![]() ![]() Portraiture is still alive, popular, and people love it. It has managed to adapt its genre to the demands of contemporary art. However, in contemporary art, portraits are much more than pure representation. Yes, we are surrounded by portraits – we see representations of people everywhere. So, what is actually the place of portraiture in contemporary art?ĭifferent Examples of Portraiture in Contemporary Art We are surrounded by selfies, photographs on social media and Internet – and all of them being recognized as portraits. We also have countless photograph contests (such as World Press Photo Contest or URBAN 2015 international street photo contest) with amazing portraits often made by amateurs. ![]() We can just google it now, and see an image of a celebrity. It’s particularly the case with portraying celebrities (i.e. With technological development, with evolution of contemporary photography and the expansion of social media, one of the main functions of the portrait – producing a likeness – is rendered irrelevant because we really don't need an artist to tell us what somebody looks like. Kehinde Wiley – Femme piquée par un serpent, 2008 See the available portraits by Chuck Close on our marketplace! The portraits by Chuck Close are also so innovative and original, that no one can say it can’t be considered as part of contemporary art. Let us just recall the amazing works of Kehinde Wiley whose portraits are characterized by deep political and social expressions. However, there are so many examples of portrait artists who perfectly resolve these issues. Not even symbolism can respond to these demands. Besides information that a portrait transmits to its viewers regarding the appearance of the subject, it’s also important for contemporary art that a portrait contains a context, identity questions, social issues. One of the biggest influences of conceptual art movement on contemporary art in general is the critique towards pure representation. One of the main characteristics of portraiture is that its function is the representation of an individual's appearance and personality. The Status of Portraiture in Contemporary Art #Contemporary portrait painter how toTomoo Gokita – How to Marry a Millionaire, 2015 Nevertheless, portraiture (even the traditional kind that reached its peak in the 19th century) is still very popular among collectors and art lovers. However, for a few decades already, painting portraits has been targeted as being too conservative, passé and that it does not “fulfill” the unwritten norms that define contemporary art. There is something satisfactory in that process of observation (maybe even masturbatory – of course in the symbolic sense of this word, but sometimes literally, if someone likes erotic portraiture that is also a form of art). When it comes to painting people, we simply like to watch other people’s faces and figures. What makes it so magical is its ability to depict not only the physical but also psychological characteristics of a figure. Portraiture is the recording of an individual's appearance and personality, whether in a photograph, painting, sculpture, or any other medium. Particularly it is about painting portraits that are being targeted by some experts however, the portraiture, thanks to its magic, manages to survive in a tough competition of contemporary art scene. However, contemporary portrait is facing some accusations saying it does not belong in contemporary art (not because of the artists of course, but because of the main characteristics of this genre). Despite all obstacles contemporary portraiture is facing today, it’s still alive, it’s still popular, and it will certainly be in the coming period. There are so many reasons for that, and all of them could be described by the powerful magic of portraiture. Together with landscapes, portraiture is probably the most used artistic genre. ![]() What is a portrait? Let’s make it clear right from the beginning: portraiture is, without any doubt, one of the most important genres in the history of art. ![]()
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