f the countless artists at work in the United States, many will do the occasional portrait, and the result can bring a new perspective to the genre. One thinks, for example, of New York's Stone Roberts, whose big, gorgeous canvases often look like portraits. "They're of real people, but they're not portraits," the artist says, drawing a fine distinction. "A portrait is a painting that sets out to record someone's features and personality. With a few exceptions, the principal focus in my paintings is on the composition. The people are anonymous."

Of the artists who do paint portraits frequently, there is wide agreement that the most talented include those listed below: