Surrealist Portrait Paintings

Madeline Luka (French 1894-1989) was a self taught painter known for her landscapes, portraits, nudes and still lifes. She typically portrayed her family and close friends set within...

Frame is 12 X 10. Canvas is 9.5 X 7.5 Calogero was born August 20, 1922 in Catania, Sicily. Self-taught Surreal Artist First exhibitions in 1945 in Sicily and Rome were very successful. He arrived in Paris in 1947 and studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He is best known for his Surrealism and genre works. His paintings are dreamlike and visionary. They travel to an infinite space created by the artist through his memories, the sky and the sea so dear to him. In his paintings there are a few common themes: the masks with their dual dimensions that hide or shows only what you want, the profiles of the women, and the horsemen, drawn as the Sicilian tradition requires. He exhibited at the Gallery Hervé in 1951 and the following year he went to New York to present his show, then in 1953 he was invited to Los Angeles, where he returned two years later, and from where he regularly exhibited his works, and San Francisco. In 1954, Maximilien Gauthier devoted a book to him published by "The Gemini." The first exhibition in Japan was in 1965. He was awarded the Grand Silver Medal by the City of Paris in 1957. Calogero had countless exhibitions in Paris, in the fifties, plus the American exhibitions in New York (Associated American Artists, 1952), Los Angeles (James Vigevano Galleries, 1953) and then later in Japan and in major galleries in Italy. He lived and worked for many years in Paris and Italy. He died in 2001. Galerie Hervè, Parigi 1950. Associated American Artists - New York 1952. James Vigevano Galleries, Los Angeles 1953. Galerie Madsen, Parigi 1954/1960. Antologica, Tokyo 1965. Galleria La Robinia, Palermo 1969. Florida Gallery, Chicago 1970. Galleria Il Cavalletto, Catania 1971. Galleria De Rosa, Milano 1972. Galleria Pinacoteca, Roma; L'Incontro, Taranto 1973. Galleria Idea-Bellini, Firenze; David Galleries, Bari; Palazzo Melloni, L'incontro, Bologna; Galleria Schettini, Milano; Galleria Pinacoteca, Roma; Galleria La Meridiana, Verona; Pier della Francesca, Arezzo 1974. Galleria L'isolotto, Napoli; Pinacoteca, Roma; Galleria del Corso, Latina 1975. Galleria Michelangelo, Firenze; Pinacoteca, Roma 1977. Galleria Robert...

Antique American school modernist landscape with male figures. Really well painted and a very interesting composition. Impressive giltwood frame as well! Signed and dated lower ri...

