Portrait Painting for Sale
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Northern Wind
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 80 x 95 x 2.5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 37.4 x 1 inch
$3,349
In the radiance
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 95 x 80 x 2.5 cm Painting - 37.4 x 31.5 x 1 inch
$3,349
Play of light
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 80 x 57 x 2.5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 22.4 x 1 inch
$3,126
Rotterdam et moi 2
Marian Williams
Painting - 130 x 97 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 38.2 x 0.8 inch
$3,293
Agbeke Spotted Again
Adewuyi Theophilus
Painting - 124.5 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 49 x 36 x 1 inch
$3,299
Shadow Boxer
Nicholas Robertson
Painting - 39.9 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
$661
Delhi Schoolgirl,
Nicholas Robertson
Painting - 50 x 39.9 x 0.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.2 inch
$826
Startled Bather
Nicholas Robertson
Painting - 30 x 24.9 x 0.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.8 x 0.2 inch
$641
La photo de classe
Enfant Précoce / Francis Essoua Kalu
Painting - 200 x 270 x 2 cm Painting - 78.7 x 106.3 x 0.8 inch
$25,674
The Crying Warrior
Jasmin Brendel
Painting - 70 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
$1,563
The Witch and the Beast
Jasmin Brendel
Painting - 50 x 70 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
$1,786
J’ai retrouvé ma boucle d’oreille
Pascale Taurua
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$3,795
The shell (after marcel broodthaers) forbidden collage (11)
Julien Delagrange
Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
$2,009
Human preservation (6) (after pina bausch) forbidden collage (17)
Julien Delagrange
Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
$2,009
Yin and Yang
Mikhail Baranovskiy
Painting - 119.9 x 80 x 4.3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 31.5 x 1.7 inch
$2,000
In the things order
Mikhail Baranovskiy
Painting - 99.8 x 59.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.3 x 23.6 x 1 inch
$2,000
Je vous regarde de haut
Six four two
Painting - 80 x 60 x 1 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch
$670
Rumble in the Jungle
Boris Gobina
Painting - 110 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 43.3 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
$2,679
Memories of summer (1)
Natalie Shiporina
Painting - 90 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$3,126
Brigitte Bardot
Peter Donkersloot
Painting - 120 x 120 x 4 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.6 inch
$8,372
Tony Soprano - James Gandolfini
Peter Donkersloot
Painting - 150 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 59.1 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
$9,488
Peace and Tranquility 1
Joshua Salami
Painting - 91.4 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 36 x 1 inch
$2,500
From the series Ecology of soul and nature III
Mykola Mamchur
Painting - 50 x 60 x 0.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.2 inch
$1,674
From the series Ecology of soul and nature I
Mykola Mamchur
Painting - 50 x 60 x 0.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.2 inch
$1,674
It’s time for walking, mom
Dasha Pogodina
Painting - 94 x 94 x 2 cm Painting - 37 x 37 x 0.8 inch
$1,005
Sister, do you remember sea?
Dasha Pogodina
Painting - 100 x 90 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 35.4 x 1 inch
$1,563
Look at this beauty, honey
Dasha Pogodina
Painting - 94 x 94 x 2 cm Painting - 37 x 37 x 0.8 inch
$1,451
The Breakfast of the Goddess
Vahag Hamalbashyan
Painting - 70 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
$2,344 $2,110
Abuanek 2
Sesse Elangwe Ngeseli
Painting - 210.8 x 157.5 x 3 cm Painting - 83 x 62 x 1.2 inch
$14,512
Abuanek 1
Sesse Elangwe Ngeseli
Painting - 210.8 x 157.5 x 3 cm Painting - 83 x 62 x 1.2 inch
$14,512
Portrait of Mercy
Sesse Elangwe Ngeseli
Painting - 91.4 x 91.4 x 3 cm Painting - 36 x 36 x 1.2 inch
$5,916
Sisters in Yellow
Oluwafemi Afolabi
Painting - 121.9 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 48 x 48 x 1 inch
$3,450
Change and Growth 2
Oluwafemi Afolabi
Painting - 91.4 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 36 x 1 inch
$2,200
Change and Growth 1
Oluwafemi Afolabi
Painting - 91.4 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 36 x 1 inch
$2,200
Spring walk
Arevik Gasparyan
Painting - 70 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,200 $1,020
Soir d'été
Christiane Simon-Roques
Painting - 89 x 130 x 2.5 cm Painting - 35 x 51.2 x 1 inch
$2,233
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
The tree of life
Seyran Gasparyan
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,200 $1,020
Scarface - The World is Yours
Belart Collective
Print - 101 x 77 x 4 cm Print - 39.8 x 30.3 x 1.6 inch
$2,780
Circus Acrobats
Joanna Zakrzewska-Cholewa
Sculpture - 49 x 15 x 6 cm Sculpture - 19.3 x 5.9 x 2.4 inch
$1,785
Her Softness
Kirill Postovit
Painting - 100 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,674 $1,021
The beauty of dance XII
Serghei Ghetiu
Painting - 80 x 49 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 19.3 x 0.8 inch
$1,898
Portrait #2. From the Portraits series
Luigi Christopher Veggetti Kanku
Painting - 30 x 20.8 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 8.2 x 0.1 inch
$1,200
L'envole I - préchauffage
Patricia Dubois
Painting - 93 x 70 x 3.5 cm Painting - 36.6 x 27.6 x 1.4 inch
$2,456
The Last Museum Guard at the Last Museum on Earth
Hernan Bas
Print - 49 x 35 cm Print - 19.3 x 13.8 inch
$1,340
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.