Portraiture is the genre of painting in which the likeness of a sitter or model is depicted by the artist. Historically, portrait paintings were often commissioned by the well-to-do or powerful, but artists will also create portrait art when they find a compelling model or want to commemorate a person with the work.

In the contemporary art world, portraiture as status symbol is less and less prevalent. Instead, artists explore portrait painting because of the challenges inherent in painting a person's likeness while capturing their personality and spirit, and the pleasure in the pursuit of painting the human figure and face. Rarely are painted portraits judged solely by the accuracy of the depiction. Instead, artists try to eke out the emotional character on the visage of their model.

Compositionally, portrait art can vary—the sitter can be sitting or standing; clothed or semi or half clothed or also sensuous beauty of the figure without clothes; full length, half length, or a bust view of the head and shoulders; and depicted in profile, in a three-quarters’ view, or facing directly out. Portraits can be formal affairs, with figures in their best clothes and presented in commanding ways, but they can also be more informal with a slice-of-life feel that allow the viewer to feel as if they are seeing inside the private world of the sitter.

Throughout the centuries, portrait painting – a realistic art - has been a reliable and sometimes very lucrative business for artists. Painters would often become famous because of their portraits, elevating their status in the wider world. Portrait Art consists of Great Persons, Family Portrait, wedding Portrait, and many more Mementoes. It is done in several mediums like sketch, pastels, oil, acrylic etc.