50 Famous Portraitists Whose Artworks Are Recognized All Around The Globe

Leonardo has frequently been referred to as the prototypical "Renaissance man," a person whose seemingly limitless curiosity was only surpassed by his inventiveness. He is regarded as one of the finest artists and possibly the person with the broadest range of talents ever. However, Leonardo was and is primarily known for his paintings. The Last Supper and the portrait of Mona Lisa, two of his creations, are arguably the most well-known, frequently imitated, and often parodied paintings of all time, with Mona Lisa remaining a mystery to this day.

Fun fact: the artwork had long been regarded as a masterpiece in the art world, but it wasn't until it was stolen in the summer of 1911 that it came to the general public's attention. Newspapers published the crime's details all over the world. The authorities questioned well-known artists like Pablo Picasso about the theft, but their suspicions were unjustified.

One of the most versatile painters of the 17th century, Rembrandt experimented with various genres, including historical paintings, portraits, and landscapes. In his early works, he started including his own portrait as a spectator or participant, beginning a lifelong interest in self-portraiture. He is believed to have created close to 80 self-portraits, including paintings, drawings, and prints. In the 1630s, Rembrandt established himself as a well-known portraitist in Amsterdam. He achieved great success, having multiple students and assistants, beginning his own art collection, and leading a refined life in the spectacular home he bought in 1639. It's believed that the group portrait, The Night Watch, created in 1642, marked the end of Rembrandt's most productive years.

Many people think of Vincent van Gogh as the "crazy" artist, the man who painted in a frenzy, or just the tortured soul who cut off his ear. Those who consider his paintings to be only physical representations of his tormented mind frequently overlook his artistic brilliance. While in part this may be true, his inventive and distinctive artistic style was significant to many painters who came after him. Even when blatantly influenced by his predecessors or peers, his painting remained distinctively his own, establishing a unique style that was unpopular with the general population of the time. 

Although Vincent van Gogh's career as a painter was brief, his works completely altered artistic technique and style. Vincent van Gogh is also known for his many self-portraits. Throughout his very brief career as an artist, Vincent Van Gogh painted between 35 and 40 self-portraits. He completed them all between 1885 and 1889. Rembrandt, who produced over 100 self-portraits throughout his roughly 50-year career, was the only artist to paint more of them than Vincent van Gogh did. Why Van Gogh created so many self-portraits has been the subject of debate among many art historians. They believe the artist couldn't afford to hire real models because of his financial situation. However, Van Gogh, who was short on money but determined to hone his ability as a portrait painter, became his own best model.

One of the greatest Dutch artists, Jan Vermeer, painted some of the most well-known works of art in history, including The Girl with a Pearl Earring. His creations are scarce, with only about 36 confirmed paintings attributable to him. Many details of Vermeer's life are still unknown, which only increases the allure and intrigue of the man and his artwork. In the later half of the 1650s, Vermeer steadily shifted from biblical and mythical works to genre paintings portraying intimate household life scenes, including portraits. However, Vermeer was not particularly well-known during his lifetime, mainly because of the very few paintings and because most of his buyers were townspeople. However, interest in Vermeer's work grew after his death when a French painter-critic published his critique of the artist's works in 1866.

Nonetheless, despite the artist's tiny body of work, it has only grown in prominence over time. Vermeer discovered a realm of harmony and order beneath the natural accidents. By giving that realm a visual form, he unveiled the poetry and the beauty within fleeting moments of human existence. He rarely clarified the precise meanings of his paintings, preferring to leave it up to each spectator to think about them. However, his works of art continue to captivate every viewer today, just as they did in the 17th century.

If you are no stranger to the art world, then perhaps you are familiar with Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and her artwork. The artist has left a considerable impact not only on the art universe but also on Mexican ancestry and myriad people worldwide. Frida Kahlo's art, which can be almost given its own distinctive art genre, is best known for its unflinching and beautifully colored self-portraits, which explore the issues of identity, the human body, and mortality. In many Frida Kahlo paintings, the spectator can sense the struggles the artist endured due to the chronic pain caused by a bus accident when she was 18. Besides the depiction of pain and suffering, the artist was praised for her uncompromising portrayal of the feminine experience and her evident love for Mexico's colors and culture. 

Despite further declining health in her later life, she nonetheless remained productive. Frida created many self-portraits with various hairstyles and outfits, always posing with her famously unmoving, unwavering gaze. Her extraordinary biographical narrative, which serves as her artistic legacy, tells the tale of her personal experiences, suffering, convictions, and passions through drama and the richness of symbolism. For art historians, this is a conundrum because her life and art are closely related, with the dramatic elements of Frida's life revived in her art.

