What is called a portrait. What are the types of portraits? History of the genre and modernity

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Portrait in painting. Types of a portrait of a person. The presentation was prepared by: Elena M. Bazanova

A portrait is an image or description of a person or a group of people that exist or existed in reality. Portrait is one of the main genres of painting, sculpture, graphics, its meaning is precisely to reproduce the individual qualities of a particular person. The name of this genre comes from an Old French expression meaning "to reproduce something like hell".

watercolor PORTRAIT pencil ENGRAVED PAINTING (OIL, TEMPERA, GUACHE) SCULPTURAL RELIEF (on medals and coins)

Pencil portrait Watercolor portrait Engraving Painting portrait (oil) Relief Sculptural portrait

TYPES OF PORTRAIT: Chamber; Psychological; Social; Ceremonial; Individual, double, group. Self-portrait

A chamber portrait is a portrait using a half-length, chest or shoulder image. The figure in a chamber portrait is usually shown against a neutral background.

The psychological portrait is intended to show the depth of a person's inner world and experiences, to reflect the fullness of his personality, to capture in an instant the endless movement of human feelings and actions.

A social portrait allows you to comprehend the content of professional activity, spending free time, to assess a person's personality, based on the characteristics of the environment in which he lives.

A ceremonial portrait is a portrait showing a person in full growth, on a horse, standing or sitting. Usually, in a ceremonial portrait, the figure is given against an architectural or landscape background.

Individual, double, group.

Self-portrait is a graphic, pictorial or sculptural image of an artist, made by himself using a mirror or a system of mirrors.

By format, portraits are distinguished: head (shoulder) chest waist up to the hips, generation to full height

Head portrait Bust portrait Half-length portrait Thigh-length portrait Full-length portrait

By turning the head, portraits are: in full face (fr. En face, "from the face") in a quarter turn to the right or left half turn in three quarters in profile

Assignment: Your task is to create a picturesque portrait. It can be a self-portrait or a portrait of someone close to you. Think about which color combinations will best express the character and state of mind.

A portrait is an artistic depiction of a particular person's face and at the same time its interpretation by an artist. The portrait depicts the external features of a person, and through them - his inner world.

Why are pictorial portraits created?
This is not a rhetorical question. This is how Albrecht Durer answered it: "I write in order to preserve human images after their death." The Renaissance artist Leon Battista Alberti said something like this: "The painting makes absent people present, and the dead seem to be alive." Many other artists of past centuries could have answered this way.
But photography was invented, and a portrait can be obtained quickly, without investing as much labor into it as is required to paint a pictorial portrait. Why does the portrait genre not disappear, but continues to develop and improve? Yes, over the long history of its existence, the portrait has undergone both ups and downs, but it has not exhausted itself.

Varieties of portrait

The portrait is not always limited only by the external data of a person. Within the genre of portraiture, there are subgenres: historical portrait, portrait-painting (a person is depicted in the surrounding nature or architecture. Attributes, background and costume helped to reflect the full range of qualities of a person or his social group), portrait-type (collective image), allegorical portrait ( for example, "Catherine II as Minerva"), family portrait, self-portrait, group portrait, etc.
Here is an example of a historical portrait.

V. Vasnetsov "Portrait of Ivan the Terrible" (1897)
Such a portrait can only be painted on the basis of the artist's study of antiquities and impressions of theatrical performances.
And here is a portrait-type.

B. Kustodiev "The merchant's wife at tea" (1918)
Group portraits were usually intended for the ceremonial interior.

I. Repin. Group portrait "Solemn meeting of the State Council"
This portrait was intended for the hall of the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Palace, the interiors of which are distinguished by extreme luxury, and a "modest" portrait against their background would be lost.

By its nature, a portrait can be ceremonial (usually against an architectural or landscape background, as a rule - full-length), intimate (usually a half-length or chest image), miniature.

