What Is Portraiture in the Context of Contemporary Art? | Widewalls. What is portraiture and what is its status in the contemporary art world today? Although portraiture is a bit conservative, it still attracts art lovers. In fine art, a portrait can be a sculpture, a painting, a form of photography or any other representation of a person, in which the face is the main theme. Traditional easel-type portraits usually depict the sitter head-and-shoulders, half-length, or full-body. Portrait. A portrait is a representation of a particular person. A self-portrait is a portrait of the artist by the artist. Unknown artist, Britain. The Cholmondeley Ladies (c.1600-10) Tate. Portraiture is a very old art form going back at least to ancient Egypt, where it flourished from about 5,000 years ago. show ipa. See synonyms for portrait on Thesaurus.com. noun. a likeness of a person, especially of the face, as a painting, drawing, or photograph: a gallery of family portraits. a verbal picture or description, usually of a person: a biography that provides a fascinating portrait of an 18th-century rogue. adjective. Portraiture can tell us about how we see people. Portraits often show us what a person looks like, but they can also capture an idea of a person or what they stand for. Portraits can also tell us how a person wants to be seen, and capture a particular mood that the sitter is experiencing. CUFSzwC.

portrait definition in art