A portrait is an image of a group of persons or one person with absolute accuracy. Usually this is a drawing made in a certain style.
A portrait painter reproduces the image from memory or draws a person from nature. Through their paintings, portrait painters convey not only the appearance of people, but also their unique features, character traits.
A portrait is an individual attitude of an artist to a specific person. Such an interpretation of a person is elitist, exclusive and not accessible to everyone, therefore it is valuable and very attractive.
Consider the most famous portrait painters who best revealed the spiritual essence of people through paintings.
10. Anthony Van Dyck
Anthony Van Dyck - graphic artist and painter, master of religious subjects and court portrait. His homeland is Belgium.
This artist was a child prodigy, he created his self-portrait at the age of fourteen. When Van Dyck was eighteen, he was admitted to the Guild of St. Luke, which brought together printers, sculptors and artists.
At the age of twenty, Van Dyck had already begun to create portraits of aristocrats who were incredibly skilled. Usually portrait painters reached this level by the age of forty.
The master always paid a lot of attention to his hands: they were beautiful, graceful, relaxed, with long fingers. Van Dyck's works can be recognized precisely by the manner of drawing hands.
Van Dyck lived in Italy, was a court artist in England.
Famous portraits: “The Heads of an Elder”, “Family Portrait”, “Portrait of Cardinal Guido Bentivoglio”, “Portrait of Charles I on the Hunt”.
9. Hans Holbein
Hans Holbein the Younger - one of the most famous German artists. He learned to paint with Holbein the Elder, his father, who specialized in altar painting.
The master became famous at the age of twenty. He was an artist at the court of Henry VIII.
The portraits created by Hans Holbein are very accurate, he conveyed the images and characters of the people depicted with maximum clarity. The artist played with confidence with chiaroscuro, he liked to highlight various small details that emphasize his intent.
Many portraits of the master are not without sarcasm and irony: they betrayed his true attitude to the portrayed persons.
Famous portraits: “Portrait of Thomas More,” “Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam,” “Portrait of Henry VIII”.
8. Diego Velazquez
Diego Velazquez - painter from Spain, court artist of Philip IV. Velazquez began to study painting when he was ten years old.
Already at the age of eighteen, the artist managed to open his own workshop: Francisco Pacheco, his teacher, helped him in this.
At the beginning of his career, Velazquez depicted still lifes, various kitchen scenes. The characteristics of these paintings were blooms, color saturation.
Then the master moved to the capital of Spain and became a court painter. He not only painted custom ceremonial portraits, but also tried to capture the most miserable, humiliated people: freaks, jesters, dwarfs.
Famous portraits: “Innkeeper”, “Old Cook”, “Portrait of the King of Spain Philip IV in Armor”, “Portrait of a Lady with a Fan”, “Jester Juan of Austria”.
7. Ilya Efimovich Repin
Ilya Efimovich Repin - Russian artist, professor, teacher, member of the Imperial Academy of Arts. One of the main representatives of Russian realism.
In his youth, the artist lived in poverty. He tried to earn money by putting up his paintings for sale.
Then, for a good study at the Academy of Fine Arts, Repin got the opportunity to go to Europe to study foreign art. By that time, he had already gained quite a lot of fame and began to receive large orders.
Distinctive features of Repin's work are frequent appeals to emotional peaks, display of public anxieties and tasks, subtle psychologism.
Famous portraits: “Portrait of Leo Tolstoy”, “Portrait of Mussorgsky”, “Portrait of Mother”, “Portrait of Konstantin Petrovich Pobedonostsev”.
6. Rembrandt Van Rijn
Rembrandt - An artist from Holland, a master of chiaroscuro, an engraver. He was one of the largest representatives of the golden age of Dutch painting.
In his paintings embodied the whole spectrum of human experiences. Rembrandt preferred to omit secondary details and to reveal the mental state of the person portrayed as much as possible.
The future master began to learn to draw when he was thirteen years old. He was constantly in a creative search and created paintings in a variety of genres: portraits, genre scenes, landscapes, still lifes and so on.
Famous portraits: “Young Saskia”, “Portrait of Jan Utenbogart”, “Flora”, “Portrait of Maria Trip”.
5. Peter Paul Rubens
Rubens - Flemish painter, collector, diplomat. He became one of the main representatives of Baroque art. In portraiture, the talent of the master was revealed to the full. Gesture, a look, a turn of the head, a pose of a model were always very important for him.
Representing the fair sex, Rubens seemed to enjoy their sensuality, femininity, splendor of bodies.
The artist had a very great ability to work: he could create paintings from morning to evening. While working, Rubens was very fond of talking with students and visitors.
Famous portraits: “Portrait of the Marquise Brigitte Spinola Doria”, “Portrait of the Chamberlain Infanta Isabella”, “Portrait of Elena Fourman with Two Children”.
4. Albrecht Durer
Dürer - A graphic artist and painter from Germany, one of the most famous representatives of the West European Renaissance. He left behind not only paintings, but also treatises and engravings.
Albrecht Durer perfected the art of woodcut. He lived in Italy, studied the creative methods of Italian artists.
Dürer created many self-portraits, especially he liked to paint himself in his youth. His work permeates the desire to know the laws of nature, as well as the attraction to the ideal, harmonious beauty. It is imbued with a high intensity of feelings, a rebellious spirit.
Famous portraits: “Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam”, “Portrait of Bernard von Riesen”, “Emperor Maximilian I”.
3. Titian
Titian Vecellio - famous painter from Italy. His work is associated with eternity and immortality. The brushes of this artist attributed magical properties during his lifetime.
Titian created wonderful portraits: it seemed that the souls of the depicted people were hiding in them. He painted many epic paintings on mythological and religious themes.
The path of Titian in his work was fruitful and long: the artist lived up to almost a hundred years. His paintings were repeatedly copied, but no one was able to achieve the same level of skill.
Famous portraits: “Portrait of Petro Aretino”, “Portrait of Charles V”, “Portrait of a Young Woman”.
2. Rafael Santi
Raphael - Italian graphic artist, painter and architect. His paintings reflected the ideals of the Renaissance.
The world became cleaner and kinder when the eyes of the Madonnas depicted by Raphael began to look at it: Pasadinsky, Sistine, Orleans, Conestabile.
He masterfully embodied a variety of emotional shades in his paintings. Rafael was considered one of the most "balanced" artists. The master died very early, at the age of 37, but left behind a colossal artistic heritage.
Famous portraits: Donna Velata, Portrait of Castiglione, Portrait of Julius II, Portrait of Pope Leo X with Two Cardinals.
1. Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci - Italian artist, architect, sculptor, scientist, musician, writer, inventor. He was a unique "universal man."
Research, discoveries, creations of da Vinci ahead of time for more than one era. He helped in the development of urban planning, astronomy, anatomy.
The appearance of da Vinci was also striking: angelic appearance, high growth and incredible strength.
For this artist, painting was an addition to science: he was always aimed at fixing reality.
Famous portraits: "Mona Lisa", "Lady with an Ermine", "Portrait of Ginerva de Benchi", "Portrait of a Musician".