Aiden Kringen's (US based) "Opulence 12" is an original handmade oil painting that is unframed, but ready to hang. About the Artist: A kaleidoscopic fantasia—crystalline planes floating in space, nestling together like immaculate puzzle pieces—abstract nebulae, human figures and faces enveloped in swirling fields or particles of energy—these number among the images evoked by the hauntingly enigmatic paintings of artist Aiden Kringen. Within this worldview a mysterious network of interlocking planes becomes visible to the beholder: mystical fields of unknown substance revealed as the building blocks of our bodies and semblances, surrounding, cocooning, perhaps even protecting us. It is a vision verging on the mystical, which Kringen portrays through a distinctive style: a fractured, cubistic mode of conscious- ness in which multiple dimensions or perspectives assimilate into an ecstatic whole. The artist deploys this style in opulent and seductive portraits as well as abstract tableaux whose optical signature is magnified by compositional dynamism and deeply layered surfaces. Born in Los Angeles in 1992, Kringen lived variously in the American West and Mexico—Sebastopol, Jalisco, Portland, Flagstaff—before settling in the hill- and vineyard-dotted environs of Sonoma, County, where he is now based. In these very different environments, each of which possesses a uniquely picturesque natural beauty, the artist began from an early age to develop his aesthetic approach. He has always had a keen eye for detail, grounded in a gift for looking closely at the human experience. “I’ve always been interested in observing people,” he recalls, “and in the details of how we interact with one another.” He put this natural ability to task when he began working on illustration and graphic-design projects while in high school. From his mother, an artist and graphic designer, he learned the fundamentals of composition and typography, the nuances of positive and negative space and the relationships between them. Using sheets of Letracet—a system for transfer- ring typeface—proved particularly instrumental in developing a methodology for layering and collage, which continue to inform his works on canvas and paper. He learned old-school tech- niques, hands-on and mechanical, in keeping with a Bauhaus-like appreciation for perfectionism, integrity, and hard work. Kringen began painting at 14. Then as now, drawing was central to his approach. He studied vintage anatomy atlases and drew meticulously in his journals, working through myriad permutations of bones and skin, angle and pose, muscles in motion. Honing his natural talent for figuration through long and exhaustive study, he arrived at an understanding of the figure that is both intuitive and virtuosic. On acrylic and mixed media on canvas, Kringen lays down linework with a Micron pen in ever-more-complex compositions, often with the addition of gloss mediums to bring out the layers’ reflectivity and prismatic character. In some pieces he incorporates gold and silver leaf to heighten drama and luxuriance, recalling the mosaic-like work of Gustav Klimt—who, along with fellow Austri- an Expressionist Egon Schiele, stands among Kringen’s most prominent influences. It was in 2011 that he began painting in the style with which he is now most associated: a technique fusing drawing and painting, line and brushstroke, with fragmented shapes undergirding the imag- ery. Notably, this is not simply a stylistic conceit, but more a way of perceiving reality. “Ever since I was young,” Kringen notes, “I’ve spent most of my time observing people: trying to break people down, in a visual sense, into small categorizations of their features, their mannerisms, the way they twitch their nose...” His hypersensitivity to likeness and gesture is key, for this is what distinguishes his portraits from those by artists who strive to depict idealized beauty as an end in itself. Yes, there is an undeniable beauty to Kringen’s subjects, but it does not follow strictly conventional paradigms. There is an individuality, a capturing of idiosyncracies and eccentricities, of optimism and fatalism, light and dark, in his work. He is not painting archetypes, but rather illuminating the essential charac- ters of real people in a highly refined genre of psychological portraiture. The fragmented linework, the grids of planes he uses as lenses to focus these characteristics, is sui generis but never gimmicky; above all it is a tool for defining and refining the features of the face, adding depth and definition. In his abstract work he uses similar techniques, paring the fabric of perception itself down to bare essentials of form, color, and texture. The abstract pieces are simultaneously elegant and complex, combining the sweeping gesturalism of Abstract Expressionism with the rigorous structure of geomet- ric painting. Across the breadth of his output Kringen balances technical and thematic polarities into bracing integrations of sensuality and grittiness, inviting contemplation into the nature of opticality and the infinite possibilities of the seen and unseen. —Richard Speer is a contributor to ARTnews, Artpulse, Visual Art Source, and Surface Design. His essays and reviews have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Post, The Oregonian, Salon, Newsweek, and Opera News. He is the author of “Matt Lamb...

Inspired by the mythological Greco-Roman origins, these works of art are dreamlike superimposed views of expressive and sometimes sensual figures. Like the immortal mythological heroes, my subjects remind us of the human ability to remain beautiful and noble despite de passing of time and damage it brings. This double portrait is a combination of a deconstructed, sectioned ancient marble head...

Inspired by the St Sebastian religious paintings, this double portrait is a dreamlike superimposed view of an expressive and sensual figure. St Sebastian, acrylic on canvas, 20in, r...

Lazzaro Donati (Italian, 1926-1977) Oil on board. Colorful woman. Hand signed upper right. signed, titled on back of panel. Dimensions: (Frame) H 37" x W 29", (Panel) H 27.5" x W 20" Lazzaro Donati was born in Florence and attended the Academy of Fine Arts. He began to paint in 1953, and in 1955 held his first exhibition at the Indiano Gallery in Florence. Within three years eleven exhibitions followed in Italy, and as his reputation grew he was invited to give major exhibitions in London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo. He is considered one of the foremost contemporary Italian painters and his paintings hang in museums and private collections throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. His work i faucist recalling the works of the french Raoul Dufy, Dunoyer de Segonzac, Francois Gall and Jean Jansem. This particular work is reminiscent of the work of Manolo Valdes. Donati lived and worked at 24 Piazza Donatello in Florence, the square where generations of artists have created works worthy of the great Florentine tradition. As you entered the narrow hallway to his studio, a gilded life-size Venetian angel beckoned you to his door. Once inside, the present faded away and you found yourself in an atelier where early masters might have worked during the Renaissance. Within, luxurious Persian rugs set off the innumerable objects d’art and antique furnishings. Light poured in through the sloping glass wall on the north side. A dramatic stairway led to an overhanging balcony which served as a private gallery where the artist hung some of his favorite early works. To the left of the entrance was a smaller studio where Donati sculpted, with a window overlooking the famous old English cemetery where tourists laid flowers on the grave of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. In the main studio itself, where Donati received his clients in an atmosphere as polished as an office of a top executive, one hardly realized that it was here that the artist actually painted. His easel was covered with Persian blue velvet, the painting on the easel was already framed, his chair was upholstered in red velvet and on his palette the colors were arranged with the precision of a Byzantine mosaic. In a corner stand were his latest works, framed and ready to be sent off to his next exhibition in Europe or America. He spoke fluent French and English as well as some Spanish and German. “After all”, he said, “you've got to know how to sell...

