
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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Malinconia autunnale
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 60 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
€720


Pareja Saludando
Francisco Muñoz Tejeida
Painting - 111 x 103 x 1 cm Painting - 43.7 x 40.6 x 0.4 inch
€1,774



Saphir et Rubis
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 130 x 89 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 35 x 0.8 inch
€3,200

Estate, serie Stagioni
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 44.5 x 31.5 x 0.5 cm Painting - 17.5 x 12.4 x 0.2 inch
€520


Ritratto di una giovane
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 35 x 28 x 0.4 cm Painting - 13.8 x 11 x 0.2 inch
€430

Radiant Marilyn Monroe
Liana Ohanyan
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€686


War By Numbers VSE
Shepard Fairey (Obey)
Painting - 67.5 x 52 x 1 cm Painting - 26.6 x 20.5 x 0.4 inch
€7,900


Metaphysics of the hushed indifference
Vladimir Kolosov
Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.6 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 0.25 inch
€851

El Pintor
Francisco Muñoz Tejeida
Painting - 145 x 93 x 1 cm Painting - 57.1 x 36.6 x 0.4 inch
€1,857

JOLIE SIMPLICITE D'AILLEURS
Sophie Petetin
Painting - 65 x 55 x 2.5 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.7 x 1 inch
€995 €796

I'll always stand by your side
Natalya Mougenot
Painting - 40 x 30 x 1.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch
€580



Sous le chapiteau
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 28 x 25 x 0.4 cm Painting - 11 x 9.8 x 0.2 inch
€260

Fragments of Time
Gor Avetisyan
Painting - 110 x 95 x 2 cm Painting - 43.3 x 37.4 x 0.8 inch
€2,800 €2,520

JE SAIS QUE TU M'AIMES
Sophie Petetin
Painting - 72 x 54 x 2.5 cm Painting - 28.3 x 21.3 x 1 inch
€895 €716





Ti porterò alle stelle
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 32 x 16 x 0.4 cm Painting - 12.6 x 6.3 x 0.2 inch
€245

The time has come - Die Zeit ist gekommen
Nina Kruser
Painting - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
€1,365




A Terrace with a View of the Sea
Nataliya Bagatskaya
Painting - 70 x 90 x 1.8 cm Painting - 27.6 x 35.4 x 0.7 inch
€1,500

Cacciatrice di farfalle
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 36 x 33 x 0.1 cm Painting - 14.2 x 13 x 0 inch
€220

The Yes Sayer - Der Jasager
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
€260


Centauromachia
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 27 x 50 x 0.4 cm Painting - 10.6 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch
€390

Cavaliere e le Arpie
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
€390

Gemelli. serie Segni zodiacali
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 19 x 19 x 0.2 cm Painting - 7.5 x 7.5 x 0.1 inch
€78




Dreaming with Frida
Natalya Mougenot
Painting - 40 x 30 x 1.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch
€400

Frida Through Time
Natalya Mougenot
Painting - 40 x 30 x 1.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch
€400


Oh my God, or a Custom Portrait
Nataliya Bagatskaya
Painting - 100 x 70 x 2.3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.9 inch
€2,500

Annunciazione serie Omaggio a Giusto de' Menabuoi
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 48 x 66 x 0.2 cm Painting - 18.9 x 26 x 0.1 inch
€280



Giuditta, omaggio a Lucas Cranach
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 30 x 25 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.8 x 0.1 inch
€260

Omaggio a Piero della Francesco
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 62 x 45 x 0.5 cm Painting - 24.4 x 17.7 x 0.2 inch
€455

Dondolando tra le stelle
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 45 x 30 x 0.2 cm Painting - 17.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
€310


Labyrinth of Life
Harutyun Aghajanyan
Painting - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
€229 €183







Complexity of intelligency
Chung Euijun
Painting - 72.7 x 60.6 x 3 cm Painting - 28.6 x 23.9 x 1.2 inch
€1,710






Autoportrait aviaire
Hatem Akrout
Painting - 120 x 80 x 1 cm Painting - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0.4 inch
€2,000

Fille japonaise
FeiWoux Chan
Painting - 92 x 73 x 3 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 1.2 inch
€3,500 €3,150




Enigmatic Contemplation
Karine Harutyunyan
Painting - 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€320



Wild style
Jeannette Guichard-Bunel
Painting - 116 x 89 x 2 cm Painting - 45.7 x 35 x 0.8 inch
€5,000

Lorsque mon coeur fait boom
Jeannette Guichard-Bunel
Painting - 73 x 92 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 36.2 x 0.8 inch
€4,000




Waves
Prasert Chongudomsab (Pop Ako)
Painting - 150 x 150 x 1 cm Painting - 59.1 x 59.1 x 0.4 inch
€2,800











La femme au bouquet
Christof Monnin
Painting - 120 x 80 x 2.5 cm Painting - 47.2 x 31.5 x 1 inch
€1,600

Au pays du soleil
Rebecca de Cachard
Painting - 50 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
€1,200

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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.
A portrait can be created in various different art styles and forms, including sculpture, painting and drawing.
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.