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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Beautiful Mindset

Taiwo Odejinmi

Painting - 61 x 45.7 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 18 x 1 inch

€1,504

Rousse aux yeux clairs

Martine Fauve Dechavanne

Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

€500

Unexpected

Juffrouw Springtouw

Painting - 59.4 x 42 cm Painting - 23.4 x 16.5 inch

€800

David

Marco Araldi

Painting - 51 x 51 x 4 cm Painting - 20.1 x 20.1 x 1.6 inch

€1,174

Brotherhood 3

Ekele Francis

Painting - 91.4 x 61 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 24 x 1 inch

€1,823

Beauté 17

Kaige Yang

Painting - 50 x 30 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€2,300

Answer Within

Emmanuel Ojebola

Painting - 91.4 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 36 x 1 inch

€1,823

Do or Undo

Marco Barberio

Painting - 120 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

€2,500

Inner peace

Taiwo Odejinmi

Painting - 91.4 x 61 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 24 x 1 inch

€1,823

Smile of Joy

Taiwo Odejinmi

Painting - 61 x 45.7 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 18 x 1 inch

€1,504

Thoughtful John

Taiwo Odejinmi

Painting - 61 x 50.8 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 20 x 1 inch

€1,686

Self Reflection 1

Emmanuel Ojebola

Painting - 91.4 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 36 x 1 inch

€2,734

Avenir

Mathilde André

Painting - 45 x 38 x 3 cm Painting - 17.7 x 15 x 1.2 inch

€670

Rythmique basse

Pierrick Tual

Painting - 90 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

€1,680

La forêt

Maude Ovize

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

€1,300

Siva

Stefano Mazzolini

Painting - 110 x 50 x 4 cm Painting - 43.3 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

€600

Bateau d'amour

Albena Vatcheva

Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

€575 €547

Waiting

Zakhar Shevchuk

Painting - 95 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 37.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

€2,150