Bask, Original Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Mixed Media Portrait Painting 42" x 33" x 1.5" (HxWxD) Oil and Print on Canvas This mixed media portrait by artist Sarah Jacobs...

Nude study by Andy Smith (American, 20th Century). A woman is seated, slightly leaning to the left of the composition. The background fades from a rusty red to a dark blue, changing ...

Antique American abstract cubist composition "Terra Firma Theme 10" by Augustus Goertz (Born 1948) . Oil on canvas, circa 1958. Housed in a period gilt...

Ifeoluwa Alade ( Nigeria based) "Hinges" is an original, handmade acrylic painting that depicts a female model and a male model with colorful butterflies and flowers ebbing between t...

Aiden Kringen's (US based) "Opulence 6" is an original handmade oil painting that depicts a figure with her face in profile view surrounded with gold hued shapes and patterns About the Artist: A kaleidoscopic fantasia—crystalline planes floating in space, nestling together like immaculate puzzle pieces—abstract nebulae, human figures and faces enveloped in swirling fields or particles of energy—these number among the images evoked by the hauntingly enigmatic paintings of artist Aiden Kringen. Within this worldview a mysterious network of interlocking planes becomes visible to the beholder: mystical fields of unknown substance revealed as the building blocks of our bodies and semblances, surrounding, cocooning, perhaps even protecting us. It is a vision verging on the mystical, which Kringen portrays through a distinctive style: a fractured, cubistic mode of conscious- ness in which multiple dimensions or perspectives assimilate into an ecstatic whole. The artist deploys this style in opulent and seductive portraits as well as abstract tableaux whose optical signature is magnified by compositional dynamism and deeply layered surfaces. Born in Los Angeles in 1992, Kringen lived variously in the American West and Mexico—Sebastopol, Jalisco, Portland, Flagstaff—before settling in the hill- and vineyard-dotted environs of Sonoma, County, where he is now based. In these very different environments, each of which possesses a uniquely picturesque natural beauty, the artist began from an early age to develop his aesthetic approach. He has always had a keen eye for detail, grounded in a gift for looking closely at the human experience. “I’ve always been interested in observing people,” he recalls, “and in the details of how we interact with one another.” He put this natural ability to task when he began working on illustration and graphic-design projects while in high school. From his mother, an artist and graphic designer, he learned the fundamentals of composition and typography, the nuances of positive and negative space and the relationships between them. Using sheets of Letracet—a system for transfer- ring typeface—proved particularly instrumental in developing a methodology for layering and collage, which continue to inform his works on canvas and paper. He learned old-school tech- niques, hands-on and mechanical, in keeping with a Bauhaus-like appreciation for perfectionism, integrity, and hard work. Kringen began painting at 14. Then as now, drawing was central to his approach. He studied vintage anatomy...

Peaceable Kingdom features more than 60 aminal portraits by famous illustrator Richard C. Hess. Impeccably rendered and designed. Signed lower center-left. R. Hess. His illustrati...

"" by Geneviève Zondervan (French 1922-2013) oil painting on board board: 20 x 10.5 inches Mid 20th century oil painting on board by the French a...

YURI MARTINEZ RAMOS "LOVE FIRST PIPE" OIL ON CANVAS, SIGNED CUBAN-AMERICAN, C.2006 20 X 16 INCHES Yuri Martinez Ramos was born in Havana, Cuba on November 24, 1964. He studied at the Elemental School of Plastic Arts from 1975 – 1979 and the National School of the Arts from 1979 – 1983. Martinez’ figurative paintings have been compared to Botero because of his satirical social commentary. His style, however, is uniquely his own with typically vibrant Latin colors and use of expressive magical realism. His paintings tell his story and the story of the Cuban dilemma. Martinez was granted permission by the US Justice Department after much effort with Cuban authorities to come to the US with his family and pursue his career outside Cuba. He now lives and works in Texas. Papillon Gallery...

