pintakuva

Pintakuva is a Finnish term used in art history to denote a portrait, that is, a pictorial representation of a person, typically focusing on the face and upper body. The word is formed from pinta (surface) and kuva (picture) and appears in Finnish-language sources to refer to traditional portrait forms produced by painters, printmakers, or draftsmen. The term is often contrasted with muotokuva, which is the standard Finnish word for portraiture in general; pintakuva tends to appear in older inventories, catalogs, or scholarly discussions to emphasize the sitter’s likeness and character as observed in the image.

Historically, pintakuva can encompass painted portraits, engravings, or drawings, ranging from bust-length likenesses to full-figure images. These works often served commemorative or genealogical purposes and appeared in households, churches, guild halls, or public collections. Typical features include attention to facial features and expression, careful rendering of costume and insignia, and often inscriptions or heraldic elements identifying the sitter.

In contemporary usage, pintakuva is largely a historical or scholarly term, and muotokuva is the more common designation for portraits in art discourse. Pintakuva may be encountered in art-historical writing when describing older sources or when distinguishing particular practices in Finnish portrait production.

See also: Muotokuva, self-portrait, portraiture, art history.