Eve and forbidden fruit
Pintor Nicolás
Painting - 60 x 90 x 1.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.6 inch
$1,200
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.
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Portrait de classe 14
Camille Cottier
Painting - 27.5 x 22.5 x 2 cm Painting - 10.8 x 8.9 x 0.8 inch
$949
Enchanting Elegance
Samson Adetunji
Painting - 76.2 x 76.2 x 2.5 cm Painting - 30 x 30 x 1 inch
$2,250
Fire in my soul
Nolwenn Samson
Painting - 180 x 180 x 6 cm Painting - 70.9 x 70.9 x 2.4 inch
$14,829
Awokose (The Role Model)
Oladire Araireoluwa
Painting - 76.2 x 66 x 2.5 cm Painting - 30 x 26 x 1 inch
$1,200
Imagine, Yoko Ono and John Lennon
Orest Hrytsak
Painting - 195 x 130 x 2.5 cm Painting - 76.8 x 51.2 x 1 inch
$23,727
Liberté de penser
Cécile Desserle
Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$2,135
Une vie d'homme...
Javier Navarro Avilés
Painting - 50 x 65 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0.4 inch
$890
Série : Portrait de couleur - tableau No 1
Wen Ming Tao
Painting - 40 x 30 x 5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 2 inch
$7,997
Sculpted Heritage (Beauty Within Us)
Fasalejo Tobiloba
Painting - 61 x 50.8 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 20 x 1 inch
$1,350
Autoportrait - Introduce myself
Gris1
Painting - 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
$7,711
Les Mannequins (The Supermodels) 2
Alawaye Tope
Painting - 76.2 x 76.2 x 2.5 cm Painting - 30 x 30 x 1 inch
$1,850
Falling in love with her
Marleen Suvi
Painting - 135 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 53.1 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
$3,796
I'm in the cabin
Ekaterina Krylova
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,200
Sous le ciel de Provence
Raya Sorkine
Painting - 55 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 21.7 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
$10,558
Jeune fille à la boucle
Changzheng Zhu
Painting - 65 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$736
Zelf Portret (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Chuli Herrera
Painting - 90 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$8,542
There must have been an angel by my side
Ritchelly Oliveira
Painting - 65 x 54 x 3 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 1.2 inch
$8,660
Unknown Soldier - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Military, Veteran, Men
Makama John
Painting - 101.6 x 101.6 x 2.5 cm Painting - 40 x 40 x 1 inch
$2,650
Aprender a caminar y salir del pozo gravitacional #3
Ivan Castiblanco
Painting - 93 x 93 x 0.3 cm Painting - 36.6 x 36.6 x 0.1 inch
$2,500
Situation bancale sous latitude 45'3
Nicolas Monjo
Painting - 65 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
$2,610
Sans-titre
Gérard Zlotykamien
Painting - 65 x 49.5 x 0.2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.5 x 0.1 inch
$3,084
From Somewhere Deep Inside
Aba Linus
Painting - 78.7 x 78.7 x 2.5 cm Painting - 31 x 31 x 1 inch
$2,499
Trust Your Vision
Lena Bera-Pancini
Painting - 90 x 90 x 90 cm Painting - 35.4 x 35.4 x 35.4 inch
$2,254
La belle en chair - série portrait d'huitre
Alexandra Baudin
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$4,152
The Tree of Life
Kateryna Ocheredko
Painting - 90 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,900
Entre Baladres
Maria Brugués I Gallego
Painting - 82 x 58 x 1 cm Painting - 32.3 x 22.8 x 0.4 inch
$949
Not everyone will be taken into the future
Konovalov Igor
Painting - 80 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,305
Le grand départ
Benoît Montet
Painting - 59.9 x 39.9 x 2.8 cm Painting - 23.6 x 15.7 x 1.1 inch
$2,391
L’accordéonist
Jean Christophe Stauder
Painting - 52 x 31 x 1 cm Painting - 20.5 x 12.2 x 0.4 inch
$949
Black Girl in Origami Dress with Rooste II, Framed
Efren Isaza
Painting - 111.8 x 182.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 44 x 72 x 1 inch
$15,000
Original 73 face portrait
Eugen Dick
Painting - 100.1 x 100.1 x 4.6 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.8 inch
$2,600
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
L'esprit Déchaîné (hand-painted)
tizlu
Painting - 50 x 35 x 2.2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 13.8 x 0.9 inch
$2,135 $1,708
Top Elite Faschions
Shepard Fairey (Obey)
Print - 61 x 46 x 0.2 cm Print - 24 x 18.1 x 0.1 inch
$652
Degas Danseur de Ballet
Martín Duque
Sculpture - 44 x 16 x 20 cm Sculpture - 17.3 x 6.3 x 7.9 inch
$1,163
Maiko in Springtime Kyoto
Takashi Murakami
Print - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Print - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$2,882
Love and Flowers - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa, Women
Taiwo Odejinmi
Painting - 91.4 x 61 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 24 x 1 inch
$2,450
Need help with Portrait Painting for Sale ?
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.