porträtt

Porträtt, or portrait, is a depiction of a person or group that concentrates on the subject's likeness, expression, and personality. It is usually meant to reveal who the sitter is, beyond mere physical form, and may signal status, role, or era. Portraits appear in many media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, and photography, and can be formal or informal, realistic or stylized.

Historically, portraiture has been used to memorialize rulers, patrons, and notable figures. In Europe from the Renaissance onward, portraits aimed to show character and social standing, balancing likeness with symbolic elements. Non-Western traditions also produced portraits with ceremonial or symbolic purposes. The invention of photography in the 19th century broadened access to likenesses and reshaped how people are represented; in contemporary practice, digital imaging and selfies expand the scope of the genre.

Common elements include composition, lighting, pose, gaze, attire, and background. Techniques vary by medium, from oil and tempera to charcoal, sculpture, and digital rendering. Portraits often pursue fidelity to the sitter, but contemporary works may foreground memory, identity, or critique of representation.

Portraits serve memory, identity, and communication, preserving individuals for posterity or public display. They raise ethical questions about consent, depiction of sensitive subjects, and representation. Conservation and restoration are important for historic portraits as cultural heritage.