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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Moment of Self-Actualization - 21st Century Mixed Media with Oil, African Fabrics
Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Painting - 91.4 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 36 x 1 inch
€2,159
Entangled World
Harutyun Aghajanyan
Painting - 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€563 €479
Hommage à Camille Claudel
Duytter
Painting - 100 x 100 x 1.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.6 inch
€5,900
Hommage to Lichtenstein
Craig Alan
Painting - 91.5 x 91.5 x 4 cm Painting - 36 x 36 x 1.6 inch
€16,500
Something about childhood 4
Liubou Sas
Painting - 50 x 40 x 0.4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.2 inch
€800
Black Girl in Origami Dress with Rooste II, Framed
Efren Isaza
Painting - 111.8 x 182.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 44 x 72 x 1 inch
€14,081
Qu'est-ce qu'on attend 1
Flo Jaouen
Painting - 100 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
€2,640
Jeune fille à la boucle
Changzheng Zhu
Painting - 65 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€620
Hongkong mood light
Lisbeth Buonanno
Painting - 27 x 22 x 2 cm Painting - 10.6 x 8.7 x 0.8 inch
€750
Self portrait with between clock and bed
Gerard Boersma
Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 2.5 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 1 inch
€1,849
Au grand Café de Barbizon
Sylvie Julkowski-Egard
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,500
Mona Lisa Dream Blue (La Joconde)
Marie KVK
Painting - 80 x 60 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch
€2,500
Me, my sister Maria and rabbits
Kalina Mavrodieva
Painting - 14.5 x 18 x 0.2 cm Painting - 5.7 x 7.1 x 0.1 inch
€675
Série : Portrait de couleur - tableau No 1
Wen Ming Tao
Painting - 40 x 30 x 5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 2 inch
€6,741
Abstract Guernica Collection - Tribute to Picasso
Freda People Art
Painting - 105 x 105 x 0.3 cm Painting - 41.3 x 41.3 x 0.1 inch
€1,500 €1,200
Love in the Time of Forest Fires
Niki Singleton
Painting - 40.64 x 30.48 x 2 cm Painting - 16 x 12 x 0.8 inch
€2,533
Family portrait
Daniel De polignac
Painting - 73 x 100 x 2.5 cm Painting - 28.7 x 39.4 x 1 inch
€700
Goodbyes - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Fashion, Woman, Love, Phone
Akinboye Akinola Peter
Painting - 100.1 x 74.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 29.5 x 1 inch
€2,488 €1,866
Mélodie universelle
Joseph Piermatteo
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€2,500
Portrait in Blue and Red
Ihar Barkhatkou
Painting - 105 x 70 x 3 cm Painting - 41.3 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
€2,000
The arms of the little Cupid
Lilit Soghomonyan
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,600 €1,440
Sognami ancora
Francesco Calistri
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,700
Epicycle - série portrait onirique et surréalisme
Samuel Boudaud
Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€2,125
Aeneas, Anchises and Ascanius II
Reinar Foreman
Painting - 150 x 120 x 1 cm Painting - 59.1 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch
€7,000
Thanos snaps and Mona disappears
Sanuj Birla
Painting - 76.2 x 50.8 x 2.5 cm Painting - 30 x 20 x 1 inch
€3,286
The Mediterranean noon III
Serghei Ghetiu
Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
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Summer is Back - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women Chilling
Jason Langa
Painting - 100.1 x 70.1 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 27.6 x 1 inch
€1,361 €1,021
Eve and forbidden fruit
Pintor Nicolás
Painting - 60 x 90 x 1.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.6 inch
€1,126
Portrait de classe 14
Camille Cottier
Painting - 27.5 x 22.5 x 2 cm Painting - 10.8 x 8.9 x 0.8 inch
€800
Enchanting Elegance
Samson Adetunji
Painting - 76.2 x 76.2 x 2.5 cm Painting - 30 x 30 x 1 inch
€2,112
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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
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
€2,300 €1,725
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.