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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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Painting, Kept woman, Liubou Sas

Kept woman

Liubou Sas

Painting - 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,786

Painting, Futura Love, Dr Hide

Futura Love

Dr Hide

Painting - 70 x 70 x 0.1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0 inch

$1,786 $1,339

Painting, Finding yourself, Liubou Sas

Finding yourself

Liubou Sas

Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

$4,762 $3,810

Painting, Mr.hope, MrHope

Mr.hope

MrHope

Painting - 50 x 50 x 4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

$262 $236

Painting, King coeur rouge, MrHope

King coeur rouge

MrHope

Painting - 61 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

$417

Painting, Multi Portrait, MrHope

Multi Portrait

MrHope

Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch

$95 $86

Painting, La muse, Albena Vatcheva

La muse

Albena Vatcheva

Painting - 30 x 30 x 4 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.6 inch

$535 $508

Painting, Waiting, Joyce Fournier

Waiting

Joyce Fournier

Painting - 61 x 50.8 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 20 x 1 inch

$2,360 $1,888

Painting, Dreamy, Vasyl Khodakivskyi

Dreamy

Vasyl Khodakivskyi

Painting - 100 x 75 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 29.5 x 0.8 inch

$4,524 $3,710

Painting, La fille aux fleurs, Volt

La fille aux fleurs

Volt

Painting - 32 x 24 x 1 cm Painting - 12.6 x 9.4 x 0.4 inch

$83 $75

Painting, Gémeaux, Albena Vatcheva

Gémeaux

Albena Vatcheva

Painting - 30 x 25 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.8 x 0.8 inch

$565 $538

Painting, Habitus, Nina Kruser

Habitus

Nina Kruser

Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,977 $1,779

Painting, Man Odyssey 2128, Dr Hide

Man Odyssey 2128

Dr Hide

Painting - 70 x 70 x 0.1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0 inch

$1,786 $1,339

Painting, Ivana, Emilie Crépin

Ivana

Emilie Crépin

Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$1,429

Painting, Bowie, Talion

Bowie

Talion

Painting - 75 x 75 x 0.1 cm Painting - 29.5 x 29.5 x 0 inch

$1,071 $964

Painting, Aime le monde, Volt

Aime le monde

Volt

Painting - 40 x 30 x 1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

$119 $107

Painting, Einstein = MC2, Dr Hide

Einstein = MC2

Dr Hide

Painting - 70 x 70 x 0.1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0 inch

$1,786 $1,607

Painting, Mirage, Damien Berrard

Mirage

Damien Berrard

Painting - 40 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 15.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

$476 $286

Painting, the last punk, Snach-ka

the last punk

Snach-ka

Painting - 180 x 180 x 4.5 cm Painting - 70.9 x 70.9 x 1.8 inch

$11,548

Painting, So what !, Emilie Crépin

So what !

Emilie Crépin

Painting - 55 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 21.7 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch

$476

Painting, Alicia, Emilie Crépin

Alicia

Emilie Crépin

Painting - 70 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

$714

Painting, Illusion, Nawel Aubert

Illusion

Nawel Aubert

Painting - 120 x 100 x 2.5 cm Painting - 47.2 x 39.4 x 1 inch

$1,488

Painting, L'étreinte, Nawel Aubert

L'étreinte

Nawel Aubert

Painting - 130 x 89 x 2.5 cm Painting - 51.2 x 35 x 1 inch

$1,667

Painting, Véronika, Emilie Crépin

Véronika

Emilie Crépin

Painting - 116 x 81 x 2 cm Painting - 45.7 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch

$1,429

Painting, Cautiva dorada, J Hanter

Cautiva dorada

J Hanter

Painting - 80 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

$2,619

Painting, Aufrecht, Mila Veljac'a

Aufrecht

Mila Veljac'a

Painting - 120 x 80 cm Painting - 47.2 x 31.5 inch

$3,333

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Sculpture, König, Nando Kallweit

König

Nando Kallweit

Sculpture - 26 x 7 x 4 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 2.8 x 1.6 inch

$812

Print, Untiteled, JM Robert

Untiteled

JM Robert

Print - 65 x 50 x 1 cm Print - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

$952

Fine Art Drawings, Sun Day, tizlu

Sun Day

tizlu

Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 40 x 1.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.6 inch

$1,405 $1,124

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.