John Singer Sargent was the most famous portrait painter of his time, also hailed as the "leading portrait painter of his generation." In 1874 he went to Paris to study painting. Ten years later, in 1884, at the Paris Salon, Sargent debuted arguably one of his best-known paintings, Madame X, a portrait of a Parisian beauty named Madame Gautreau. Sargent thought it was his best work and was unpleasantly startled when it sparked a stir because reviewers thought it was eccentric and provocative. After failing in Paris, Sargent relocated permanently to London. His art didn't instantly appeal to the English taste. However, it all changed in 1887. That year, his painting of two little girls lighting Japanese lanterns won the British public's hearts. He started to receive extraordinary acclaim in England and the United States. Soon, many clients flocked to his studio in Chelsea, where he charged around $5,000 for a full-length portrait.

Interestingly enough, despite bringing him a bunch of money, in 1907, Sargent gave up on painting portraits on commission. He referred to the genre that had made him famous in his letter to his lifelong friend Ralph Curtis as "paughtraits," using his unique and satirical spelling. "I abhor and abjure them and hope never to do another, especially of the Upper Classes."

An Austrian symbolist painter, Gustav Klimt, specialized in portraying the feminine figure. There is no denying that Gustav Klimt specialized in painting women. Like no other artist, he honored female beauty in his creations and always put women's appeal at the forefront of his artistic endeavors. Only a few male portraits were produced in the early stages of the artist's career. Speaking of his early portrait works, the earlier portraits Klimt made in the 1880s and 1890s are marked by a high degree of realism. Klimt's artistic aesthetic was influenced by portrait photography. In the early 1890s, the young artist's desire for more realistic depiction grew, almost approaching a photorealistic aesthetic.

Klimt's portrait paintings were in very high demand. But when it came to taking commissions, he was pretty particular. Therefore, he could have taken on many more commissions than he actually finished. There is little doubt that Klimt valued meticulousness and diligence over producing as many works as possible. Due to the enormous work Klimt put into each female picture, clients were willing to spend several times more than what other painters could charge for portraits. The exquisite female paintings by Klimt that were not commissioned are especially noteworthy. In them, the artist was able to fully realize his ideal conception of female beauty, showing that he clearly loved the freedom that came from not being constrained by his clients' expectations.

In terms of art and the art movements that took place during the 20th century, Pablo Picasso was arguably one of the most significant figures of the time. Before turning 50, the Spanish-born artist had established himself as the most well-known figure in modern art, with the most distinctive aesthetic sense. Picasso's immense corpus of work, which he produced from an early age until his death, provides a more thorough account of his development than possibly any other artist. He is said to have painted Portrait of Aunt Pepa at the age of 14, a powerful portrayal that has been hailed as one of the best portraits in Spanish history.

Picasso significantly influenced art, much as William Shakespeare did literature and Sigmund Freud did psychology. No other artist in the history of art has attained the same level of international fame or demonstrated such extraordinary flexibility. Picasso was a spur for other artists to follow because of his free spirit, unique style, and total disregard for what other people thought of his work and creative process. Picasso, widely regarded as the founder of modern art, profoundly influenced every significant creator and artistic movement that came after him.

American painter Grant Wood is most recognized for his works that portray the American Midwest in its rural settings, including American Gothic, one of the 20th century's most well-known works. Woman with Plants, a portrait of his mother painted in his very realistic, finely detailed technique, remained unnoticed. However, another painting painted in this same style, American Gothic, which was shown at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930, created an absolute stir with the public. This painting was rare in American art because of its brutal, cold realism and the subject's honest, straightforward, earthy nature. The image has developed into one of American art's most well-known artistic icons due to its expressive portrait of the Midwest's diligent rural residents. Daughters of Revolution (1932), a satirical depiction of three elderly women, is another well-known work by Wood. Among his other notable works are several

Francis Bacon, a painter of British and Irish descent, is regarded as one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. At an early age, following the war, his family went back and forth between England and Ireland. Yet, as he approached adolescence and started understanding his homosexuality, his home life became tense. After being kicked from his family's home, 16-year-old Bacon landed in London in 1926 without money or future pursuits. However, in 1927 while traveling in Europe, he attended Pablo Picasso's 1927 show, which greatly affected him and inspired his artistic pathway. Crucifixion (1933), which displays the influence of Picasso and his biomorphic forms, was the artist's first notable work.