Why do you think portraits and paintings have a great value? Many people laugh seeing their price. But they don’t know the realism, emotion, and life behind the picture. Many famous portraits are even mentioned in our books. Why? Because there are stories behind it and of course the beauty. Just take the example of the painting Mona Lisa. This portrait earned in billions and is maybe stamped in all school books. Then you will see many other famous paintings on the walls of restaurants, hotels, spas, etc. Don’t think that it’s for decoration. In actuality, these paintings carry a great meaning, that’s why people include them in high-valued places.
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List Of Some Famous Portraits
No wonder, portraits, especially famous portraits have big meaning and value. We have the basic idea about them. But now, it’s high time we discover some renowned paintings that are in hype around the world.
1.Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (1506)
I guess you were expecting this name when it’s about famous portraits in the world. It’s always going to be less even if we write an essay on this painting. Anyway, a short discussion can give us a clear idea.
Leonardo Da Vinci created the painting, Mona Lisa in between 1503 to 1506, but 1506 was the completed year of it. A debate goes on: is the face on Mona Lisa Leonardo Da Vinci’s? Because its facial expression somewhat matches to him.
There is something special about the Mona Lisa painting. Just see how the lady forms a triangle in her body shape. Her arms are folded in a resting position. Then her pose is relaxing and creating stability. Again, the light is coming from upwards, brightening her face with an enigmatic gaze.
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2.Johannes Vermeer’s Girl With A Pearl Earring- Famous Portraits (1665)
Johannes Vermeer’s portrait, “Girl with a pearl earring,” is one of the reasons why people remember him after his demise. He created this painting in 1665, i.e. ten years before his death. However, this portrait painting got recognition and title in the 20th century.
The “Girl with a pearl earring” depicts the emotions of a girl. Some people assume that she was a helper in Johannes Vermeer’s house. The picture captures the light of the girl’s face and light in a dark room and perhaps the environment. In short, the whole picture captures her face and her earring. Moreover, you will see her in a golden colour jacket and a colourful headpiece. It seems like the girl is about to say something as it shows her lips a bit apart, and she doesn’t know that someone is capturing her.
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3.Gustav Klimt’s Portrait Of Adele Bloch Bauer Famous Portraits (1907)
Gustav Klimt used to paint in private commissions. Later on, in 1900, he used to paint for the Jewish Viennese society. That’s when he started getting recognition as a painter as people were appreciating his work.
Gustav was more interested in Egyptian painting. At that time, he painted Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer’s wife with a commission. Not one time, but two times Ferdinand commissioned Klimt to create paintings of his wife.
Anyway, the portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer isn’t clear about her position. But it’s clear that she is in front of an armchair, I don’t know if she is sitting or standing. Maybe the drape of sinuous spirals on her is the reason for her unclear posture. Then you will see that there is a decoration of golden halo around her face. Also, the jewellery she is wearing and the colour in her cheeks and lips are highlighting the sensuality of the woman.
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4.Vincent Van Gogh’s Self Portrait With A Straw Hat- Famous Portraits(1887)
So far, Vincent Van Gogh created 35 self portraits, and among them, the self portrait with a straw hat is a notable one. He made this portrait in 1887 when he completed 27 self portraits. Models were willingly posing for his paintings, so he didn’t have to pay anything to them. Meanwhile, Vincent was indulged in improving the skills of other painters too.
The self portrait with a straw hat says it all that Vincent was not in a good condition. Seems like his health and emotion are deteriorating. But one thing that’s evident is the working nature in the portrait. That yellow hat and coat represent that Gogh is a working person, no matter how he is.
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5.Grant Wood’s American Gothic (1930)
Grant Wood was so in love with making American midwest portraits, and his passion for such portraits actually paid him off. Just see the painting, “American Gothic.” It has created a hype in 20th century’s most beautiful paintings. In 1930, this portrait was represented in the Art Institute of Chicago and drew the public’s attention like crazy.
Here the characters feature a stern-faced father with his daughter. But in actuality, the models are Grant Wood’s daughter and her dentist. Wood wanted to give a unique poise to the portrait. So he chose vintage dresses for the models and wanted to give a brutal and cold nature to the father in the painting. Maybe you also feel the misleading impression in this painting like I do, yet, it stands out as a whole.
6.James McNeill Whistler’s Whistler’s Mother (1871)
The painting, Whistler’s mother, also known as “Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1,” is one of the notable works done by James Abbott McNeill Whistler. This portrait art carries a maternal love where Anna McNeill Whistler, Jame Whistler’s mother was featured. That’s why he named this painting as Whistler’s mother. Later on, he named it “Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1” because people were referring to this portrait as emotionless because of the grey and black hue. However, painting was gaining public’s attention day by day, maybe the depiction of motherhood is the reason.
