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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, Dancers, Leonard Gabriel

Dancers

Leonard Gabriel

Painting - 70 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 27.6 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch

$2,749

Painting, Horizon, Santial

Horizon

Santial

Painting - 116 x 83 x 3 cm Painting - 45.7 x 32.7 x 1.2 inch

$5,265

Painting, Great Hope, Maria Petrova

Great Hope

Maria Petrova

Painting - 90 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch

$3,744

Painting, Kopf, Heike Lydia Grüß

Kopf

Heike Lydia Grüß

Painting - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$1,404

Painting, David, Patrick Zévaco

David

Patrick Zévaco

Painting - 150 x 150 x 2 cm Painting - 59.1 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch

$4,446

Painting, Suzette, Monica

Suzette

Monica

Painting - 30 x 23 x 1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.1 x 0.4 inch

$250

Painting, 50 shades, Creami One

50 shades

Creami One

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

$2,340

Painting, Oct19, Miriam Gaité

Oct19

Miriam Gaité

Painting - 100 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,053

Painting, Le songe, Laurent Navarre

Le songe

Laurent Navarre

Painting - 73 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$3,744

Painting, Aurora, Eric Raban

Aurora

Eric Raban

Painting - 130 x 90 x 5 cm Painting - 51.2 x 35.4 x 2 inch

$3,451

Painting, Incognito, Hori

Incognito

Hori

Painting - 73 x 53 x 4 cm Painting - 28.7 x 20.9 x 1.6 inch

$4,680

Painting, Kero Barbie, Kero

Kero Barbie

Kero

Painting - 80 x 80 x 3.5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.4 inch

$1,638

Painting, Isolation, Gaka Mira

Isolation

Gaka Mira

Painting - 60 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

$1,404

Painting, Be A Man, Mubaraq Yusuf

Be A Man

Mubaraq Yusuf

Painting - 152.4 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 60 x 48 x 1 inch

$3,500

Painting, Finger style, Hatis _Art

Finger style

Hatis _Art

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

$2,227

Painting, Toys, Ramon Moscardó

Toys

Ramon Moscardó

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

$2,574

Painting, Kaleidoskop, Iren Orlova

Kaleidoskop

Iren Orlova

Painting - 115 x 89 x 2 cm Painting - 45.3 x 35 x 0.8 inch

$2,223

Painting, Portrait 2, Erdna André

Portrait 2

Erdna André

Painting - 80 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

$585

Painting, Untitled, Fernando Porras

Untitled

Fernando Porras

Painting - 92 x 92 x 10 cm Painting - 36.2 x 36.2 x 3.9 inch

$11,700

Painting, Dessert, Rustam Qbik

Dessert

Rustam Qbik

Painting - 100 x 70 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch

$3,217

Painting, Fireflies, Amikal

Fireflies

Amikal

Painting - 80 x 40 x 5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 15.7 x 2 inch

$965

Painting, No title - Nº 7, Justyna

No title - Nº 7

Justyna

Painting - 70 x 100 x 1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch

$3,568

Painting, Allegria, Dominique Renson

Allegria

Dominique Renson

Painting - 116 x 81 x 5 cm Painting - 45.7 x 31.9 x 2 inch

$12,870

Painting, I'm, Tina Loiodice

I'm

Tina Loiodice

Painting - 30.5 x 20.3 x 0.3 cm Painting - 12 x 8 x 0.1 inch

$1,404

Painting, Serenade, Vu Cuong

Serenade

Vu Cuong

Painting - 101.6 x 101.6 x 5.1 cm Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 inch

$2,900

Painting, Rita, Enrico Manera

Rita

Enrico Manera

Painting - 120 x 100 x 10 cm Painting - 47.2 x 39.4 x 3.9 inch

$3,510

Painting, Donna Smeraldo, Beddru

Donna Smeraldo

Beddru

Painting - 106 x 106 x 3 cm Painting - 41.7 x 41.7 x 1.2 inch

$10,179

Painting, John Lennon, Kevin Deuso

John Lennon

Kevin Deuso

Painting - 122 x 91 x 5 cm Painting - 48 x 35.8 x 2 inch

$9,000

Painting, Camargue, Georges Girard

Camargue

Georges Girard

Painting - 22 x 35 x 1 cm Painting - 8.7 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch

$1,110

Painting, Juliette, Sophie Wilkins

Juliette

Sophie Wilkins

Painting - 76 x 101 x 3 cm Painting - 29.9 x 39.8 x 1.2 inch

$4,797

Painting, Icone, Dain

Icone

Dain

Painting - 90 x 60 cm Painting - 35.4 x 23.6 inch

$2,925

Painting, The Clown, Ronnie Jiang

The Clown

Ronnie Jiang

Painting - 70 x 70 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 inch

$1,404

Painting, Violet Face, Isshaq Ismail

Violet Face

Isshaq Ismail

Painting - 152 x 127 x 10 cm Painting - 59.8 x 50 x 3.9 inch

$111,149

21/100

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Painting, No Need To Hide, tizlu

No Need To Hide

tizlu

Painting - 40 x 40 x 1.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.6 inch

$1,381 $1,161

Fine Art Drawings, We Need You!, tizlu

We Need You!

tizlu

Fine Art Drawings - 60 x 40 x 1.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.6 inch

$1,872 $1,685

Print, Untiteled, JM Robert

Untiteled

JM Robert

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

$936

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.