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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Jeune femme endormie
Eugène Bégarat
Painting - 35 x 27 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 10.6 x 0.8 inch
$2,223
Elle vient de loin
Golnaz Afraz
Painting - 80 x 60 x 3.5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 1.4 inch
$2,925
La fille de Chambellan
Anatoly Syvkov
Painting - 48 x 35 x 2 cm Painting - 18.9 x 13.8 x 0.8 inch
$1,638
Aes Argentumque
Raul Lara Naranjo
Painting - 80 x 80 x 1.5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.6 inch
$2,574
Jeune fille au cornet
Frédéric Menguy
Painting - 65 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
$3,393
Keanu Reeves Signed Limited Edition Photograph
Markus Klinko
Painting - 61 x 50.8 x 0.3 cm Painting - 24 x 20 x 0.1 inch
$4,400
Where are your monuments?
Ariles De Tizi
Painting - 178 x 132 x 4 cm Painting - 70.1 x 52 x 1.6 inch
$70,200
Zahara with green dress
Salustiano
Painting - 80 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$44,000
Ref. 1512 - Glory & History
Ramin Rostamzadeh
Painting - 190 x 84 x 4 cm Painting - 74.8 x 33.1 x 1.6 inch
$8,775
Fluttering butterflies
Beatriz Sánchez
Painting - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$3,510
Edie Sedgwick Diptych
Victoria White
Painting - 121.9 x 152.4 x 5.1 cm Painting - 48 x 60 x 2 inch
$9,800
Femmes et feuilles (Women and leaves)
Gabriel Schmitz
Painting - 166 x 58 x 5 cm Painting - 65.4 x 22.8 x 2 inch
$6,786
Absense of real intention
João Cardoso
Painting - 150 x 150 x 4 cm Painting - 59.1 x 59.1 x 1.6 inch
$4,621
Adventure at a Dime
Lena Applebaum
Painting - 140 x 140 x 3 cm Painting - 55.1 x 55.1 x 1.2 inch
$6,262
All Quiet on the Western Front
Gunner Dongieux
Painting - 152.4 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 60 x 48 x 1 inch
$5,952
Keep the children away n°16
Dada Wa
Painting - 130 x 95 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 37.4 x 0.8 inch
$18,720
Portrait de Anya Taylor-Joy
Jean Marc Comby
Painting - 160 x 240 cm Painting - 63 x 94.5 inch
$6,435
La Joie de Vivre
Agathe Lemaire Thalazac
Painting - 130 x 150 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
$18,720
The Man with the Red Ear
Alex Mitrecey
Painting - 195 x 130 x 7 cm Painting - 76.8 x 51.2 x 2.8 inch
$18,018
Si No Tuvieras Miedo
Marco Battaglini
Painting - 100 x 125 x 5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 49.2 x 2 inch
$35,100
A_scared_Kojosei_notreally_
Isaac Ato Jackson
Painting - 50 x 37 x 5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 14.6 x 2 inch
$3,510
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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
$1,872 $1,685
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Shepard Fairey (Obey)
Print - 61 x 46 x 0.2 cm Print - 24 x 18.1 x 0.1 inch
$643
Degas Danseur de Ballet
Martín Duque
Sculpture - 44 x 16 x 20 cm Sculpture - 17.3 x 6.3 x 7.9 inch
$1,147
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
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
$2,223
Maiko in Springtime Kyoto
Takashi Murakami
Print - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Print - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$2,842
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.