Similarity of the portrait to the original

Is similarity important in a portrait? Undoubtedly. But, in addition to the external similarity, there must also be internal similarity, i.e. it is the inner similarity that convinces the viewer that this is how the person portrayed should be.
But we do not know the people depicted on the canvases of old artists, we cannot be sure that their appearance matches the original. How, then, can you tell if a portrait is good or not? So there is something in a portrait that is more important than an accurate appearance?
A well-written portrait should show the inner essence of the model from the artist's point of view: not only physical, but also spiritual traits. This need was formulated even during the approval of the European portrait. In 1310, Pietro d "Abano said that a portrait should reflect both the external appearance and the psychology of the model. The French portrait painter Maurice Quentin de Latour said of his models:“ They think that I grasp only the features of their faces, but I am without their knowledge I descend into the depths of their souls and take possession of it entirely ”.
A very important point in custom portraits is the embodiment in the canvas at the same time of the expectations of the model and her real appearance. As A. Sumarokov wrote:

Fufana ordered her portrait to be painted,
But she said to the painter:
You see, I'm crooked;
However, write that I am not like that.

A person's judgments about his own personality, about his appearance, character and inner world are far from identical with what the artist thinks about this. And the more their views diverge, the sharper the conflict between the customer's requirements and the will of the artist can be.

Era and portrait

A good portrait is also an idea of ​​the lifestyle of people of certain eras, their ideals and ideas about a person. A good portrait gives the modern viewer the opportunity to learn about the life, customs of the time to which the portrait belongs. A portrait is a kind of story.

O. Kiprensky "Portrait of Evgraf Davydov"
Here is a portrait of the hussar Evgraf Davydov by Orest Kiprensky. This is a portrait of a specific person, but looking at this portrait, we learn about the form of the hussars of that time, the hairstyle, the internal state of the military - the picture depicts the era. And, of course, the portrait genre makes it possible to find out that ideal of personality that was characteristic of that time. That is, it is a kind of artistic portrait of a hero of his time.
Social status, nationality, age, religious and moral characteristics, character, etc. - all this should be present in a good portrait. You can learn how to convey similarities with the model, but at the same time not acquire the ability to express her character - this is much more difficult to achieve.

Features of the portrait

An important point is the look: the model can look directly at the viewer, as if inviting him to a conversation, or by. This makes the person depicted seem more thoughtful and calm. If the turn of the head is directed in one direction, and the pupils in the other, that is, the person seems to look around, then movement appears in the portrait. If the gaze and movement are in the same direction, the model appears more relaxed. The expression of strong feelings is not typical for the portrait, because they are short-lived and do not fully characterize a person.
Through the expression of the eyes, the soul is visible, especially through the gaze directed at the viewer. In addition, “a look directed at the viewer is turned to all of humanity” (A. Karev).

V. Perov "Portrait of Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl"
Another important means of psychological characterization is the hands. Take a look at the portrait of V.I. Dahl by V. Perov. Some of the critics described the portrait as follows: “... his gaze expresses calmness: he has done his job. It is impossible not to pay attention to the beautiful hands of the old man: any surgeon will envy these long fingers ”. Indeed, Dahl was a wonderful surgeon, and he was equally successful in using both hands, which is very important during the operation.
A lot can be said about a person and his posture.

V. Serov "Portrait of Actress Ermolova"
Emphatically proud posture emphasizes the greatness of a person. It happens that conceit is portrayed this way, but Maria Nikolaevna Ermolova was really a great actress. According to Stanislavsky, the greatest actor he has ever seen.
The portraits of the contemporary artist A. Shilov attract with photographic accuracy, but this, as we already know, is not enough for a good portrait. Through the expression of the eyes of the heroes of his portraits, the soul is always visible. Here's how in this portrait.

A Shilov "Portrait of a Deer" (1981)

In today's post, I would like to dwell on a brief history of the development of portrait painting. It is not possible to fully cover all the material on this topic in the limited volume of the post, so I did not set such a task.

A small excursion into the history of portrait painting

Portrait(from French portrait) - This is a genre of fine art, as well as works of this genre, showing the appearance of a particular person. The portrait conveys individual characteristics, unique features inherent in only one model (a model is called a person posing for a master when working on a work of art).

