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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Siesta (Descanso) after sex
Cristian Mesa Velázquez Las Tunas, Cuba
Painting - 62 x 92 x 1 cm Painting - 24.4 x 36.2 x 0.4 inch
€630
Study for reclining
Jonathan Chapline
Painting - 17.8 x 12.4 x 1.87 cm Painting - 7 x 4.9 x 0.7 inch
€15,302
The death of Patroclus
Derek Overfield
Painting - 91.4 x 182.9 x 5.1 cm Painting - 36 x 72 x 2 inch
€1,220
#32 - Voluptuousness 2 - XXL
Eric Lespinasse
Painting - 160 x 90 x 0.2 cm Painting - 63 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch
€1,200
Jeune Femme Au Bouquet
Jean-Gabriel Domergue
Painting - 65 x 54 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 inch
€5,000
Elle pense à son amoureux, nue sur un fauteuil
Patricia Kleyman
Painting - 73 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€370
Looking for the past
Stefan Hadzi Nikolov
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,450
MV. 24-7 - Série Croquis Modèle Vivant
Gilles Le Tron
Painting - 26 x 20 x 0.1 cm Painting - 10.2 x 7.9 x 0 inch
€175
Puertas-Absorbidos-Dudas-Corjae!-Salida
María del Prado Aznar Navarro
Painting - 73 x 84 x 2.8 cm Painting - 28.7 x 33.1 x 1.1 inch
€4,008
Constellation de Grenades
Volodia Popov
Painting - 120 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
€11,500
The balance of the human condition
José Zaragoza
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€9,000
The elegant life of Mr H Paris 1967
Key Hiraga
Painting - 65 x 54 x 0.5 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 0.2 inch
€35,000
What’s Kept Inside
Maisha De la Cruz
Painting - 123 x 214 x 1 cm Painting - 48.4 x 84.3 x 0.4 inch
€8,795
Lo que amas, lo pierdes en cuanto te vuelves de espaldas
Carmen González Castro
Painting - 146 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 57.5 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
€2,800
A nude
Michal Bajsarowicz
Painting - 100 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
€2,500 €2,250
Young Woman Sleeping (Early 20th Century Modern Nude Portrait), Serge Henry Moreau
Serge Henry Moreau
Painting - 61 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 36 x 1 inch
€5,520
Anima Angeli
Sabine Danzé
Painting - 195 x 155 x 4 cm Painting - 76.8 x 61 x 1.6 inch
Price upon request
Intimidad en el estudio con florero azul
Antonio Camaró
Painting - 80 x 60 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch
Price upon request
Canapé rouge
Iva Tesorio
Painting - 73 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 28.7 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
Price upon request
Don't be Shy
Laurence Nolleau
Painting - 120 x 120 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 inch
Price upon request
Pink summer
Aron Kroes
Painting - 120 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 47.2 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
Price upon request
Retrato en fondo amarillo
Enrique Pichardo
Painting - 70 x 70 x 1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
€698
Fade Away And Radiate
tizlu
Painting - 180 x 180 x 2 cm Painting - 70.9 x 70.9 x 0.8 inch
€26,500 €18,550
Retrato
Enrique Pichardo
Painting - 150 x 110 x 2 cm Painting - 59.1 x 43.3 x 0.8 inch
€2,486 €1,989
Composición en blanco y negro
Enrique Pichardo
Painting - 50 x 70 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
€517
Retrato en fondo rojo
Enrique Pichardo
Painting - 69 x 69 x 1 cm Painting - 27.2 x 27.2 x 0.4 inch
€678
Vuelo del pájaro
Enrique Pichardo
Painting - 80 x 120 x 1 cm Painting - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch
€1,434
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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.