Portrait Drawing for Sale

Portraiture has existed for many centuries. The Greeks produced portraits for funeral and religious rituals; they aimed to “bring back to life those who have passed away." In the Roman era, portraits were often reserved for the ruling figures of society; for example, a warrior would have his portrait painted to illustrate his bravery during a battle. In Europe, it is only during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance that Italian and Flemish painters started to practice the art of portraiture.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, painters created works commissioned by wealthy patrons. Painters sketched out preliminary freehand drawings, which were often then approved by the patron, before beginning to work on their oil paint or, later, watercolor. Facial features were sometimes improved to the detriment of realism, although some painters were known for their ability to reproduce their models' expressions. Some artists worked in great detail while others focussed more heavily on trying to capture the real personality of their model.

For much of its history, portrait not only told a story but it also conveyed a message of power, promoting a well-controlled image to the wider population and establishing the sitter's authority through its circulation. For example, Florentine elites would use paintings and drawings as a mean of controlling their image and establishing their authority. Portraits were a way for someone to live on long after their death. Today we find the faces of aristocracies and the European bourgeoisie in many museums, immortalized by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci or Rembrandt.

The results obtained through drawing depended largely on the tools and materials used. Red chalk was very popular (especially at the beginning of the 16th century) to represent the facial features and the warmth of the skin, while charcoal produced harder lines and pastel created a softer, colorful touch. Artists adapted their technique depending on the subject and the emotion they wanted to convey. The commercialisation of pencils in the nineteenth century made it a popular medium for artists and amateurs alike. Pencil art became more popular and the tool was often used for sketching portraits.

One thing is certain; capturing facial expressions is a demanding art form and the art of portraiture requires a lot of practice. Drawing a face down to its finest details may take hours to obtain the desired result: a protruding jaw, the shape of a skull, thick brows, smiling eyes, dilated pupils… Even more difficult, are children's portraits? It can be difficult to get them to stay still for long. The artist has to be skilled enough to immortalise these men, women and children full of life.

Gradually, sketched portraits became less and less realistic but increasingly daring and experimental in terms of colour. On Artsper, discover drawings by Jean Cocteau, Julien Calot, Alice de Miramon, Philippe Pasqua, Sabine Danzé, Bahareh Navabi and Stéphanie Stindel.

Search by Image

Save your search and find it in your favorites

Weitsicht

Nina Lanner

Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 10 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 5.9 x 3.9 x 0.1 inch

€395

Les joueurs

Valérie Abadie

Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 30 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€1,400

Mother Frida

Noir Artist

Fine Art Drawings - 70 x 50 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

€2,200

Magritte Comedian

Noir Artist

Fine Art Drawings - 60 x 60 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.6 x 23.6 inch

€2,200

Head of a child

Badriot

Fine Art Drawings - 29 x 21 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.4 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch

€500

Soleil, graine et reine des prés

Marie Labat

Fine Art Drawings - 60 x 40 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0 inch

€480

Jeune fille et la mort

Orphné Achéron

Fine Art Drawings - 38.2 x 28.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 11.2 inch

€1,200

Jude

Orphné Achéron

Fine Art Drawings - 40.3 x 29.7 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.9 x 11.7 inch

€950

Travis NYC Lines

Ivan Peev

Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 32 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

€120

I giardini di Kensington

Sergey Bondarev

Fine Art Drawings - 100 x 75 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 39.4 x 29.5 x 0.1 inch

€3,900

Oublié

Erdna André

Fine Art Drawings - 70 x 50 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

€400

Two lovers

Badriot

Fine Art Drawings - 26 x 21 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10.2 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch

€1,500

Jeune fille et trois papillons

Chahrazed Fekih

Fine Art Drawings - 112 x 152 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 44.1 x 59.8 x 0.1 inch

€3,200

Silly Marilyn

Noir Artist

Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 47 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 18.5 inch

€1,750

Van Gogh - Resilience

Noir Artist

Fine Art Drawings - 60 x 60 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.6 x 23.6 inch

€2,200

Martin Luther King - Resilience

Noir Artist

Fine Art Drawings - 70 x 70 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.6 x 27.6 inch

€2,500

Dali

Noir Artist

Fine Art Drawings - 70 x 70 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.6 x 27.6 inch

€2,500

Gandhi - Resilience

Noir Artist

Fine Art Drawings - 70 x 70 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.6 x 27.6 inch

€2,500

Weightlessness

Viktor Goryaev

Fine Art Drawings - 105 x 75 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 41.3 x 29.5 x 0.2 inch

€2,500

Desert vagrants

Viktor Goryaev

Fine Art Drawings - 105 x 75 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 41.3 x 29.5 x 0.2 inch

€2,500

Prayer

Viktor Goryaev

Fine Art Drawings - 77 x 56 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 30.3 x 22 x 0.1 inch

€2,500

Fish and Moon

Viktor Goryaev

Fine Art Drawings - 105 x 75 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 41.3 x 29.5 x 0.2 inch

€2,400

Dondi flower

Lassana Sarr

Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€900

Benoît le chanceux

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 inch

€1,500

Bonjour Tristesse

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 inch

€1,500

En campagne

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 inch

€1,500

La Marche des Éléphants

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 inch

€1,500

L'art de la Guerre

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 inch

€1,500

Le Bon, la brute et le truand

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 inch

€1,500

Aux Innocents les mains pleines

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 inch

€1,500

Le chevalier blanc

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 inch

€1,500

Le meilleur d'entre eux

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 inch

€1,500

Objet Politique Non Identifié

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 inch

€1,500

Le Vicomte

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 inch

€1,500