"Parisian". Fresco from the Palace of Knossos, 16th century BC

But external similarity is not the only and, perhaps, not the most important property inherent in a portrait ... A true portrait painter is not limited to reproducing the external features of his model, he seeks convey the properties of her character, reveal her inner, spiritual world ... It is also very important to show the social position of the person being portrayed, to create a typical image of a representative of a certain era.
As a genre, the portrait appeared several millennia ago in ancient art. Among the frescoes of the famous Palace of Knossos, found by archaeologists during excavations on the island of Crete, there are a number of picturesque female images dating back to the 16th century BC. Although the researchers called these images "ladies of the court", we do not know who the Cretan masters tried to show - goddesses, priestesses or noble ladies dressed in elegant dresses.
The most famous is the portrait of a young woman, called by scientists "Parisienne". We see in front of us a profile (according to the traditions of art of that time) image of a young woman, very flirtatious and did not neglect makeup, as evidenced by her eyes, surrounded by a dark outline, and brightly painted lips.
The artists who created the fresco portraits of their contemporaries did not delve into the characteristics of the models, and the external similarity in these images is very relative.

"Portrait of a Young Roman", early 3rd century AD

In Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome easel painting did not exist, so the art of portraiture was expressed mainly in sculpture. Ancient masters created plastic images of poets, philosophers, military leaders and politicians. These works are characterized by idealization, and at the same time, among them there are images that are very precise in their psychological characteristics.
Of great interest are the picturesque portraits created in Egypt in the 1st-4th centuries A.D. According to the place where they were found (the tombs of Khavara north of Cairo and the necropolis of the Fayum oasis, which was called Arsinoe under the Ptolemies), they are called Fayum. These images performed ritual and magical functions. They appeared in the Hellenistic era, when Ancient Egypt was captured by the Romans. These portrait images, executed on wooden boards or on canvas, were placed together with the mummy in the tomb of the deceased.
In the Fayum portraits, we see Egyptians, Syrians, Nubians, Jews, Greeks and Romans who lived in Egypt in the 1st-4th centuries A.D. From Ancient Rome to Egypt, the custom came to keep in the house portraits of the owners painted on wooden tablets, as well as sculptural masks of deceased relatives.

Fayum mummy portrait

Fayum portraits were created using the tempera or encaustic technique, which is especially characteristic of earlier images. Encaustic is painting with paints, where wax was the main connecting link. The artists used melted wax paints (on many tablets with portraits, there are traces of such paints flowing off). This technique required special techniques. On the cheeks, chin and nose, the paint was applied in dense layers, and the rest of the face and hair were painted with more liquid paint. For their portraits, craftsmen used thin planks of sycamore (mulberry fig) and Lebanese cedar.

J. Bellini. "Portrait of a Donor". Fragment

Among the most famous portraits, executed in the encaustic technique, are "Portrait of a Man" (second half of the 1st century AD) and "Portrait of an Elderly Man" (end of the 1st century AD), which are lifetime images. In these works, skilful light and shade modeling and the use of color reflex are striking. Probably, the unknown masters who painted the portraits went through the Hellenistic school of painting. In the same manner, two other paintings are executed - "Portrait of a Nubian" and a beautiful female image, the so-called. "Lady Alina" (II century AD). The last portrait was painted on canvas with a brush and liquid tempera.
During the Middle Ages, when art was subordinated to the church, mainly religious images were created in painting. But even at this time, some artists painted psychologically accurate portraits. Images of donors (donors, customers) were widely disseminated; they were shown most often in profile, facing God, the Madonna or the saint. The donors' images had an undeniable external resemblance to the originals, but did not go beyond the icon-painting canons, playing a secondary role in the composition. Profile images coming from the icon retained a dominant position even when the portrait began to acquire an independent meaning.
The heyday of the portrait genre began in the Renaissance, when the main value of the world was an active and purposeful person who could change this world and go against the circumstances. In the 15th century, artists began to create independent portraits, which showed models against the backdrop of panoramic majestic landscapes. Such is the "Portrait of a Boy" by B. Pinturicchio.

