Types of Portrait Art – Understanding Paintings in Depth

The first kind of portraiture that will be explored is religious portraits. These come with a lot of history and influence in tow. In ancient civilisations such as Roman, Greek and Egyptian, portraits of gods and goddesses could be found in temples, as well as in the home and public spaces. These art forms could be paintings or graffiti or sculpture. During the Renaissance, a massive boost was given to religious portraiture with the spreading of Christianity across Europe. The aim of these portraits of Jesus, the saints and Bible scenes was to make religion seem more human and thus, closer to the people.

Historical figures commissioned portraits as far back as the Roman Empire so that they could leave their legacy behind for future generations. In Egypt today, you will find giant sculptures of the pharaohs who built gigantic temples that have survived until the modern age, thus teaching us a lot about what life was like back then.
But portraits surviving the breach of time doesn't always guarantee the unveiling of a mystery. Some of the most famous Sri Lanka paintings, the frescos of Sigiriya have in a few cases been perfectly preserved, yet we know nothing about why and who painted them on the rock face.

This similar need to be immortalised lead to the birth of celebrity portraits. Anyone rich enough, with the desire to be remembered long after they had gone, would begin to commission artists for portraits and sculptures as far back as the 1400s. This type of celebrity portrait has grown and evolved with time and today, you will find magazine photoshoots of celebrities which we love to pour through to mimic them and their style.

The shape of the human body has long been considered the epitome of art in poetic form. You will find nude paintings and portraits throughout the history of art. One of the most famous nude paintings is well known even outside the art world and that is Botticelli's Birth of Venus, painted in 1485. A visit to the Sri Lankan Art Gallery website will show you how this art form has evolved in the country to this day.

During the High Italian Rennaissance, vanity portraits were commissioned by lesser nobles and figures of culture for the same reasons as that of celebrity portraits. But unlike the big murals, these were done in smaller canvases, sometimes small enough to carry and aimed to create a flattering likeness to the individual in the painting. The modern equivalent would be a simple photograph in a studio with plenty of airbrushing.