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7.Vincent Van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet (1890)
Vincent Van Gogh’s doctor, Dr. Gachet used to look after him when he was not well. At that time, under his observation, he painted around seventy portrait paintings. Dr. Gachet was his model in some of those paintings. Among them, the portrait of Dr. Gachet is a memorable one. Vincent Van Gogh completed this painting within six weeks, and later on, unfortunately, he was shot in the head and was filled with wounds.
Anyway, the portrait of Dr. Gachet depicts him resting his arms on a red table, and there is a foxglove, a medicinal plant, and some yellow books on the table. This is more of a modern portrait which Van Gogh sent to his sister with a letter.
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8.Amedio Modigliani’s Girl In A Sailor’s Blouse (1918)
It was 1981 when Amedio Modigliani was severely ill and was fighting with a chronic disease. He went to France with the purpose to get cured, and he had no friends there where he could choose a model for his paintings. But yes, there are random kids, girls, and servants. He used them as models. That’s when he painted the girl in a sailor’s blouse. This is one of his famous drawings so far. It carries a distinctive style with a long neck, flat razor-shaped face, twisted nose, and almond eyes.
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9.Frans Hals’ The Laughing Cavalier (1624)
The laughing cavalier is one of the famous art portraits done by Frans Hals. This painting says a lot about the Dutch golden age. Just see the expression of the young men in the picture; it’s like an infectious belly laugh and life-like expression. Then his embroidered jacket, moustache, and confidence highlights the liveliness in the picture.
10.Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s Vertumnus (1591)
Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s portrait, Vertumnus’s character is Rudolf II. He is a Holy Roman Emperor, and Giuseppe represented him as Vertumnus. Vertumnus is mainly a god in Roman. You will see in the picture that the character has lots of fruit on his body. It is because the god of Rome is related to fruit trees and gardens.
11.Toulouse-Lautrec’s The Englishman At The Moulin Rouge (1892)
Toulouse Lautrec chose his friend, William Tom Warrener, to paint the Englishman at the Moulin Rouge. The portrait shows that Warrener is wearing a hat and talking with two females. Seems like a nightlife in Paris, and Toulouse Lautrec actually focused on Paris’ nightlife. Again, both the humour and glamour are evident in this portrait.
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12.Edgar Degas’ Portrait Of A Young Woman (1885)
Edgar Degas creates most of his paintings, getting influenced from photographs. You can already see in the picture that the lady is having a posture like she is clicking pictures. Not only this portrait painting, but also many other portrait famous paintings by Edgar Degas have an influence on photographs.
Well, the portrait of a young woman carries a subtle mood and expression with an off-centred position.
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13.John Singer Sargent’s Portrait Of Lady Agnew Of Lochnaw (1892)
Among the most famous paintings of people, the portrait of Lady Agnew of Lochnaw is the one. Her husband, Andrew Noel Agnew ordered this painting and told John Singer Sargent to make her wife the character in it. John completed it within six sessions. Later on, this painting was exhibited in the Royal Academy of London, and then Lady Agnew was titled with Sargent’s model.
In this picture, you will see her giving a straight stare with a strong posture. Although she is sitting normally on the French chair, yet, her look catches the attention. Besides, her white and lavender gown in front of the silk wall is another reason to brighten up the whole picture.
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14.Vincent Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait (1887)
It was about the post-impression period in 1887, when Vincent Gogh created this self-portrait. At that time, he created around 35 to 40 self-portraits.
Anyway, this self-portrait reflects the artistic brilliance where a man is with a tormented soul and mind.
15.Ilya Repin’s Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin (1884)
Ilya Repin made the portrait of Vsevolod Garshin, a military man, and named it portrait of Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin. It was about 1884 when the Russo- Turkish war was going on and Ilya Repin made this painting. Later on, Garshin was dropped out from the military force and was involved in literature. You can already see in the picture that he is sitting with lots of books in front of him. Repin mainly wanted to highlight Garshin’s love for literature in the portrait. Also, look at the gaze he is giving; it seems like he is expressing anguish and kindness.
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16.Gustave Courbet’s The Desperate Man (1845)
The Desperate Man by Gustave Courbet is actually his self-portrait. He named it the desperate man because the picture looks like that. See how he is pulling his hair; feels like he is going through anxiety, depression, and a tough time. Also, his eyes open like he can’t take what’s going on. In short, the portrait of a desperate man holds the concept of psychological state. As a viewer, you may think that Gustave Courbet is a depressed person since his self-portrait is showing that. But in reality, he is aspirational, brave, cunning with lots of creativity inside. In 1845 and late 1840s, he was gaining huge popularity for his self-portraits and romantic portraits.
