Artworks

All artworks

Artists

All artists

Galeries

All galleries

Categories

Subcategories

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.

Read more

Save your search and find it in your favorites

Saved search

Your search is accessible from the favorites tab > My favorite searches

Unsaved search

A problem occurred

Painting, Diary Notes, Trude Viken

Diary Notes

Trude Viken

Painting - 29.845 x 22.86 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9 x 0.8 inch

€4,573

Painting, Fauvette, Witold Pyzik

Fauvette

Witold Pyzik

Painting - 120 x 67 x 5 cm Painting - 47.2 x 26.4 x 2 inch

€5,000

Painting, Like a pirate, Debbie Reda

Like a pirate

Debbie Reda

Painting - 34.9 x 27.3 x 2.54 cm Painting - 13.7 x 10.7 x 1 inch

€4,116

Painting, Colourful games, Anna Lageda

Colourful games

Anna Lageda

Painting - 32 x 41 x 0.5 cm Painting - 12.6 x 16.1 x 0.2 inch

€800 €720

Painting, La cascade, Jason Blak

La cascade

Jason Blak

Painting - 81 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 31.9 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch

€1,350

Painting, Portrait 2, Erdna André

Portrait 2

Erdna André

Painting - 80 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

€500

Painting, Pianiste, Jeb

Pianiste

Jeb

Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch

€700

Painting, State of Grace, Mary Brown

State of Grace

Mary Brown

Painting - 121.9 x 91.4 x 3.8 cm Painting - 48 x 36 x 1.5 inch

€9,146

Painting, The 2nd Half, Chance Cooper

The 2nd Half

Chance Cooper

Painting - 116 x 149 x 3 cm Painting - 45.7 x 58.7 x 1.2 inch

€14,451

Painting, Untitled, Andrew Tosh

Untitled

Andrew Tosh

Painting - 48 x 33 cm Painting - 18.9 x 13 inch

€400

Painting, Kenzo, Alexandra Frances

Kenzo

Alexandra Frances

Painting - 200 x 135 x 2 cm Painting - 78.7 x 53.1 x 0.8 inch

€8,000

Painting, Farah 2, Leslie Valade

Farah 2

Leslie Valade

Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

€2,000

Painting, Untitled, Viktor Sheleg

Untitled

Viktor Sheleg

Painting - 70 x 50 x 0.2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

€400

Painting, Selva, Alex Lazard

Selva

Alex Lazard

Painting - 63 x 54 x 3 cm Painting - 24.8 x 21.3 x 1.2 inch

€2,300

Painting, Goldorak, Karine Nicolleau

Goldorak

Karine Nicolleau

Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

€250

Painting, Pape Diouf, Mahn Kloix

Pape Diouf

Mahn Kloix

Painting - 46 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch

€900

Painting, Mona Lisa, Dashone

Mona Lisa

Dashone

Painting - 86 x 86 x 4 cm Painting - 33.9 x 33.9 x 1.6 inch

€1,600

Painting, Inna, Alea Pinar Du Pre

Inna

Alea Pinar Du Pre

Painting - 120 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch

€11,000

Painting, Indira, Karine Wald

Indira

Karine Wald

Painting - 200 x 200 x 4 cm Painting - 78.7 x 78.7 x 1.6 inch

€11,000

Painting, Angelo, Andrei Arkhipov

Angelo

Andrei Arkhipov

Painting - 80 x 40 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 15.7 x 1.2 inch

€6,500

Painting, Freelove, Branka Grubic

Freelove

Branka Grubic

Painting - 100.1 x 100.1 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

€1,815

Painting, Louis, Clara NineL

Louis

Clara NineL

Painting - 115 x 89 x 3 cm Painting - 45.3 x 35 x 1.2 inch

€390 €351

Painting, Bichette, Afat One

Bichette

Afat One

Painting - 130 x 97 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 38.2 x 0.8 inch

€5,300

Painting, Réunion, R. Keim

Réunion

R. Keim

Painting - 57.5 x 64 x 0.5 cm Painting - 22.6 x 25.2 x 0.2 inch

€1,995

Painting, the last punk, Snach-ka

the last punk

Snach-ka

Painting - 180 x 180 x 4.5 cm Painting - 70.9 x 70.9 x 1.8 inch

€9,700

Painting, Un appel, Harald Wolff

Un appel

Harald Wolff

Painting - 150 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 59.1 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

€3,500

Painting, Muslim, Lucie Navier

Muslim

Lucie Navier

Painting - 32 x 24 x 0.2 cm Painting - 12.6 x 9.4 x 0.1 inch

€350

Painting, Balancing, Gillian Holding

Balancing

Gillian Holding

Painting - 59 x 51 x 3 cm Painting - 23.2 x 20.1 x 1.2 inch

€4,550

Painting, Monroe, Kerry Ost

Monroe

Kerry Ost

Painting - 122 x 92 x 4 cm Painting - 48 x 36.2 x 1.6 inch

€10,976

22/100

Discover the styles & movements

more inspiration

Discover the selection of our experts

Sculpture, König, Nando Kallweit

König

Nando Kallweit

Sculpture - 26 x 7 x 4 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 2.8 x 1.6 inch

€713

Fine Art Drawings, Sun Day, tizlu

Sun Day

tizlu

Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 40 x 1.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.6 inch

€1,180 €980

Print, Untiteled, JM Robert

Untiteled

JM Robert

Print - 65 x 50 x 1 cm Print - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

€800

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.