B. Pinturicchio. "Portrait of a Boy", Art Gallery, Dresden

Nevertheless, the presence of fragments of nature in the portraits does not create the integrity, unity of a person and the world around him, the person being portrayed seems to obscure the natural landscape. Only in the portraits of the 16th century does harmony emerge, a kind of microcosm.

Many famous masters of the Renaissance turned to portrait painting, including Botticelli, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci. The greatest work of world art was the famous masterpiece of Leonardo - the portrait "Mona Lisa" ("La Gioconda", c. 1503), in which many portrait painters of subsequent generations saw a role model.
Titian played a huge role in the development of the European portrait genre, creating a whole gallery of images of his contemporaries: poets, scientists, clergymen, rulers. In these works, the great Italian master acted as a subtle psychologist and a wonderful connoisseur of the human soul.

Titian: Empress Isabella of Portugal.

During the Renaissance, many artists who created altar and mythological compositions turned to the portrait genre. The psychological portraits of the Dutch painter Jan van Eyck (Timothy, 1432; The Man in the Red Turban, 1433) are distinguished by their deep penetration into the inner world of the model. The recognized master of the portrait genre was the German artist Albrecht Durer, whose self-portraits still delight viewers and serve as an example for artists.

Albrecht Durer, Self-portrait

During the Renaissance, various forms of portrait appeared in European painting. The bust portrait was very popular at that time, although half-length, generational images and full-length portraits also appeared. Noble married couples ordered paired portraits, in which the models were depicted on different canvases, but both compositions were united by a common concept, color, landscape background. A striking example of paired portraits is the images of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino (Federigo da Montefeltro and Battista Sforza, 1465), created by the Italian painter Piero della Francesca.
Group portraits were also widespread, when the artist showed several models on one canvas. An example of such a work is "Portrait of Pope Paul III with Alessandro and Ottavio Farnese" (1545-1546) by Titian.

By the nature of the image, portraits began to be divided into ceremonial and intimate. The first were created with the aim of exalting and glorifying the people represented on them. Ceremonial portraits were ordered from famous artists by reigning persons and members of their families, courtiers, clergymen who occupied the upper rungs of the hierarchical ladder.
Creating ceremonial portraits, the painters depicted men in rich uniforms embroidered with gold. The ladies who posed for the artist wore the most luxurious dresses and adorned themselves with jewelry. The background played a special role in such portraits. Craftsmen painted their models against the background of a landscape, architectural elements (arches, columns) and lush draperies.
The largest master of the ceremonial portrait was the Fleming P.P. Rubens, who worked at the royal courts of many states. His noble and wealthy contemporaries dreamed that the painter would capture them on his canvases. The commissioned portraits of Rubens, striking in the richness of colors and virtuosity of drawing, are somewhat idealized and cold. The images of relatives and friends that the artist created for himself are full of warm and sincere feelings, they do not have the desire to flatter the models, as in ceremonial portraits for wealthy customers.

Rubens' disciple and follower was the talented Flemish painter A. van Dyck, who created a gallery of portrait images of his contemporaries: scientists, lawyers, doctors, artists, merchants, military leaders, clergymen, courtiers. These realistic images subtly convey the individual uniqueness of the models.
The portraits performed by van Dyck in the late period, when the artist worked at the court of the English king Charles, are less perfect artistically, because the master who received many orders could not cope with them and entrusted the image of some details to his assistants. But even at this time, van Dyck painted a number of rather successful paintings (Louvre portrait of Charles I, c. 1635; Three Children of Charles I, 1635).

