The Portraits (2) for Orchestra are not original compositions as such, but actually modified versions of two other works by Bartók. The first Portrait is the first movement of his First Violin Concerto, which was only published posthumously; Bartók withdrew it in 1907 before its premiere. The second Portrait is an orchestrated version of the fourteenth of the Fourteen Bagatelles for piano (the piano version was composed in 1908, but was not orchestrated for the Portraits until 1911). Bartók had originally designated the First Violin Concerto as his Op. 5, and composed it while deeply infatuated with the violinist Stefi Geyer. Both the Concerto and Bagatelles bear the mark of Bartók's love for Geyer: the so-called "love motif," comprised of the notes of a D major seventh chord (D-F#-A-C#). This motive is found in the first movement of the concerto, and also in the fourteenth Bagatelle, hence Bartók's decision to combine these two pieces in the Two Portraits. Bartók's motivation, in part, for the Two Portraits, was to salvage something from the First Violin Concerto. The first Portrait is a gentle, tender piece of music, subtitled "Une idéale." The music from the first movement of the Concerto appears here virtually unchanged; Bartók shortened a few notes, and made only small changes to the orchestration. The first Portrait develops gradually, subtly, with the initial thematic statement made by the solo violin. Other instruments are added one by one as the movement progresses, and scholars have likened the tender swelling of the piece to the movement of waves. Textually, the first Portrait combines quasi-fugal moments with a Debussyian, impressionistic harmonic stasis. The second Portrait differs radically in character from the first. It is a wild dance, a Valse, subtitled "Une grotesque." Again, this Portrait, like the first, differs little from its original source; in orchestrating the Bagatelle, some of its pianistic effects are lost, necessarily, but in terms of the music itself virtually nothing is altered.

It has been suggested that the Portraits are the musical renderings of a particular subject, namely Bartók's unrequited love for Geyer. The first Portrait, "Une idéale," is exactly what its title suggests, with the idealized woman represented through a serene, delicate treatment of the love motive. The second Portrait, by comparison, is tempestuous, with the love motive recast as a dance tune. Malcolm Gillies has suggested that the stark contrast between the two Portraits indicates that they may have been intended as representations of two sides of Geyer's character, or just as likely, Geyer as seen by Bartók "in two different frames of mind." Bartók, for many years after the completion of the Portraits was reluctant to discuss their inspiration, and was reluctant to have them performed, perhaps because the feelings they expressed were too personal and too painful.

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