Portrait Drawing
Portraiture has existed for many centuries. The Greeks produced portraits for funeral and religious rituals; they aimed to “bring back to life those who have passed away." In the Roman era, portraits were often reserved for the ruling figures of society; for example, a warrior would have his portrait painted to illustrate his bravery during a battle. In Europe, it is only during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance that Italian and Flemish painters started to practice the art of portraiture.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, painters created works commissioned by wealthy patrons. Painters sketched out preliminary freehand drawings, which were often then approved by the patron, before beginning to work on their oil paint or, later, watercolor. Facial features were sometimes improved to the detriment of realism, although some painters were known for their ability to reproduce their models' expressions. Some artists worked in great detail while others focussed more heavily on trying to capture the real personality of their model.
For much of its history, portrait not only told a story but it also conveyed a message of power, promoting a well-controlled image to the wider population and establishing the sitter's authority through its circulation. For example, Florentine elites would use paintings and drawings as a mean of controlling their image and establishing their authority. Portraits were a way for someone to live on long after their death. Today we find the faces of aristocracies and the European bourgeoisie in many museums, immortalized by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci or Rembrandt.
The results obtained through drawing depended largely on the tools and materials used. Red chalk was very popular (especially at the beginning of the 16th century) to represent the facial features and the warmth of the skin, while charcoal produced harder lines and pastel created a softer, colorful touch. Artists adapted their technique depending on the subject and the emotion they wanted to convey. The commercialisation of pencils in the nineteenth century made it a popular medium for artists and amateurs alike. Pencil art became more popular and the tool was often used for sketching portraits.
One thing is certain; capturing facial expressions is a demanding art form and the art of portraiture requires a lot of practice. Drawing a face down to its finest details may take hours to obtain the desired result: a protruding jaw, the shape of a skull, thick brows, smiling eyes, dilated pupils… Even more difficult, are children's portraits? It can be difficult to get them to stay still for long. The artist has to be skilled enough to immortalise these men, women and children full of life.
Gradually, sketched portraits became less and less realistic but increasingly daring and experimental in terms of colour. On Artsper, discover drawings by Jean Cocteau, Julien Calot, Alice de Miramon, Philippe Pasqua, Sabine Danzé, Bahareh Navabi and Stéphanie Stindel.
Noir Artist
Nipsey, 2020 15.7 x 11.8 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,020
YZ (Yzeult)
Empress Louiza, 2022 16.1 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch Fine Art Drawings
$936
Marco Filicio Marinangeli (Tigno)
Simulakrum #1, 2022 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,374
Aurélie Ferrara
Miss Pin up N°7, 2021 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,113
Pascal Marlin
Character, 2015 12.2 x 9.4 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$291
Gabrielle Rul
Mundane, 2022 16.1 x 12.2 x 0.4 inch Fine Art Drawings
$520
Marco Rea
Erase Myself 01, 2020 11.7 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$687
Jean Cocteau
Arlequin mains sur les hanches, 1955 17.6 x 12.8 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$8,845
Roberto Cuccaro
Venus, 2000 19.9 x 14.2 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,353
Ernest Pignon-Ernest
Jean Baudrillard, 2004 11.5 x 11.6 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$3,642
Laurent Anastay-Ponsolle
Die Katia, 2020 29.9 x 22 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$989
Sounya Whang
Gens de France Paysanne, 2022 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$245
Hom Nguyen
Woman, 2021 32.7 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch Fine Art Drawings
$10,509
Georges Saulterre
N°1607, 2021 29.9 x 22 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$3,122
Marjo de Raat
Portret with flowers, 2022 27.6 x 19.7 inch Fine Art Drawings
$473
Lou H. Second
Le Soûlard, 2021 22.1 x 17.7 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$499
Frank Perri
Wisdom, 1945 17 x 14 x 1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$394
Mehrdad Rashidi
Sans titre, 2019 8.7 x 11.6 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,145
Primal
Chute, 2021 16.5 x 11.7 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$468
Klaus Killisch
Spiritual body, 2015 11.4 x 8.3 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,457
Louis Touchagues
Man Reading, 1950 4.6 x 5.8 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$208
Hervé Clare (Air V)
Lino Ventura, 2022 11.7 x 16.5 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$624
Paulo Ghiglia
Self Portrait, 1950 11.8 x 10.6 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,145
Yandy Graffer
El Viaje, 2017 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,561
Laureline Françoise Nicolas Veelo
Resting Bitch Face 7, 2021 43.3 x 29.9 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$2,048
Anthony Roaland
Man lying down, 1980 11.4 x 16.1 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$395
Hanna Chroboczek
Enfant couronné et un cœur, 2021 13.4 x 9.4 x 0.2 inch Fine Art Drawings
$503
Aurélie Fabre
Anna, 2020 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch Fine Art Drawings
$550
Tonino Gottarelli
In the light blue / Nell'azzurro, 1958 13.8 x 9.8 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$822
Stefano Mazzolini
SCC, 2019 39.4 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch Fine Art Drawings
$624
Barthélémy Amoros
Vivian Maier caléche, 2022 2 x 2 inch Fine Art Drawings
$312
Anaïs Prouzet
Cela va sous doute durer jusqu'à la fin, 2022 33.1 x 24 inch Fine Art Drawings
$3,122
Louis Jou
Seated Woman, 1940 9.8 x 12.6 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$395
Astrid Steenbrink
Théa, 2021 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch Fine Art Drawings
$697
Marie Labat
Soleil, graine et reine des prés, 2021 23.6 x 15.7 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$499
Herbert Knotel
Kurhessisches Corps, 1940 8.3 x 6.1 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$375
Pierre Georges Jeanniot
Two Men, 1920 6.9 x 5.1 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$312
Erdna André
Pensif, 2020 31.5 x 19.7 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$520
Lucien Coutaud
Desperate, 1945 10.2 x 8.3 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$375
Pierre Longchamp
Woman Eating the Watermelon, 1961 16.1 x 12.8 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$333
Jean-Luc Parant
Montesquieu perd la boule..., 2022 3.5 x 6.7 inch Fine Art Drawings
$676
Hanns Pellar
Lady in ball dress, 1909 20.5 x 17.7 x 0.4 inch Fine Art Drawings
$17,169
Miguel Angel Lozano Bonora
Hey Joe, 2020 29.9 x 22 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$926
Valérie Hadida
Sereine, 2021 11 x 10.2 inch Fine Art Drawings
$936
Manuel Santelices
Louis Vuitton Spring 2022, 2022 15 x 11 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$950
Yves Brayer
La Masque, 1943 9.4 x 7.3 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$895
Tarek Butayhi
Untitled 202, 2016 16.5 x 11.8 inch Fine Art Drawings
$800
Philippe Pasqua
Visage de Femme, 2012 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch Fine Art Drawings
$3,642
Marian Williams
For Your Eyes Only 22, 2022 17.5 x 12.4 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$312
Gregory Malphurs
Lights, 2020 30 x 22 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,700
Emanuele Ravagnani
Self-Portrait #4, 2017 17.3 x 11.8 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,602
Pierre Alechinsky
Sans-titre, 2016 10.8 x 7.3 inch Fine Art Drawings
$3,642
Miquel Wert
Els reis de la casa, 2017 15.7 x 15.7 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,197
Tina Berning
06/09/2016, 2016 11.7 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$962
Raoul Dufy
Henriette, 1927 19.9 x 18.1 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,561
Julien Cuny
L'Arlequin, 2022 27.6 x 19.7 inch Fine Art Drawings
$291
Jazzu
Eternel, 2020 11.7 x 8.3 inch Fine Art Drawings
$364
Søcø
Portrait, 2022 34.6 x 26.8 x 0.4 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,873
Mohammad Omran
Three men - 1, 2016 11.8 x 16.5 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,200
Zafi
Jeune fille et son Chat, 2018 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,665
Henri Fehr
Portrait de jeune fille, 1935 14.2 x 10.6 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$962
Guillaume Piot
En Campagne, 2017 19.7 x 25.6 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,249
Eduardo Arroyo
Tanger, 1985 16.5 x 28.5 inch Fine Art Drawings
$12,486
Xiao He
Woman Resting, 2021 11.4 x 8.5 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,665
Charles Émile Moïse Hornung
Jeune femme coiffure Charleston et robe bleue, 1919 25.4 x 20.3 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,282
Alice de Miramon
La cantatrice, 2021 11.8 x 8.7 inch Fine Art Drawings
$624
Gill Wright
Red Dress, 2020 16.5 x 11.7 inch Fine Art Drawings
$832
Rudyard Heaton
Sans titre 11 (DED359709), 2018 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.2 inch Fine Art Drawings
$250
Mino Maccari
The Couples, 1960 13.8 x 19.7 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$884
Lantomo
Lightness 4, 2019 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,925
Atsuko Ishii
Baby, 2019 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.2 inch Fine Art Drawings
$104
Albert Chavaz
Jeune fille, 1974 10.6 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch Fine Art Drawings
$908
Teresa Riba
Sentint l'aire, 2016 51.2 x 39.4 inch Fine Art Drawings
$1,873
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