Portrait Painting for Sale
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La mère et l'enfant
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 116 x 89 x 2 cm Painting - 45.7 x 35 x 0.8 inch
$1,451
Beauté
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 100 x 73 x 1.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 28.7 x 0.6 inch
$1,060
Crying in the Rain
Corey Kilmartin
Painting - 122 x 92 x 4 cm Painting - 48 x 36.2 x 1.6 inch
$2,456
Solo of soul
Mikhail Baranovskiy
Painting - 70 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 27.6 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
$2,791
Racing against time
Mikhail Baranovskiy
Painting - 100 x 70 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
$2,791
Sur place ou à emporter
Nicolas Monjo
Painting - 55 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 21.7 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
$893
Waterfall in Quiet Forest
Trayko Popov
Painting - 99.1 x 85.1 x 0.5 cm Painting - 39 x 33.5 x 0.2 inch
$1,570
Mujer con orgasmo
Ernest Carneado Ferreri
Painting - 82 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 32.3 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,340
Mood for Love
Siranush Vardanyan
Painting - 80 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,116
Metaphysical dark blue abstract angel
Ovidiu Kloska
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,116
Les Jumelles aux Chapeaux
Clara Elliot
Painting - 100 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,636
Autoportrait II
Ghislaine Ferreira
Painting - 100 x 81 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch
$2,679
Flight, One of three works in the Harmony series
Oleksandra Horscroft
Painting - 70 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$558
Poweful black flores
Graça Tirelli
Painting - 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,005
Le couple de danseur
Christof Monnin
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1 inch
$1,674
Portrait du poète russe Ivanov
Mady Epstein
Painting - 61 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,224
On ne choisit pas sa famille
Béatrice Terra
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
$2,567
Je t’aime à enfin vivre
Yohan Storti
Painting - 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
$2,009
Le voleur d'arcanes
Timothy Archer
Painting - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Painting - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch
$5,358
Travailleur au bonnet noir #2
Timothy Archer
Painting - 65 x 50 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 inch
$3,684
La robe rouge
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 80 x 53 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 20.9 x 1.6 inch
$2,233
Manifestation: Cherryblossom Girl
Eury Kim
Painting - 90.9 x 72.7 x 3 cm Painting - 35.8 x 28.6 x 1.2 inch
$2,233
Femme au chapeau
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 65 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$614
The wisdom of time
Lilly Sotirova
Painting - 85 x 75 x 2 cm Painting - 33.5 x 29.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,898
Defend Dignity HPM
Shepard Fairey (Obey)
Painting - 104 x 76 x 1 cm Painting - 40.9 x 29.9 x 0.4 inch
$26,679
Qu'est-ce qu'on attend 1
Flo Jaouen
Painting - 100 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
$2,947
Vide de sens - série personnages
Eric Stein
Painting - 70 x 70 x 4 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 1.6 inch
$949
Cannes La Croisette
Karine Bartoli
Painting - 80 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
$1,563
Famille Marseille
Karine Bartoli
Painting - 100 x 120 x 4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 1.6 inch
$1,898
1185 abstract fashion
Roger König
Painting - 130 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$14,512
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
Serie Terra Retrato en fondo beige
Enrique Pichardo
Painting - 70 x 70 x 1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
$964
The tree of life
Seyran Gasparyan
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,200
Circus Acrobats
Joanna Zakrzewska-Cholewa
Sculpture - 49 x 15 x 6 cm Sculpture - 19.3 x 5.9 x 2.4 inch
$1,785
The beauty of dance XII
Serghei Ghetiu
Painting - 80 x 49 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 19.3 x 0.8 inch
$1,898
The Last Museum Guard at the Last Museum on Earth
Hernan Bas
Print - 49 x 35 cm Print - 19.3 x 13.8 inch
$1,340
Portrait Painting for Sale
Portraiture is one of the most important subjects in painting. The discipline has changed significantly over time and has a fascinating history.
In antiquity, portraits were exclusively reserved for gods and the most influential people in society. Paintings and statues representing the bodies of the deceased were erected to decorate tombs in Egypt. They weren't realistic but rather had a very standardized way of representing each part of the body.
In contrast to the Egyptians, painters and sculptors in Greece, who had a more in depth knowledge of the human anatomy, were more concerned about realism. Many portrait paintings from this period were done on vases and depicted gods and mythological scenes.
In the Middle Ages, most portraits paintings were commissioned and featuring the most important people of the time; they were painted into religious scenes to emphasize their piety and faith, along with their social status. Once these works of art had been painted, they were often donated to churches and monasteries.
The Renaissance marked a renewal for the arts and portrait painting was no exception. At the beginning of this period, artists were unconcerned about lifelike, realistic work. Sitters or the subjects represented were identifiable through the use of symbolic objects and the inclusion of their name.
Giotto revolutionized portraiture by imitating sculpture. He began to paint shadows, the subjects' expressions, effects of depth and began to use foreshortening. His knowledge soon began to spread.
Brunelleschi then introduced the idea of perspective in architecture, a concept which Masaccio adapted to painting. Italy became the center of portrait painting and the most important Italian families (including the Médici family) commissioned artwork by the best painters. Competition between these painters led them to innovate and led them to produce some of the greatest artworks in history. The most famous is undoubtedly the Mona Lisa by Leonardo de Vinci.
In Northern Europe during the 16th century, Flemish art was restricted by iconoclasm during the Reformation, a period during the depiction of religious figures was banned. Artists turned to courtly art which was particularly popular during the following centuries. A century earlier, Flemish art had marked a turning point with Jan Van Eyck, the inventor of oil painting (the preferred painting technique of Renaissance painters) and master of detailed realism, who influenced an entire generation of Flemish painters.
Over the following centuries, portrait painting continued to be an art form for the elite of society, but painters grew increasingly concerned about depicting realistic figures and communicating the sitter's inner world and emotions. The 20th century saw a growing trend: subjects were not painted to look beautiful (sometimes to their great dismay).
At the end of the 19th century, Impressionist painters became less reliant on sculpted models and sculpture's influence. They left their studios and painted portraits outside, “en plein air." They captured the light as they saw it and painted groups of people together rather than in in several stages.
Modern and contemporary art of the 20th century saw anything go when it came to portraits. Artists like Gustav Klimt, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin and Lucien Freud turned traditional techniques and codified rules on their heads and developed their own unique styles.
Discover portraits by Philippe Pasqua, Robert Combas, Guangyu Dai and Erró on Artsper.
What is meant by portrait painting?
A portrait painting is a painted artwork that depicts a person. A portrait painting usually depicts the upper body of a sitter, for example from the shoulders up.
What art style is a portrait?
A portrait can be created in various different art styles and forms, including sculpture, painting and drawing.
What makes a good portrait?
A portrait can be considered a good work of art for a variety of reasons, including its handling of light, tone and color, its likeness to the person it represents, or its expression of emotion.