Peaceable Kingdom features more than 60 aminal portraits by famous illustrator Richard C. Hess. Impeccably rendered and designed. Signed lower center-left. R. Hess. His illustrations appeared on the covers of Time, TV Guide, New York, and Esquire magazines...

This is a one of a kind original surrealist oil painting by San Diego artist, Charlene Mosley. Its dimensions are 40"x60". It comes in a thin black frame. A certificate of authentici...

"Rome" by Oleg Turchin is a Figurative Surrealism original oil on canvas painting measuring 58x63 in. This surrealist painting has a beautiful strong woman from Rome in silver armor ...

This is a remarkable work by successful artist, Armando Villagran, purchased directly from him in Mexico City in the 1960s. This represents an opportunity for collectors to buy one o...

"Portrait of a Lady" by Geneviève Zondervan (French 1922-2013) monogrammed oil painting on board board: 14 x 10.5 inches Mid 20th century oil painting on board by the French artist...

"Mother & Child" by Geneviève Zondervan (French 1922-2013) signed with initials oil painting on board board: 18 x 14.75 inches Mid 20th century oil painting on board by the French ...

"Seated Man" by Geneviève Zondervan (French 1922-2013) oil painting on board board: 18 x 14.75 inches Very fine 20th century oil painting on board by the French artist, Geneviève Z...

Artist/ School: French School, signed lower front, dated 1970's Title: La Moto Verte, a surrealist composition of nude/ semi nude male figures in a wrestling pose floating in the sk...

YURI MARTINEZ RAMOS "HOME FIRE OIL ON CANVAS, SIGNED CUBAN-AMERICAN, C.2006 20 X 16 INCHES Home Fire" brings me back to my childhood home when my grandpa visited us every day smoking his pipe and conversing good moments. Yuri Martinez Ramos was born in Havana, Cuba on November 24, 1964. He studied at the Elemental School of Plastic Arts from 1975 – 1979 and the National School of the Arts from 1979 – 1983. Martinez’ figurative paintings have been compared to Botero because of his satirical social commentary. His style, however, is uniquely his own with typically vibrant Latin colors and use of expressive magical realism. His paintings tell his story and the story of the Cuban dilemma. Martinez was granted permission by the US Justice Department after much effort with Cuban authorities to come to the US with his family and pursue his career outside Cuba. He now lives and works in Texas. Papillon Gallery...

This is a one of a kind surrealist acrylic painting in a found frame by San Diego artist, Christopher Polentz. Its dimensions are 15.5x12x3. A sign...

The sun. 1973. Cardboard, oil, 33x46.5 cm Woman portrait in orange colors Vladimir Borisovich Glushenkov (May 21, 1948, Riga - December 26, 2009, Riga.) - painter, graphic artist, poet, translator. Born in Riga in a Russian-Polish-German family. Vladimir Glushenkov...

Coral Angel. Oil on wood, 70X70 cm The artist Vadim Kovalev was born in 1968 in the capital of Latvia, Riga, where he is also presently living and creating his works. When Vadim wa...

Antique surrealist oil painting of a landscape with a sculpture. Oil on board, circa 1949. Signed. Displayed in a period frame. Image, 35"L x 22"H.

Peaceable Kingdom features more than 60 aminal portraits by famous illustrator Richard C. Hess. Impeccably rendered and designed. Signed lower center left. R. Hess. His illustrati...

Sara Scribner's (US based) "Pink Moon" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a realistic portrait of a feminine form cradling a small moon i...

This mixed media painting on masonite is a portrait of a Renaissance figure. The background is a light taupe color with a delineated profile of the face. The signature is on the front, bordering the figure's cape. The work is sold framed. Although the painting itself is in marvelous condition, the original wood frame has some slight imperfections on the top and sides, as pictured. Mario Martin del...

Joshua Lawyer's (US based) "Antler" is an oil painting that depicts a figure with a white branch appearing as an antler on her head.

"Secundo Congreso Feminino " by Philadelphia born modernist painter Leon Kelly, is a large scale, surrealist painting of a group gathering showing women in the nude. The 60" x 42" oi...

Joshua Lawyer's (US based) "Beak" is an oil painting that depicts a figure with her face in profile with a yellow triangle that resembles a beak.

Untitled. 2002, oil on wood, 57x17,5 cm Man face on red background with flower Kaspars Perskis (1975) was born in Riga, Latvia. This is where he stud...

Joshua Lawyer's (US based) "Gills" is an oil painting that depicts a figure with her face in profile with an air bubble escaping the gills on her neck

Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2019 Style: Portrait Art, Subject: Childhood Size: 36" x 24" x 1'' inch, 92x61x3 cm, Unframed, Stretched on Wooden Bar, Gallery Wrapped, Ready to Hang. Tigran Hovoumyan was born on November 8, 1969, in American Armenia...

