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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Oyeleye Feranmi
Painting - 45.5 x 60.5 x 3 cm Painting - 17.9 x 23.8 x 1.2 inch
$2,027
Inmate of time II
Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Painting - 60.5 x 60.5 x 2.5 cm Painting - 23.8 x 23.8 x 1 inch
$2,980
Blossoming Love
Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Painting - 111.5 x 93.5 x 2 cm Painting - 43.9 x 36.8 x 0.8 inch
$3,159
Inmate of Time
Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Painting - 60.6 x 60.6 x 3 cm Painting - 23.9 x 23.9 x 1.2 inch
$2,980
Portrait of a woman
Alexander Litvinov
Painting - 60 x 39 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 15.4 x 0.8 inch
$328
Qu'est ce qu'on attend 13
Flo Jaouen
Painting - 100 x 150 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
$4,530
Qu'est ce qu'on attend 8
Flo Jaouen
Painting - 100 x 150 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
$4,530
Hommage aux tirailleurs
Nathanael Koffi
Painting - 30 x 24 x 0.1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.4 x 0 inch
$2,384
Le bruit des hommes me rappelle que je ne suis pas seule au monde...
Barbara Lavenda
Painting - 56 x 46 x 1 cm Painting - 22 x 18.1 x 0.4 inch
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Pause Cigarette #2 Red Roses
Zapata
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
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Pause Cigarette #7 motifs chinois
Zapata
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
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Jeune fille au serre tête rouge et étude de nu
Emile-François Chambon
Painting - 46 x 36 x 0.5 cm Painting - 18.1 x 14.2 x 0.2 inch
$4,847
The inner peace
Nataliia Zhuravlova
Painting - 45 x 55 x 1.7 cm Painting - 17.7 x 21.7 x 0.7 inch
$770
Don't Look Back, Your Life Isn't There Anymore -21st Century, Contemporary Women
Elijah Olanase
Painting - 121.9 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 48 x 36 x 1 inch
$3,350
Soulful Melodic Insight - 21st Century
Mayowa Adekile
Painting - 101.6 x 101.6 x 2.5 cm Painting - 40 x 40 x 1 inch
$4,350
Woman with a white cat
Ewa Wróbel - Hultqvist
Painting - 30 x 20 x 4 cm Painting - 11.8 x 7.9 x 1.6 inch
$1,192
Solitude 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Neo-Expressionism, Mixed Media, Africa
Fredrick Idele
Painting - 61 x 45.7 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 18 x 1 inch
$2,100
Woman in the Sun
Gerardo La Porta
Painting - 60 x 90 x 0.1 cm Painting - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0 inch
$2,861
Ohne Titel (2 Köpfe und Pflanzen)
Ulrike Michaelis
Painting - 31.5 x 21 x 0.1 cm Painting - 12.4 x 8.3 x 0 inch
$1,073
Not Hopeless
Agbabiaka Johnmark
Painting - 152.4 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 60 x 48 x 1 inch
$5,250
Comfort and Grace
Michael Rapoport
Painting - 50 x 34 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 13.4 x 1.2 inch
$3,500
Known Delight - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Religious
Wasiu Adelakun
Painting - 121.9 x 101.6 x 2.5 cm Painting - 48 x 40 x 1 inch
$2,000
La marche périlleuse
Mohamed Diabagate
Painting - 130 x 180 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 70.9 x 0.8 inch
$5,961
Hommage à Picasso
Enric Cormenzana
Painting - 67 x 48 x 1 cm Painting - 26.4 x 18.9 x 0.4 inch
$1,788
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
$5,350
Melancholie
Juliane Hundertmark
Painting - 120 x 110 x 4 cm Painting - 47.2 x 43.3 x 1.6 inch
$10,133
Bohemian - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Surrealism, Africa, Women
Elisha Nyong
Painting - 101.6 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 40 x 36 x 1 inch
$3,350
Um Outro Encanto, Joana Antunes
Joana Antunes
Painting - 100 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
$8,345
Discover 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Children, Africa, Balloons
Benjamin Akinsoji
Painting - 91.4 x 61 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 24 x 1 inch
$1,150
My Artificial Gaze - 21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Nature Woman
Akanji Bolaji
Painting - 129.5 x 63.5 x 2.5 cm Painting - 51 x 25 x 1 inch
$1,950
Companionship - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Women, Birds, Interior
Achike MiracleAnayo
Painting - 91.4 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 36 x 1 inch
$2,800
Cultural Fusion
Godfrey Chukwuebuka
Painting - 106.7 x 76.2 x 2.5 cm Painting - 42 x 30 x 1 inch
$1,750
S for Paris (hilton) rare portrait by WR
Tony Wang (aka Wrongwroks)
Painting - 60 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
$834
Liseuse en chapeau
Élisabeth Gineste (Sitelle)
Painting - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$632
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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
$1,764
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Shepard Fairey (Obey)
Print - 61 x 46 x 0.2 cm Print - 24 x 18.1 x 0.1 inch
$656
Degas Danseur de Ballet
Martín Duque
Sculpture - 44 x 16 x 20 cm Sculpture - 17.3 x 6.3 x 7.9 inch
$1,168
Maiko in Springtime Kyoto
Takashi Murakami
Print - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Print - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$2,896
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
$2,450
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.