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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Buddha and Blues
Koorosh Nejad
Painting - 140 x 105.9 x 4.1 cm Painting - 55.1 x 41.7 x 1.6 inch
€2,078
Enjoying the sea breeze
Jose Luis De la Barra Bellido
Painting - 91.4 x 96.5 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 38 x 1 inch
€2,012
Rebel without a cause
Josh One
Painting - 147 x 98 x 4.5 cm Painting - 57.9 x 38.6 x 1.8 inch
€1,900
Dans le cœur
Raphaël Federici (ParisSketchCulture)
Painting - 73 x 54.5 x 2.5 cm Painting - 28.7 x 21.5 x 1 inch
€3,800
Transition - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Men, Love, Women
Ajegbomogun Damilola
Painting - 91.4 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 36 x 1 inch
€2,607
Retro ballet
Nikolai Angelov-Gary
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,750
Imperfect Beauty - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Faces
Odesola Idowu
Painting - 91.4 x 61 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 24 x 1 inch
€2,332
Pure and Simple
Therese Lydia Joseph
Painting - 91.4 x 61 x 5.1 cm Painting - 36 x 24 x 2 inch
€1,175
Parfum de Vanille
France Courpotin
Painting - 120 x 110 x 3.5 cm Painting - 47.2 x 43.3 x 1.4 inch
€2,750
Maeste II (Large Painting)
Tomasz Rut
Painting - 127 x 55.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 50 x 22 x 1 inch
€5,488
No Windowsill
Maxime Cousineau Perusse
Painting - 61 x 76.2 x 3.6 cm Painting - 24 x 30 x 1.4 inch
€677
Ashabi Oge - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Africa Women, Fashion
Azeez Muritadoh
Painting - 166.1 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 65.4 x 48 x 1 inch
€4,893
Golden Face
Jose Ladrón de Guevara
Painting - 85 x 68 x 0.2 cm Painting - 33.5 x 26.8 x 0.1 inch
€2,125
Downtown street scenester
Serge Pierre Callens
Painting - 57 x 76 x 0.2 cm Painting - 22.4 x 29.9 x 0.1 inch
€650
Do you look for hope in other peoples eyes
Sava Harris
Painting - 90 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,585
Fumatore d'arte
Giorgio A.F. Valentini
Painting - 80 x 80 x 10 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 3.9 inch
€700
Vendeur de bouées avec ballon de Barcelone
Rosario Heins
Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
€7,600 €6,840
Overthink no.37
Marie-Chloé Duval
Painting - 76.2 x 76.2 x 3.8 cm Painting - 30 x 30 x 1.5 inch
€1,688
1955 Joueur de BANJO Player
Kam Zin Choon
Painting - 59 x 50 x 0.75 cm Painting - 23.2 x 19.7 x 0.3 inch
€5,950
The Man Who Refuses to Stay Down
Papayon
Painting - 71.1 x 121.9 x 3.8 cm Painting - 28 x 48 x 1.5 inch
€3,500
Que de la bouche !
Nicolas Denigot
Painting - 116 x 89 x 2.5 cm Painting - 45.7 x 35 x 1 inch
€2,400
Amina
Alexandre Monteiro (Hopare)
Painting - 200 x 200 x 3 cm Painting - 78.7 x 78.7 x 1.2 inch
€50,000
Denke positiv - Think positively
Nina Kruser
Painting - 19 x 14 x 2 cm Painting - 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inch
€931 €837
Wind of Change
Olalekan Adeyemi
Painting - 91.9 x 102.1 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36.2 x 40.2 x 1 inch
€2,470
Raz'ebala Vse Ebalo
Anna Bukhareva
Painting - 30.5 x 43.2 x 0.2 cm Painting - 12 x 17 x 0.1 inch
€1,600
Dame à l'éventail
Vittorio Gussoni
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,650
Regardless - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Children, Jewellery
John Ali
Painting - 70.1 x 100.1 x 2.5 cm Painting - 27.6 x 39.4 x 1 inch
€3,064
You, Me and a Pollock vibe
Jo Beer
Painting - 80 x 59.9 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€2,204
Portrait d'une jeune femme assise sur un banc
Marcel-René Chassard
Painting - 57.5 x 48 x 2 cm Painting - 22.6 x 18.9 x 0.8 inch
€1,226
Rêveries - Portrait scène poétique semi figurative
Béatrice Madelenat
Painting - 30 x 30 x 1.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch
€125
MV. 24-7 - Série Croquis Modèle Vivant
Gilles Le Tron
Painting - 26 x 20 x 0.1 cm Painting - 10.2 x 7.9 x 0 inch
€175
What’s Kept Inside
Maisha De la Cruz
Painting - 123 x 214 x 1 cm Painting - 48.4 x 84.3 x 0.4 inch
€8,795 €7,476
Discover the styles & movements
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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.