#Acrylic portrait painting full#

In one famous example, Wiley depicted Michael Jackson as King Philip II in the classical style of an equestrian portrait. Because he combines classical techniques with an eye-catching, modern style, Wiley’s work is also known as Bling-Bling baroque. He is known for employing the compositional style and precision of Old Masters to uplift his traditionally marginalized black subjects. He would use colorful backgrounds that are inspired by leafy patterns or by motives as found on traditional textiles. Half-Nigerian, half-Afro-American artist Kehinde Wiley works exclusively in portraiture. Kehinde Wiley: Contemporary Subjects, Classical Techniques In 2017, her portrait of German chancellor Angela Merkel appeared on the cover of the US Vogue, depicting her as a powerful, yet very human and approachable person. Peyton has been living and teaching in Germany for more than five years. What would matter to her is the person’s life path and how inspiring it is for others. She would use images from magazines, books, CD covers, and music video skills as templates for her portraits. Peyton would usually not know the people she was depicting personally. Kurt Cobain by Elizabeth Peyton, 1995, via Christie’s (left) with Angela by Elizabeth Peyton, 2017, via Phaidon (right) Here are 9 of the most exciting contemporary portraiture artists from all around the world. How we see ourselves and each other in an age of exponential media exposure has become one of the most prevailing questions in contemporary art – and portraiture has offered a surprisingly refreshing approach to find answers.

#Acrylic portrait painting full#

Today, the genre is still full of potential. In the 1980s and ’90s, painters began to re-discover figuration, pushing the age-old portrait genre in new directions.Įquestrian Portrait of King Phillip II by Kehinde Wiley , 2009, via Kehinde Wiley’s Website He asserted that by the time “photographers will have learned something about portraiture in its deeper sense…”, the mastery of painting portraits would no longer be pursued by artists. The photographer and gallerist Alfred Stieglitz believed that portraiture painting would become obsolete throughout the beginning of the 20 th century. Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley, 2018 (left) with Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald, 2018 (right)