A Guide to Portraiture

One of our favourite things about the start of a new year is looking ahead to all the arty offerings that lie ahead. And this year, it seems that a smattering of London’s blockbuster exhibitions at heavyweight galleries like Tate and the National Portrait Gallery are focusing on portraiture. From Picasso’s portraits at the Tate, to Cezanne at the National Portrait Gallery, curators and museum workers are looking towards the intimate art of portraiture as a focal point for their upcoming calendars, and we couldn’t be more excited!

Traditionally, portraiture tends to be a two-dimensional representation of a person, usually concentrated on the face. Early examples of portraiture focused on individuals in the public eye, with the intention of idealising and bolstering someone’s character, rather than revealing their innermost thoughts or a likeness. Today, portraits are usually seen as the most intimate of artworks, acting as a lens into the inner workings of an individual. Key to a portrait is the medium through which a person is depicted and what the medium might say about them, as well as facial expressions, surroundings and setting. Sometimes additional elements are added, such as props, to tell the viewer more about who they are looking at. 

So, this month, we’re paying homage to the portrait, highlighting some of the wonderful artists from our online shop who either dabble, or completely commit, to the genre. From Hockney-esque, graphic-style portraits, to more sensitive and subtle works, the wonder of portraiture is the feeling they can convey. Read on for our pick of the best.

Kate Boxer

Inspired by the impressionist style, Kate Boxer’s monochrome portraits seem straight out of Paris in the 1890s. Born in Sussex, Kate’s been exhibiting in galleries since the 1990s, bringing out whimsical features of her sitters, be they animal or human. A skilled printmaker, her sure sense of line gives the work a style of its own.

Jeff Chester

We love the graphic nature of Jeff Chester’s work, reminding us of Hockney’s full length portraits from the sixties and seventies, created in Los Angeles. In Jeff’s work, the addition of the serene background, with its candy-floss clouds as an indication of setting, along with the dark glasses of the sitter, weave a sense of narrative into this work, as we wonder who this girl is and where she is going. The use of the dark glasses almost acts as a barrier for the viewer.

Sophie Derrick

The wonderfully vibrant work of Sophie Derrick takes expressive portraiture to a whole new level; at times her brushstrokes fill up the whole canvas, taking centre stage, so you can almost see each bristle of the paintbrush. But there’s more than meets the eye here. Interested in the material substance of paint, Sophie hones in on this interest through the medium of photography, as her portraits are actually photographs of the act of painting on to her skin, before painting over the photograph itself. The results are densely layered and provocative pieces, where her body becomes the ultimate canvas for the paint.

SAD

SAD’s brilliant work seems to be inspired directly by Picasso, with its thick mark making, bold brushstrokes and abstract figuration. Widely shown in London, Paris, Miami, Chicago and New York, SAD’s work defies characterisation, with a strong folk influence — just like Picasso was inspired by ‘primitive’ art.

Jane Eccles

Showing with Greenstage Gallery, there’s something instantly intriguing about Jane Eccles’ work, which bridges the gap between a sense of photographic realism and an intensely painterly style, with its intense and bright colours. Her figures are effortlessly beguiling; part of a wider narrative, they beg questions from the viewer and are sure to be a wonderful addition to any home due to their large size.

Greg Harris

There’s something very tender about Greg Harris’ portraits, where the sitter’s gaze holds our own with a sense of simplicity and beauty. Showing with Signet Contemporary Art, Greg weaves the abstract into his work by using incredible colours in his representations of the people he paints. Faces become gorgeous palettes of pale blues, pretty yellows, soft pinks and earthy browns. One of our favourites!

Pum

Pum’s painterly, tonal work brings to mind the Abstract Expressionists, with its thick brushstrokes and abstract tendencies. Pum explains how she asks her sitter what animal, plant, bird or mineral they identify with, to help the artist select certain ideas to tease out of the portrait.

Book tickets to our Battersea fair now to discover that perfect portraiture for your collection »

Or Peruse our selection and snap up your favourite online today »

Main Image:
Sophie Derrick, Seize Progress, archival print on paper, edition of 15, £200, Degree Art.

Featured Art First to Last:
Kate Boxer, Arthur Rimbaud, drypoint etching on paper, £550, White Space Art.
Jeff Chester, Twelve, oil on canvas, £1,000, DECORAZONGallery.
Sophie Derrick, Copper & Blue – Blue#4, archival print on Aluminum, £2,800, Degree Art.
SAD, Big men don’t cry, oil on board, £2,500, The Art Movement.
Jane Eccles, And so we had a cup of tea, mixed media on canvas, £1,800, Greenstage Gallery. 
Greg Harris, The boy, oil on canvas, £800, Signet Contemporary Art.  
PUM, The woman with the Bullfinch, oil on wood, £750, Broth Art.