A. van Dijk. "Three Children of Charles I", 1635, Royal Assembly, Windsor Castle

In the 17th century, an intimate (chamber) portrait occupied an important place in European painting, the purpose of which is to show the state of mind of a person, his feelings and emotions. A recognized master of this type of portrait was the Dutch artist Rembrandt, who painted many heartfelt images. "Portrait of an Old Woman" (1654), "Portrait of Titus's Son Reading" (1657), "Hendrickje Stoffels at the Window" (portrait of the artist's second wife, c. 1659) are imbued with sincere feelings. These works present to the viewer ordinary people who have neither noble ancestors nor wealth. But for Rembrandt, who opened a new page in the history of the portrait genre, it was important to convey the kindness of his model, her truly human qualities.

Unknown artist. Parsuna "Sovereign of All Russia Ivan IV the Terrible", end of the 17th century.

Rembrandt's skill was also manifested in his large-format group portraits ("Night Watch", 1642; "Syndics", 1662), conveying various temperaments and vivid human personalities.
One of the most remarkable European portrait painters of the 17th century was the Spanish painter D. Velazquez, who painted not only a great many ceremonial portraits representing the Spanish kings, their wives and children, but also a number of chamber images of ordinary people. The tragic images of the court dwarfs - wise and restrained or embittered, but always retaining a sense of human dignity - are addressed to the viewer's best feelings ("Portrait of the Jester Sebastiano Mora", c. 1648).

The portrait genre received further development in the 18th century. The portrait, in contrast to the landscape, gave the artists a good income. Many painters who were engaged in the creation of ceremonial portraits, trying to flatter a rich and noble customer, tried to highlight the most attractive features of his appearance and obscure flaws.
But the most courageous and talented masters were not afraid of the wrath of the rulers and showed people as they really were, not hiding their physical and moral shortcomings. In this sense, the famous "Portrait of the Family of King Charles IV" (1801) by the famous Spanish painter and graphic artist F. Goya is interesting. The National School of Portraiture appeared in England. Its largest representatives are the artists J. Reynolds and T. Gainsborough, who worked in the 18th century. Their traditions were inherited by younger English masters: J. Romney, J. Hopner, J. Opie.
Portrait played an important role in French art. One of the most talented artists of the second half of the 18th - first quarter of the 19th century was J.L. David, who created, along with paintings of the ancient and historical genre, many beautiful portraits. Among the masterpieces of the master are the unusually expressive image of Madame Recamier (1800) and the romantically elevated portrait "Napoleon Bonaparte at the Saint Bernard Pass" (1800).

The consummate master of the portrait genre was J.O.D. Ingres, who glorified his name with ceremonial portraits, distinguished by sonorous colors and graceful lines.
Such French artists as T. Gericault and E. Delacroix presented fine examples of romantic portrait to the world.
French realists (J. F. Millet, C. Corot, G. Courbet), impressionists (E. Degas, O. Renoir) and post-impressionists (P. Cezanne, V. van Gogh) expressed their attitude to life and art in portraits.
Representatives of modernist movements that appeared in the 20th century also turned to the portrait genre. Many portraits were left to us by the famous French artist Pablo Picasso. These works can be traced to the development of the master's work from the so-called. blue period to Cubism.

In his "Blue Period" (1901-1904), he creates portraits and genre types, in which he develops the theme of loneliness, grief, human doom, permeating the spiritual world of the hero and a hostile environment. This is the portrait of a friend of the artist - poet H. Sabartes (1901, Moscow, Pushkin Museum).

A significant contribution to the development of Russian portrait painting was made by the talented artist of the first half of the 18th century I.N. Nikitin, with the skill of a psychologist, showed in the "Portrait of the Floor Hetman" (1720s) a complex, multifaceted image of a man of the Peter the Great era.

Painting of the second half of the 18th century is associated with the names of such famous portrait painters as F.S. Rokotov, who created many inspired images of his contemporaries (portrait of V.I.Maikov, c. 1765), D.G. Levitsky, the author of beautiful ceremonial and chamber portraits that convey the integrity of the models' nature (portraits of pupils of the Smolny Institute, c. 1773-1776), V.L. Borovikovsky, whose amazingly lyrical female portraits still delight the audience.

