Portrait Artists

Portrait art used to be one of the biggest tests of an artist's abilities. Basically, all artists were portrait artists. A portrait artist would have to make pictures of his patron in order to secure continued support. This could be a challenging situation, because the portraits had to be both realistic and flattering. The artist portrait will be judged as a work of art, but it would also be judged as a commentary on his patron. Too much realism in the portrait of a patron who had not been treated well by the years could result in an unemployed, banished, or even executed artist in some cases.

Nowadays, however, there are few things that are more difficult than finding decent portrait artists. You see, the portrait artist has largely been replaced by the photographer. Photographic portraits are all the rage, as they have been since the invention of photography. Oil portrait artists, by contrast, are very little in demand nowadays.

You see, back in the day, sitting for a portrait was a big ordeal. Portrait artists would take a considerable amount of time to finish the portrait, and for all that time the person they were drawing would have to sit completely still. In order to pose for an oil artist portrait, they would have to hold the same pose and even the same expression for hour and hours. Only then could the portrait painter get his job done.

Modern portrait artists, however, have come up with an easier way to do things. Rather than painting from the actual client, they paint from a photograph of them. However, I can't help but thinking that the work of portrait artists has gone downhill somewhat since the days of old. Several my family members have had work done by portrait artists, and although they are realistic, they are completely flat and without any personal style whatsoever. It is almost as if the portrait artist is completely enslaved by the convention of photography. Most of the portrait artists I have seen try to get as realistic of a picture as possible, as opposed to realizing that they are going to sacrifice some realism in the name of getting a more artistic impression. To me, it seems like a shame. No one since for portrait painters anymore unless they want an artistic picture done. I think that if more of these people would take a risk, oil painting would definitely make a comeback.

Summary

Portrait artists have skills which are still needed even today. In olden times, the subject would sit for the portrait for hours to let the artist work. Now, artists can take digital photographs of the subject, and paint the portrait from the picture instead. There is a classic grace in painted portraits.