Portrait Painting for Sale
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The portrait of the malice aforethought
Vladimir Kolosov
Painting - 39.4 x 30.5 x 0 cm Painting - 15.5 x 12 x 0.01 inch
€556
Portrait d'un jeune agriculteur gersinois
Pierre Prèneron
Painting - 93.5 x 64 x 1 cm Painting - 36.8 x 25.2 x 0.4 inch
€1,800
La cicogna e babbo natale
Asnidy Kiarholi
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€900
Brûler dans tes yeux
Laurent Anastay-Ponsolle
Painting - 65 x 50 x 0.1 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€850
Cœur de châtaignier (ça pique)
Ben
Painting - 86 x 46 x 8.5 cm Painting - 33.9 x 18.1 x 3.3 inch
€14,000
Ange gardien
Patsheli Kahambo Kitange
Painting - 162 x 130 x 5 cm Painting - 63.8 x 51.2 x 2 inch
€2,200
Parable of a Texan nest
Susan Rocklin
Painting - 140 x 170 x 4 cm Painting - 55.1 x 66.9 x 1.6 inch
€7,402
A strong man – Uncle II
Dzovig Arnelian
Painting - 275 x 100 x 1 cm Painting - 108.3 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch
€979
Haunted by desire
Dzovig Arnelian
Painting - 62 x 62 x 0.5 cm Painting - 24.4 x 24.4 x 0.2 inch
€1,382
Joeur de football sur fond sienna / Soccer Player on sienna background
Moon Shin
Painting - 42 x 27 cm Painting - 16.5 x 10.6 inch
€2,950
Yellow floating cube following me
Le Hai Linh
Painting - 77 x 53 x 1 cm Painting - 30.3 x 20.9 x 0.4 inch
€1,200
Mujer Con Sombrero Rojo
Ernest Carneado Ferreri
Painting - 65 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€800
Mujer Rubia
Ernest Carneado Ferreri
Painting - 62 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 24.4 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
€800
Mujer Con Vestido Rojo Y Móvil
Ernest Carneado Ferreri
Painting - 92 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,300
Stolen childhood
Marina Dobrovolskaya
Painting - 120 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 47.2 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
€5,000
The virtual deaths
Maribelle Saad
Painting - 105 x 127 x 0.2 cm Painting - 41.3 x 50 x 0.1 inch
€1,232
The decision
Ricardo Fabián Bertona
Painting - 60 x 50 x 4 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch
€1,295
Qu'est ce qu'on attend 7
Flo Jaouen
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€2,255
People are strange
Pedro Elias Barreta
Painting - 150 x 48 x 2 cm Painting - 59.1 x 18.9 x 0.8 inch
€1,538
Love is the shelter
Sara Denkenesh Bresolin
Painting - 50 x 70 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
€1,263
Sand clock CXXXVII
Daniel Cuadrado
Painting - 15.6 x 6.6 x 0.1 cm Painting - 6.1 x 2.6 x 0 inch
€1,130
Happiness is inside of you
Miyu Ai
Painting - 50 x 50 x 0.01 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€1,234
Michel Houellebecq
Jean-Michel Lourenço
Painting - 100 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
€750
famille intérieur jaune
Pascal Marlin
Painting - 35 x 27 x 3 cm Painting - 13.8 x 10.6 x 1.2 inch
€300
Tête noire, masque rose
Pascal Marlin
Painting - 46 x 38 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 15 x 0.8 inch
€450
Homme dans fauteuil et enfant
Pascal Marlin
Painting - 130 x 89 x 3 cm Painting - 51.2 x 35 x 1.2 inch
€3,000
Empreinte mythique d'un chef indien
De Caso Michel
Painting - 38 x 46 x 1.5 cm Painting - 15 x 18.1 x 0.6 inch
€650
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
Un couple au fond blanc
Raya Sorkine
Painting - 100 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€9,800
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
Circus Acrobats
Joanna Zakrzewska-Cholewa
Sculpture - 49 x 15 x 6 cm Sculpture - 19.3 x 5.9 x 2.4 inch
€1,599 €1,440
My village, a child and a Lego
Eulogia Merle
Painting - 100 x 120 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 inch
€2,420
Contemporary portrait "Cat Country"
Nataliya Bagatskaya
Painting - 90 x 55 x 1.8 cm Painting - 35.4 x 21.7 x 0.7 inch
€1,990
Diamant Noir
Sinden Collier
Photography - 51 x 41 x 0.1 cm Photography - 20.1 x 16.1 x 0 inch
€1,600
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.
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.