Teona Yamanidze

Teona Yamanidze

Painting . 70 x 50 x 3 cm Painting . 27.6 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

€3,000

Painting, RDV, Fabrice Leito

RDV

Fabrice Leito

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

€3,800

Painting, voltige, Marta Grassi

Marta Grassi

Painting . 30 x 22.5 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 8.9 x 0.8 inch

€400