Borovikovsky, Vladimir Lukich: Portrait of Elena Alexandrovna Naryshkina.

The 1860s-1870s were the time of the formation of realism in Russian painting, which was most clearly manifested in the work of the Itinerant artists. During this period, in the portrait genre, the portrait-type enjoyed great success among the democratically-minded public, in which the model received not only a psychological assessment, but was also considered from the point of view of its place in society. In such works, the authors paid equal attention to both individual and typical features of the portrayed.
An example of such a portrait-type was painted in 1867 by the artist N.N. Ge portrait of A.I. Herzen. Looking at the photographs of the Democrat writer, one can understand how exactly the master captured the external resemblance. But the painter did not stop there, he captured on the canvas the spiritual life of a person striving to achieve happiness for his people in the struggle. In the image of Herzen, Ge showed the collective type of the best people of his era.

N.N. Ge portrait of A.I. Herzen

Ge's portraiture traditions were taken up by such masters as V.G. Perov (portrait of F.M.Dostoevsky, 1872), I.N. Kramskoy (portrait of Leo Tolstoy, 1873). These artists have created a whole gallery of images of their outstanding contemporaries.
Remarkable type portraits were painted by I.E. Repin, who managed to very accurately convey the unique individuality of each person. With the help of correctly noted gestures, poses, facial expressions, the master gives the social and spiritual characteristics of the portrayed. A significant and strong-willed person appears in the portrait of N.I. Pirogov. The viewer sees deep artistic talent and passion of nature on his canvas, depicting the actress P.A. Strepetov (1882).

Portrait of the actress Pelageya Antipovna Strepetova as Elizabeth. 1881

Glazunov_ Portrait of Ilya Reznik, 1999

A.M. Shilov ("Portrait of Academician I. L. Knunyants", 1974; "Portrait of Olya", 1974).

A.M. Shilov. "Portrait of Olya", 1974

When preparing the material, materials were used

Dedicated to the transfer of the image of one person, as well as a group of two or three people on canvas or paper sheet. The style chosen by the artist is of particular importance. Drawing a person's face in a portrait is one of the most difficult areas in painting. The master of the brush must convey the characteristic features of the appearance, the emotional state, the inner world of the posing. The size of the portrait determines its appearance. The image can be bust, generational, waist or full-length. The pose assumes three angles: face (full face), three-quarter turn to one side or the other, and in profile. The portrait contains unlimited possibilities for the realization of artistic ideas. First, a sketch is made, then the drawing itself.

History of the genre portrait

The oldest attempt at depicting a human face dates back 27 thousand years. The "painting" was discovered in a cave near the French city of Angoulême. The portrait is a chalk outline that vaguely resembles the features of a human face. The ancient artist outlined the main lines of the eyes, nose, mouth. Later (also in caves) in the Balkans and Italy, clearer and more definite images began to appear, among which faces painted in profile predominated. It is natural for a person to create, talented people cannot live without leaving behind some kind of trace. It could be a pebbled pattern in the middle of a field, a carved ornament on the bark of a tree, someone's face painted with charcoal on a rock. There are plenty of opportunities for creativity.

Stucco images

Once the portrait genre tended to be embodied in sculpture, since in ancient times there were no artists who thoroughly mastered the brush and were able to convey the play of light and shadow. The image of the face in clay was better, and therefore in those distant times it was stucco portraits that dominated. The art of painting appeared much later, when humanity realized the need for cultural communication.

Burial

The appearance of images close to the drawing also belongs to a later period, and the first portraits were found in the ancient eastern territories. In the Egyptian state, the deification of the dead took place. During the burial, a kind of portrait was created, which was conventionally considered a double of the deceased. The principle of mummification appeared, and then portraiture. The history of the portrait genre contains many examples of iconic images in both drawing and sculpture. The drawings of the faces of the deceased became more and more similar to the original. And then the copying of the face of the deceased was replaced by a mask. The Egyptian dead were buried in sarcophagi, on the lid of which the deceased was depicted in full growth with a beautiful stylized face. Such funerals were arranged exclusively for the nobility. Egyptian pharaohs, for example, were placed not only in the sarcophagus, but also in the tomb, which was a huge structure.

