History of Portraiture: From Stone to Selfies

For a long time, Portraiture has been a powerful tool for expressing human individuality. Originating thousands of years ago, this art form began as a way to immortalise authority, power, and personality through sculpture, painting, and drawing. One of the earliest known portraits, the Statue of Gudea from around 2144-2124 BC, reflects this focus on commemorating rulers and deities.

By 55-79 AD lifelike painted portraits like those from Ancient Rome emerged, demonstrating a greater ability to capture realism and character. Portraiture continued to have symbolic value during the mediaeval era (985 AD), when religious and royal figures were portrayed in stylised forms to communicate their status.

Individualism and realism gained popularity during the renaissance. Admired for its nuanced emotion and technical skill, Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” (1503) became one of the most iconic portraits in art history. Self-protraiture gained emotional depth and a unique perspective in the 19th century thanks to painters like Vincent Van Gogh, While the 20th century introduced radical experimentation. Andy Warhol’s Marylyn Monroe series (1962) and Pablo Picasso’s cubist “portrait of Dora Maar” (1937) redefined what a portrait could be, exploring identity through abstraction and pop culture.

Before photography, these were the only ways to preserve likeliness. However, portraiture became increasingly intimate, accessible, and representative of daily life as technology advanced. Photographers like Sophie Trainer blend visual storytelling with modern identity, continuing the legacy of portraiture as a mirror of humanity.

Portraiture has always been more than just representation; it’s a reflection of who we are and how we want to be remembered, as seen in everything from ancient monuments to modern photography.