Painting Genres
Still life painting
Still life painting is one of the various painting genres, which depicts inanimate subject matter, such as flowers, caught fish or dead animals, later artists began to depict bouquets, compositions of fruit and vegetables etc.
Genre painting
Genre
painting depicts scenes from everyday life of ordinary people, such as fairs, festivals, street and home life etc. It was popular in the Netherlands in the 17th century, and later, in the 18th century it became widespread in the rest of european countries.
Seascape painting
Seascape painting (or marine art) is an art genre, that depicts the sea or any events taking place on the sea (e.g sea battles). The most remarkable representatives of marine art are W. Turner and I. Aivazovsky.
Landscape painting
The term "Landscape painting" refers to the art genre, which is characterized by the depiction of natural scenery. Such scenes can be of a real, imaginary or idealized place. Although its history begins in China, landscape painting is considered as an European art genre.
Portrait painting
Portrait paintings are representations of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. The art of the portrait flourished in Ancient Greek and especially Roman sculpture, where sitters demanded individualized and realistic portraits, even unflattering ones. One of the best-known portraits in the Western world is Leonardo da Vinci's painting titled Mona Lisa, which is thought to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo.
Cityscape painting
Cityscape painting is an urban equivalent of a landscape, e.g. urban scenes, buildings, architecture etc.
Self-portrait
Self portrait is the depiction of the artist, painted by the artist himself. Self-portraits are classified into professional and personal. Professional self-portraits represent a painter during the working process, and personal reveal a painter's character and individuality. There is also another, more detailed classification:
- insertable self-portrait — the author is represented in the group of characters of any subject;
- symbolic self-portrait — the artist portrays him- of herself in the guise of a historical or a religious character;
- group self-portrait — the artist is depicted together with his family, relatives, friends or other real persons;
- separate self-portrait — when the author is depicted alone.
Nude painting
Nude painting is one of the main painting genres. Its characteristic is the depiction of unclothed human body. In Ancient art nude artworks became an aesthetic standard and the embodiment of artistic ideal. In the Middle Ages the depiction of nudes was strictly limited by a few biblical plots. Formation or nude painting as a genre took place in the 17-18th centuries. A figure drawing or figure study is an essential part of artisitc training.