A “portrait painting” is a genre in painting where the artist intends to represent a specific human subject and has been a popular genre for centuries.
According to most artists, portrait painting is one of the most challenging genres to master. The artist must be able to portray the human form in detail but also combine it with the subject’s mental and spiritual characteristics. All popular and famous portraits have always been and will always be created by artists successfully combining the subject’s physical, mental and spiritual characteristics.
It is not so easy to choose the most popular portraits in history because of personal preferences. A “famous” and “popular” portrait for one art lover might even be unknown to another. In this article, however, we’ll look at five widely considered famous and popular portraits.
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) by Mona Lisa
Art lovers and historians generally accept that “Mona Liza” is one of the most famous portrait paintings. And it is popular and probably the most instantly recognized artwork – even among people with no special interest in the arts.
Because of its popularity, there are many “Mona Lisa” portraits worldwide. Art historians believe that the “Mona Lisa” is one of the most copied works in western art. However, the original “Mona Lisa” is kept in the Louvre in Paris.
The two main reasons for its popularity and why the painting is so special are, according to art scholars, firstly, the mystery behind the glimpse of a smile on her face, and secondly, the feeling you experience that her eyes are following you wherever you stand to admire the painting.
Interestingly, studies have shown that many first viewers of the “Mona Lisa” are so intrigued by the smile and eyes of the lady in the painting that they don’t see that she lacks eyebrows and eyelashes.
Warner Sallman (1892-1968) by Head of Christ
Another popular portrait is “Head of Christ” by the American artist Warner Sallman. It is a 1940 portrait painting of Jesus of Nazareth and is a perfect example of popular Christian devotional art.
Since this art portrait was painted in 1940, it has become the basis for the visualization of Jesus for millions of people. The image has been reproduced over 500 million times, including the copies of the portrait made for churches and used as prayer cards. This makes it one of most popular and famous portrait paintings in art history.
The “Head of Christ” started as a charcoal sketch in 1924, and over the years, Sallman completed other variations. Finally, he created the first oil version in 1935.
The Baptist Bookstore initially popularized this famous painting in the United States. They distributed various-sized lithographic images throughout the southern United States. The Salvation Army and the YMCA also contributed to popularizing this portrait by providing pocket-sized versions of the painting to American servicemen overseas during World War II.
Grant Wood (1891-1942) by American Gothic
The portrait “American Gothic” by the American artist Grant Wood has become famous and popular because of what is depicted in the portrait. Wood created this portrait after he had seen the Dibble House in Eldon, Iowa. The 19th-century architecture of the farmhouse-inspired him.
He made sketches of the house and started to paint the house after the owners had permitted him. When he created the Neo-Gothic scene, he included two people that he thought should live in that house. “American Gothic” is a wordplay on the architectural style “Carpenter Gothic”. The final portrait depicted a farmer standing beside his daughter, although the two figures are often mistakenly assumed to be husband and wife.
The portrait became popular in the United States with the deepening of the Great Depression shortly after the painting was made. As a result, “American Gothic” symbolized the steadfast American pioneer spirit. Interestingly, Wood used his younger sister, Nan Wood Graham, and a dentist, Dr. Bryon McKeeby, as models.
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) by Portrait of Madame X
John Singer Sargent was an American artist widely known for his portraits of the wealthy and aristocrats in England and America. One of his most famous art portraits is “Madame X”. This portrait initially became popular because of the controversy about the portrait. Nowadays, it is still a very popular artwork.
Sargent tried to keep the identity of the woman he used as a model a secret, but ultimately it became common knowledge which she was. She was the fashionable Madame Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, an American socialite married to a French banker who resided in Paris.
When the portrait was exhibited in Paris in 1884 for the first time, it caused controversy because she was wearing provocative clothing according to the time’s dress code. Her relaxed pose was also criticized.
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) by Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat
Vincent van Gogh created more than 35 self-portraits. His “Self-portrait with a Straw Hat” is one of his most famous art portraits and very popular. Some art scholars believe that the portrait’s popularity is to a great extent because people can identify with Van Gogh’s feelings and mental state as depicted in the portrait. He revealed his crumbling mental and physical health in the portrait by using deep colors.
In this self-portrait, he depicted himself wearing a blue work coat to symbolize that he saw himself as a working man’s artist. This self-image contributes to the painting’s popularity with “working class” people. Interestingly, he enjoyed being his model. So he bought a very good mirror specifically to create his self-portraits.
Conclusion
Although it is difficult to choose only the five most famous portrait paintings in art history, many art lovers and scholars agree that the five discussed in this article are very famous art portraits.
