What Makes A Good Portrait Artist?
Portraiture like all art is subjective, so when a room full of people is asked, "what makes a good portrait artist?" you're going to get a variety of responses.
From an art perspective, the interpretation of a good portrait will depend on the brief set our by the client or the artist. If a client is looking for a realistic interpretation then the artist needs to have a great attention to detail, the ability to capture a moment and to breathe life into the canvas. If the client however wants something a bit more subjective or that focuses on the personality rather than the finer details of the face, then the finished product could be very different from a conventional portrait. How can you compare the two fairly? You can't.
Comparing two portraits like for like which are in different styles and different mediums is almost impossible. It would be unfair on the artist. All you can do when trying to establish whether the work is good or not is to look at in in relation to the brief and then at the quality of work, in whichever medium has been used.
In essence the most important factor in determining whether or not an artist is a good portrait artist or not, is ‘can they capture a moment?'
Capturing someone's life essence, the glint in their eye as they see their grandchild giggle for the first time or the love in their heart as they share a tender moment is what makes a truly great artist. Being able to transfer that emotion to the canvas is what makes a portrait come alive. It makes it relatable and endearing.
So what do you do if you are looking to get a portrait done and you don't now who to choose?
Our advice is to first look around, see whose works mimic the style or essence you are hoping to see in yours. Check out different mediums and different sizes. Look at posed portraits and those, which are more relaxed. Work out for yourself what it is you want and then find a portrait artist whose work best suits your vision. After contacting them sit and discuss what it is you are looking for. If you get the feeling from them that they understand you and are excited about the project then that's a good sign they are the artist for you. Building a relationship with your artist will help get the desired result.
If you have no idea to start then we recommend you visit the Royal Society of Portrait Painters website to see examples of work and the artists who created it. http://www.therp.co.uk
From an art perspective, the interpretation of a good portrait will depend on the brief set our by the client or the artist. If a client is looking for a realistic interpretation then the artist needs to have a great attention to detail, the ability to capture a moment and to breathe life into the canvas. If the client however wants something a bit more subjective or that focuses on the personality rather than the finer details of the face, then the finished product could be very different from a conventional portrait. How can you compare the two fairly? You can't.
Comparing two portraits like for like which are in different styles and different mediums is almost impossible. It would be unfair on the artist. All you can do when trying to establish whether the work is good or not is to look at in in relation to the brief and then at the quality of work, in whichever medium has been used.
In essence the most important factor in determining whether or not an artist is a good portrait artist or not, is ‘can they capture a moment?'
Capturing someone's life essence, the glint in their eye as they see their grandchild giggle for the first time or the love in their heart as they share a tender moment is what makes a truly great artist. Being able to transfer that emotion to the canvas is what makes a portrait come alive. It makes it relatable and endearing.
So what do you do if you are looking to get a portrait done and you don't now who to choose?
Our advice is to first look around, see whose works mimic the style or essence you are hoping to see in yours. Check out different mediums and different sizes. Look at posed portraits and those, which are more relaxed. Work out for yourself what it is you want and then find a portrait artist whose work best suits your vision. After contacting them sit and discuss what it is you are looking for. If you get the feeling from them that they understand you and are excited about the project then that's a good sign they are the artist for you. Building a relationship with your artist will help get the desired result.
If you have no idea to start then we recommend you visit the Royal Society of Portrait Painters website to see examples of work and the artists who created it. http://www.therp.co.uk