Variety of solutions

When painting a portrait, the artist has a choice: to depict the person's face and clothes in accordance with the original, or to be creative, creating an exquisite creative picture. The main condition for this remains similarity, which plays a dominant role. Independent - portrait art, open to experiments of the widest range. The artist has the opportunity to improve his skills by applying the latest technical advances.

Indeed, the technique of execution is decisive for achieving an optimal result. The most common way of portrait painting among professional artists is this style has its roots in the ancient times. It was used by the artists of antiquity. Their works have survived to this day. Portrait as a genre of fine art has existed since time immemorial, and today it is a popular means of artistic expression.

"Dry brush"

Recently, a technique has become popular when an image is created not by strokes, but by rubbing a small amount of paint. At the same time, the brush is almost dry, and the method itself allows you to get beautiful halftones. Since the most subtle genre of painting is a portrait, and the image of a face in paints requires precisely delicate shades, the "dry brush" technique is perfect for this purpose.

Types

The portrait genre is subdivided into several types: ceremonial, chamber, intimate and plot. There is also a special type called self-portrait, in which the artist depicts himself. As a rule, this is a purely individual drawing. In general, the portrait genre is completely independent, subject to certain rules. These rules are never violated, although their scope can be expanded under certain circumstances.

In addition to those already listed, there is another genre of portrait, which includes special artistic features, a specialized variety that requires a systematic approach. This is a costumed portrait, when the canvas depicts a modern person in clothes of the past. The range of subjects is not limited: from the skins worn by primitive people to the wedding dress of the Renaissance. This portrait variety contains elements of theatricality. In the Russian Federation, especially in Moscow, the costumed portrait has become widespread, but this happened not for the sake of fashion, but rather as a tribute to art.

Portrait genre in art

Paintings, painted at different times, are united by one prerequisite - the paintings must be authentic. An important role in this is played by the portrait component, in other words, the image of the characters' faces. The success of the picture depends on how carefully the facial features are written. Expression of eyes, smiles or, conversely, frowning eyebrows, all the nuances should be reflected on the canvas. It's not an easy task, but the credibility factor testifies to the artist's skill. That is why the genre of portraiture in art is so unambiguous and requires full dedication from the master. Experienced artists are best at painting with people, close-ups of their faces, and accentuated movement.

Literary portraits

Writers, as well as artists, quite often depict a person's face. There are much more literary techniques for this, the rich Russian language allows the use of numerous artistic forms, phrases and phrases. The goal that the writer strives for is identical in meaning to the intention of the artist, the writer describes the facial expression as a consequence of the mood of a person, the reflection of his thoughts, emotions and experiences. the portrait is quite complex. It is necessary to describe, avoiding superficial formulations. This requires the skill of a true creator. Among Russian writers who are able to express in a few words the essence of the human appearance, in the first place is the great Maxim Gorky. His American follower also masterfully mastered the art of verbal portrait drawing. The genre of a literary portrait is diverse, the description follows a certain style, it can be funny or sad, short or lengthy, it all depends on each individual work.

The photo

With the advent of daguerreotype, the possibilities of fine art expanded, and portraits were no exception. A photographic portrait cost much less than an oil painting, and the recognition was one hundred percent. And although the artists sarcastically noticed that photography is for the poor, "the general public turned towards a more accurate image on a silver-coated plate. The portrait photography genre quickly became fashionable, and there was no end to those who wanted to capture themselves and their loved ones.

However, the new method, the daguerreotype, had its drawbacks. Photography, in contrast to a picturesque portrait, did not allow changing anything. The image froze once and for all, it was impossible to fix something. And if we consider that a person was photographed sitting or standing (in a tense position), then he did not come out in the picture in the best way. Therefore, there were many disappointments, complaints and discontent. Nevertheless, portraits took root, people learned to pose artistically, and everything fell into place.

