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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The Lady with the Necklace
Elisabeth Constantin
Painting - 34 x 34 x 4 cm Painting - 13.4 x 13.4 x 1.6 inch
€1,200
Marianne
Christophe Létua aka Tophe
Painting - 80 x 60 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch
€1,400
War and Peace
Sebastian Picker
Painting - 100 x 240 x 1 cm Painting - 39.4 x 94.5 x 0.4 inch
€17,000
Autumne. Vivaldi inspiration.
Ema Szabo
Painting - 80 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
€1,620
Small Tiger II
Ayobola Kekere-Ekun
Painting - 76.2 x 60.96 x 2.54 cm Painting - 30 x 24 x 1 inch
€7,774
But is there anything under the shell
Niko Remes
Painting - 100 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
€2,100
No name, Painting, Oil on canvas
Asher Topel
Painting - 100.1 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
€1,738
Botox Forbidden Fruit
Ben Frost
Painting - 30.5 x 30.5 x 4.5 cm Painting - 12 x 12 x 1.8 inch
€2,850
Qui se ressemble s'assemble
Jean-François Rousselot
Painting - 60 x 73 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 28.7 x 1.2 inch
€2,200
Varech et autres formes de vie I
Ben Brotherton
Painting - 122 x 78 x 3 cm Painting - 48 x 30.7 x 1.2 inch
€4,200
Marilyn Inconditionnel
Adelia Clavien
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€2,200
Au bord de la piscine
Marine Walon
Painting - 70 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,500
Tante Suzanne - Visage figuratif laine feutrée
Josée Mesnard
Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch
€135
Hatted (detras de tu mirada)
Marcelo Novo
Painting - 61 x 61 x 3.8 cm Painting - 24 x 24 x 1.5 inch
€1,509
Lavandière bretonne
Marguerita Pillini
Painting - 40 x 24.5 x 1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 9.6 x 0.4 inch
€1,717
Cyrano de Bergerac
Hubert Watrigant (De)
Painting - 55 x 41 x 2 cm Painting - 21.7 x 16.1 x 0.8 inch
€4,900
The Queen's Head, Underbank
Michael Gutteridge
Painting - 48.3 x 38.1 x 0.3 cm Painting - 19 x 15 x 0.1 inch
€1,221
Starship moonchild
Dalene Woodward
Painting - 101.6 x 76.2 x 5.1 cm Painting - 40 x 30 x 2 inch
€1,212
The orange stripe dress
Nagui Achamallah
Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 1.8 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 0.7 inch
€1,541
Power in Anonymity
Ben Gulak
Painting - 76 x 51 x 2 cm Painting - 29.9 x 20.1 x 0.8 inch
€1,500 €1,275
Pompiertruche - Série Portrait Autruche personnifiée
Anita Leray
Painting - 30 x 25 x 1.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.8 x 0.6 inch
€200
December 20th
Anna Waleron
Painting - 70 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
€3,900 €3,315
Man with a Dog
Maxime Vardanian
Painting - 162 x 114 x 3 cm Painting - 63.8 x 44.9 x 1.2 inch
€30,000
Curious guinea pig - animal
Petro Krykun
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
€1,000
Halo of Blooms
Clement Mmaduako Nwafor
Painting - 101.6 x 76.2 x 2.5 cm Painting - 40 x 30 x 1 inch
€4,390
Banksy captured / Girl with balloon
Steve Lazarides
Painting - 50 x 70 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
€3,500
Between Light and Darkness
Penuel Heber Madeira Heber Madeira
Painting - 84.1 x 60.5 x 2.5 cm Painting - 33.1 x 23.8 x 1 inch
€3,658
La abuela y sus bolillos
M. J. Carmezim
Painting - 73 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
€2,052
Through the Fog
Stephanie Blaess
Painting - 120 x 120 x 3.5 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.4 inch
€3,400
Cristo
Josep Serra I Santa Serranta
Painting - 140 x 105 x 4 cm Painting - 55.1 x 41.3 x 1.6 inch
€120,000
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
L'esprit Déchaîné (hand-painted)
tizlu
Painting - 50 x 35 x 2.2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 13.8 x 0.9 inch
€1,800 €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
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
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
€2,241
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.