Here’s a brief overview of the differences between impressionism and realism, which hopefully will be helpful in deciding on a style of your next portrait.

Realism is a style of art which attempts to show the subject matter as it actually looks.  The brushstrokes are minimally visible and the artist pays attention to every small detail.  Once completed, the painting will easily resemble the subject from your photograph. However, the painting differs from a photograph in that the artist will selectively copy the details so the end result is a portrait that provides a life-like image of the subject. Some of the greatest realism artists who painted portraits were Rembrandt, Gustave Courbet,  and John Singer Sargent.

Impressionism is a style of art that creates an impression of the subject matter. From a distance, the painting will look like the subject matter contained in your photograph. However, upon close inspection, the viewer will see brushstrokes of color.  A painting using the impressionistic style will place colors side by side with minimal mixing.  The color mix occurs in the eye of the beholder.  This style of art would enable you to have vivid colors in the portrait, even if they are non-existent in the photograph. By using the impressionistic style, the artist can capture the expression and personality of the subject in a way that a camera cannot. Some of the greatest impressionist artists who painted portraits were Edgar Degas, Pierre Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet.

View our gallery for some examples of each style.