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17.Giovanni Boldini’s Portrait Of Madame De Florian (1910)
Madame De Florian, also known as Marthe De Florain, was renowned for her beauty. Because of her charm and beauty, people often used to spread rumours that she was seeing several men. In fact, we even heard that she has a relationship with Giovanni Boldini who made this painting. But later on, it revealed that all were rumours and flawed concepts.
So far, Giovanni Boldini has made several self-portraits of Marthe De Florain. Among them, the portrait, Madame De Florian, is an eye-catcher. Here, she is wearing a pink gown and has happiness filled in her expression.
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18.Karl Joseph Stieler Portrait Of Ludwig Van Beethoven (1820)
It was about 1820 and the spring session was going on. At that time, Ludwig van Beethoven was composing Missa Solemnis. Even the portrait we are talking about, says that he is writing something. So Karl wanted to depict that Ludwig is writing a song and he captured that picture. The portrait of Ludwig Van Beethoven was on hype when it was created. Later on, people made many replicas of this painting.
19.Jan Van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait (1434)
The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan Van Eyck says that there are two characters. A merchant man holding his wife’s hand while standing. Also, it depicts the Arnolfini wedding and the background also shows that the man has a lot of wealth. For instance, they are wearing classy Italian attire, bracelets of gold and silver, and are having an affluent elite. Along with being rich, the couple looks educated, wise, and beautiful.
20.Rembrandt van Rijn’s Self-Portrait (1660)
All of us know Rembrandt van Rijn for his artwork, and no wonder his self-portraits are also beautiful. According to me, his portraits are more unique rather than beautiful. Just see his self-portrait, he has used all dark colours. Seems like only his face is visible and everything is dark. Not only in this self-portrait, but also in many other pictures, Rembrandt highlights the texture with light to reveal the emotion. You will say all his paintings are done with light. However, Rijn’s self-portrait is classy, yet simple with dark colours and light on the texture.
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21.Umberto Boccioni’s Young Man On A River Bank (1902)
Umberto Boccioni is only famous for his portrait arts, but also for his futurism movements. People say that he has more interest in industrialisation, and we can even see that in his picture. Its background highlights the industrialization and he is giving a gaze of to the foreground with a leading vibe.
22.Johannes Vermeer’s The Milkmaid (1658)
As said before, Johannes Vermeer had a big name during the Dutch golden age. Most of his paintings reflect domestic life and everyday life. Such as, a maid pouring milk or a maid looking sad, and so on. Anyway, his portrait of Milkmaid, or you can say Kitchen Maid is not so complicated. It’s just the maid pouring milk into a pot. Although the painting is simple and highlights lifestyle photography, it got a superb recognition during the nineteenth century.
23.Anne-Louis Girodet De Roussy-Trioson’s Jean-Baptiste Belley
The famous artist Anne-Louis Girodet De Roussy-Trioson once used to follow the Davidian style. Later, he adopted the romanticism style. And this picture of Jean Baptiste Belley was created during his transformation. People not only know him as an artist, but also as a fighter of the American War of Independence. Then the Haitian revolution was inviting all black people, so Anne-Louis participated in that too.
Coming to his picture, the Jean-Baptiste Belley, he is just standing idle facing to his left, giving a casual expression. This picture managed to gain millions of views and appreciation so far.
Frequently Asked Questions [Famous Portraits]
What are some famous portraits in the world?
There are many famous portraits in the world, like a girl with a pearl earring, Whistler’s mother, Dr. Gachet, American Gothic, a girl with a sailor’s blouse. But among all these, Mona Lisa is the most famous one.
Who are some famous portrait artists in the world?
Some famous artists in the world are Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo Da Vinci, Frida Kahlo, Gustav Klimt, and many more. Rembrandt van Rijn was the most famous artist of the 17th century. Then, Frida Kahlo was most famous for his self portraits in the 20th century.
Are self-portraits more famous?
No doubt, self-portraits are famous as they concentrate on the artist more than the painting. I think self-portraits carry a bold nature which locks the viewer’s attention.
Final Thoughts [Famous Portraits]
So this was all about some famous portraits that have gained a name in the world. However, there are a lot more renowned paintings that we haven’t talked about. Like Napoleon Crossing, Portrait of Dora Maar, Arnolfini portrait, and many more. It will be a never-ending discussion if we explore all the works of famous artists.
Hopefully, you also appreciate the portrait paintings like I do and have huge respect for them.
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