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.
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2023-1142 / Visages et corps expressionnistes - série rouge et noir
Marion Casters
Painting - 30 x 24 x 0.2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.1 inch
€115
Berger des Alpes et sa pipe
G. Baur
Painting - 39.5 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 15.6 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
€999
Mère et enfant
Pierre Ernest Kohl
Painting - 38.5 x 45 x 2 cm Painting - 15.2 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,999
Portrait d'une dame assise sur un banc de jardin
Marcel-René Chassard
Painting - 57.5 x 48 x 2 cm Painting - 22.6 x 18.9 x 0.8 inch
€1,221
Jeune femme au châle et panier de fleures
L. Rubia
Painting - 44 x 33.5 x 1 cm Painting - 17.3 x 13.2 x 0.4 inch
€955
L'homme à la chope de bière
I. Tomig
Painting - 61 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,199
Homme devant la fenêtre
Victor Ruzo
Painting - 85 x 54.5 x 0.5 cm Painting - 33.5 x 21.5 x 0.2 inch
€1,977
The future is a big kiss
Isabelle Scheltjens
Painting - 138 x 103 x 4.5 cm Painting - 54.3 x 40.6 x 1.8 inch
€17,500
Lavande d'automne - Portrait de femme et nature
Laurence Duc
Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch
€300
Portrait d'un notable
J.F. Meyer
Painting - 58 x 47.5 x 2 cm Painting - 22.8 x 18.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,432
Notable à moustache et montre gousset
Jules Matthey
Painting - 81 x 65.5 x 2 cm Painting - 31.9 x 25.8 x 0.8 inch
€1,999
Dame à lunettes assise
Paul Théophile Robert
Painting - 82 x 75.5 x 2 cm Painting - 32.3 x 29.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,555
Blue Ochra Empowerment
Patrizia Casagranda
Painting - 89.9 x 129.5 x 5.1 cm Painting - 35.4 x 51 x 2 inch
€7,883
Vieille femme au panier de pommes
Alberto Cecconi
Painting - 70.5 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.8 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,099
Artiste et modèle à l'atelier
Franz Wanger
Painting - 73 x 58 x 1 cm Painting - 28.7 x 22.8 x 0.4 inch
€1,432
Jeune femme en costume oriental et bouquet de fleurs
Blanche Pierron
Painting - 85 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 33.5 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch
€2,110
Portrait de femme au foulard vert
Georges Dessouslavy
Painting - 41 x 33 x 2 cm Painting - 16.1 x 13 x 0.8 inch
€1,110
Portrait 23 fisheye
Piesseportrait
Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€2,450
Espíritu del Greco
José Luis Fuentetaja
Painting - 73 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€7,000
Following the light I
Kamalky Laureano
Painting - 150 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 59.1 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
€6,100
Royal Legacy Original Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Gardani
Painting - 85.1 x 69.9 x 3.8 cm Painting - 33.5 x 27.5 x 1.5 inch
€3,710
Self-portrait 1960 AGADIR Autoportrait
Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine
Painting - 14 x 21 cm Painting - 5.5 x 8.3 inch
€1,900
The Dance With The Blooming Sakura
Gabriella DeLamater
Painting - 61 x 76.2 x 2 cm Painting - 24 x 30 x 0.8 inch
€260
La magia dell’intesa
Claudia Salvadori Salvadori
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€5,300
Portrait of Lady
Carlo Socrate
Painting - 50 x 40 x 0.4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.2 inch
€13,500
Jeff Kill my dog for the money !
Florkey
Painting - 70 x 70 x 3 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
€1,500
Belle d'Orchidees
Marie-Claude Bisson
Painting - 91.44 x 91.44 x 3 cm Painting - 36 x 36 x 1.2 inch
€1,500
Rumble in the Jungle
Boris Gobina
Painting - 110 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 43.3 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
€2,400
Le sens de la vie
Paul Flickinger
Painting - 62 x 51 x 0.2 cm Painting - 24.4 x 20.1 x 0.1 inch
€1,350
Jerusalem
Ludwig Viktor Krämer
Painting - 76 x 131 x 0.2 cm Painting - 29.9 x 51.6 x 0.1 inch
€9,400
David Hockney enjoying Oysters, Champagne and a Cigar at Glyndbourne Opera House lawn
Bob Marchant
Painting - 122 x 162 x 7 cm Painting - 48 x 63.8 x 2.8 inch
€51,008
Autant en emporte le vent
Frédérique Tristant
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€3,200
Angel of sweetness, I miss you
Alexandre Abyla
Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
€10,500
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tizlu
Fine Art Drawings - 60 x 40 x 1.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.6 inch
€1,600 €1,440
Top Elite Faschions
Shepard Fairey (Obey)
Print - 61 x 46 x 0.2 cm Print - 24 x 18.1 x 0.1 inch
€550
Degas Danseur de Ballet
Martín Duque
Sculpture - 44 x 16 x 20 cm Sculpture - 17.3 x 6.3 x 7.9 inch
€980
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
€2,272
The Wrinkles of the city, La Havana, Antonio Cruz Gordillo
JR
Print - 100 x 70 x 0.2 cm Print - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch
€1,900
Maiko in Springtime Kyoto
Takashi Murakami
Print - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Print - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€2,429
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.