portraiture

[ pawr-tri-cher, pohr- ]

noun

1. the art or an instance of making portraits.
2. a pictorial representation; portrait.
3. a verbal picture.

portraiture

/ ˈpɔːtrɪtʃə /

noun

1. the practice or art of making portraits
2. 1. another term for portrait
   2. portraits collectively
3. a verbal description

Word History and Origins

Origin of portraiture¹

1325–75; Middle English < Middle French; portrait, -ure

Example Sentences

No wonder the figure’s three-quarter view cemented the standard for European portraiture for centuries, replacing frontal or, more often, profile poses that harkened back to classical Greece and Rome.

From Los Angeles Times

That was really new for photography: Building sets was really new, the conceptual work in fashion and portraiture was new.

From Los Angeles Times

In its lived-in quality and gathering churn, “Good One” is a dream of an indie, from the craft in every frame to the humor, epiphanies and mysteries that gird its portraiture.

From Los Angeles Times

Collage and related forms of assemblage dominate a survey that spotlights Harris’s newer work, though a collage sensibility was at least as evident as studio-based portraiture even early on.

From New York Times

In portraiture, like Sargent’s Dr. Pozzi at Home or Raphael’s Portrait of a Cardinal, red can communicate faith, sensuality or power.

From Salon

Related Words

• characterization
• confession
• definition
• depiction
• detail
• explanation
• information
• narration
• narrative
• picture
• portrayal
• report
• sketch
• statement
• story
• summary
• tale
• version