Posts tagged Portrait

No matter how much art changes, there are some things that still same the same. Photography has eliminated the need for portraits, yet people still love having their portraits painted. As a portrait artist, you would not believe how much business I do. It is true that business isn’t as brisk as it was during the high age of portrait oil paintings. Back then, it was the only way to get an image of yourself done. You would sit for hours as the artist constructed first a portrait sketch, then a painting based on the proportions that he had outlined. Portrait artists couldn’t simply use a photograph of the client back in those days as photography had not been invented.

It would have been good to be a portrait artist back then it was an extremely honorable field. As a matter of fact, most rich kings, barons, and lords would employ at least one oil painting artist in a court for royal functions. It was a sweet life if you could please your patron, and that wasn’t a hard thing for a talented artist to do. You see, although even a king was mortal, a painting was seen as immortal. Paintings of kings from hundreds of years ago, after all, still line the walls of museums all over the world.

Of course, my clientle nowadays is from a more mixed background. Portrait art is not universally loved anymore. As a matter of fact, some of the most wealthy, refined people I know that never get their portraits painted! After all, it is much easier to get a photograph taken. It requires much less time, costs less money, and guarantees perfect realism in every detail.

Nonetheless, as people get tired of all of the fireworks of modern technology, they turn back more and more to the older arts. I have seen a surge in portrait paintings within the last five years that is unlike anything that has come about in my memory. Almost every portrait artist I have talked to has agreed: our trade is more in demand than it has been in years.

This is good news for any classically trained artists. It is extremely difficult to make a living while dedicating yourself to your art. Many artists sell out and give up on their art, becoming involved in commercial arts in order to make ends meet. By working as a portrait artist, I am able to immerse myself in high art while still making a living.