Artist: Tigran Hovumyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2019 Style: Portrait Art, Subject: Tra...

Lazzaro Donati (Italian, 1926-1977), Framed oil painting "La Ragazza Ungherese" The Hungarian Girl. Dated 1961. Framed: 36.25 x 28.5 inches. In good condition. Lazzaro Donati was born in Florence and attended the Academy of Fine Arts. He began to paint in 1953, and in 1955 held his first exhibition at the Indiano Gallery in Florence. Within three years eleven exhibitions followed in Italy, and as his reputation grew he was invited to give major exhibitions in London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo. He is considered one of the foremost contemporary Italian painters and his paintings hang in museums and private collections throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. His work i faucist recalling the works of the french Raoul Dufy, Dunoyer de Segonzac, Francois Gall and jean Jansem. Donati lived and worked at 24 Piazza Donatello in Florence, the square where generations of artists have created works worthy of the great Florentine tradition. As you entered the narrow hallway to his studio, a gilded life-size Venetian angel beckoned you to his door. Once inside, the present faded away and you found yourself in an atelier where early masters might have worked during the Renaissance. Within, luxurious Persian rugs set off the innumerable objects d’art and antique furnishings. Light poured in through the sloping glass wall on the north side. A dramatic stairway led to an overhanging balcony which served as a private gallery where the artist hung some of his favorite early works. To the left of the entrance was a smaller studio where Donati sculpted, with a window overlooking the famous old English cemetery where tourists laid flowers on the grave of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. In the main studio itself, where Donati received his clients in an atmosphere as polished as an office of a top executive, one hardly realized that it was here that the artist actually painted. His easel was covered with Persian blue velvet, the painting on the easel was already framed, his chair was upholstered in red velvet and on his palette the colors were arranged with the precision of a Byzantine mosaic. In a corner stand were his latest works, framed and ready to be sent off to his next exhibition in Europe or America. He spoke fluent French and English as well as some Spanish and German. “After all”, he said, “you've got to know how to sell...

"Lunar Encounter with Child" by Philadelphia born modernist painter Leon Kelly, is a large, brightly colored surrealist portrait of two figures. The 40" x 30" oil on canvas was paint...

"THE DARK SIDE", 2017, is a surrealist oil painting on canvas by artist Tslil Tsemet, and measures 36x59". Duality and the conflict it creates rush to col...

colorful surrealist image of bird woman *ABOUT Stephen Basso Stephen Basso's highly original pastels and oil paintings are romantic, yet thought provoki...

His time in New York City has ingrained Berlin with the whole vibe of the culture that existed in the city at that time. He is so passionate when talking about it and the lasting eff...

In this painting, the painter tries to portray the young sleeping, lying and oversized figure of a woman as part of the landscape. Who likes to be this person and what is she doing i...

SUENO PROFUNDO OIL AND ACRILIC ON CANVAS SIGNED, 2013 EXHIBITED MUSEO DEL BANCO CENTRAL DE COSTA RICA 43.25 X 35.5 INCHES Sofía Ruiz was born in 1982....

Artist: William Skilling, After Giuseppe Arcimboldo Title: Vertumnus Year: circa 1950 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. Size: 42 in. x 36 in. (106...

In this painting, the painter tries to portray the young sleeping, lying and oversized figure of a woman as part of the landscape. Who likes to be this person and what is she doing i...

The idea for this painting is based on the idea of the transience and rebirth of things. The already fallen tree leaves symbolize the decomposition of matter and at the same time the...

Artist: Froylan Ojela, Mexican Title: Flores Silvestres Year: 1983 Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, signed, dated and titled verso Size: 28.25 x 25 inches Frame Size: 36 x 28.5 inches

Artist: Ramon Santiago, American (1943 - 2001) Title: Judith Year: 1975 Medium: Acrylic on Paper, signed and dated Size: 16 x 12 inches

An oil painting by Andrei Medvedev from 1998. A surrealist portrait of a young girl and a kitten in the rococo style. Artist: Andrei Medvedev Title:Girl in Blue Dress...

RICHARD KIRK "WHITE MANTILLA" OIL ON CANVAS, SIGNED, TITLED AMERICAN, C.1960 36 X 23 INCHES Original Frame Richard Kirk Born 1932 Kirk was born in West Virginia in 1932. He ...