In our vocabulary, the word "portrait" is very common. We use it in relation to painting, to literature, to forensic science, and also simply in everyday life. In this regard, there are various types of portraits that relate to a particular area of ​​life or art. What is characteristic of a portrait, what are its features, what is its uniqueness in comparison with other genres of creativity? Let's consider these issues in more detail.

What is a portrait

This term refers to the image of a person who lives now, lived earlier, or is a fictional character of a story or story. In art, portraits can be represented in sculpture or engraving. There are also types of portraits that relate to writing. These are descriptions of characters in works, characteristics of certain people, criminal data about a particular individual, information about which is needed. The most popular are still considered to be various types of portraits in They differ from each other in style, color scheme, parameters, features of applying paints, proportions and structure.

Parameters that a portrait can transmit

This classification implies the following points: portrait of the head (only the head of a person is depicted on it); chest portraits or busts (a person is drawn or molded to the chest); images of people to the waist; a drawing that shows us a person up to the knee; finally, full-length paintings. If we consider the types of portraits from the point of view of the angle of rotation of the model that is depicted, then we will highlight the following points. In a portrait, a person may be facing us - this is a face. His face or figure can be turned to us in three quarters or be sideways to the audience - this is a profile. Rarely in painting are there portraits where a person turns his back on us. In all these cases, the main criterion of the portrait is the maximum similarity of the model that posed to the result that was obtained on the artist's canvas or in his sculpture. This should maximally convey not only static facial features and proportions, but also the emotional aura of the person portrayed.

How people were portrayed in antiquity

The very first types of portraits in painting are sculptures. They are found throughout the entire Ancient East, as well as in ancient countries. Such works of art in those days were made for people who occupied important places in society. These were rulers, public figures and creators. Sculptures have always accurately conveyed the emotional color of the one who was depicted with their help. Often, such creations became tombstones for their owners. For us, the sculptures of these ancient times allow us to restore the picture of the past and understand what kind of people lived in those times.

Medieval painting

In the era of the Middle Ages, certain types of portraits appear in the visual arts. Rulers, church leaders and important secular people are already depicted on canvases. It was almost impossible to distinguish the faces in such portraits - they all had similar features, however, like the figures of people. The picture has always conveyed more atmosphere, which was saturated with religion and theology. Donor portraits were popular. They depicted a person who made a donation for a specific Catholic church. He was always surrounded by cherubim or with Jesus in his arms, like the Virgin Mary. An analogue of such images were the portraits of the patron, which were popular not only among Catholics, but also in the Orthodox world.

Revival and subsequent centuries

Since about the 15th century, people have understood that portraiture is an art form, not just a means of conveying information. Since then, the creative boundaries of society have expanded significantly. Allegorical portraits began to enjoy popularity, where the model was always depicted in clothes that convey her emotions, character, and often such pictures were greatly exaggerated. A little later (18th century), artists began to paint. People were depicted on them both full-length and chest-high. The essence of the work was that the whole picture had a certain color. It was either an aura of tenderness, or some kind of brutal painting, etc. Also during the Renaissance, various types of subjective portraits arose. And now we will consider what exactly such masterpieces are characterized by.

A portrait that was painted "from the head"

This term refers to those pictures of people on which they are depicted not as they look in reality, but as they appear to the artist. The creator can change proportions, change facial features, make a person more cheerful or sadder. Often it is not required to draw a model at all. The artist can restore pictures of reality and his fantasies in his head, and then transfer all this to the canvas. Nowadays, there are types of subjective portraits that are separate from painting. These include the following: a composite sketch, restoration of facial features of the deceased thanks to the technique and memory of eyewitnesses, applying makeup on the face of one person so that he becomes similar to another.

Our days

The types of portraits that are found today are very different from those that were popular in society earlier. All people today are photographed, not painted, because their features and emotions are conveyed with maximum accuracy. Among modern portraits, there are also genre portraits: public, intimate, individual, intimate, as well as selfies - the most common portrait of our time.