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.
Save your search and find it in your favorites
Save your search to find it quickly
Saved search
Your search is accessible from the favorites tab > My favorite searches
Unsaved search
A problem occurred
Terre-plein central
Harald Wolff
Painting - 150 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 59.1 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
€3,500
Refugio 2
Adrian Gonzalez Torrez
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
€350 €315
Wild style
Jeannette Guichard-Bunel
Painting - 116 x 89 x 2 cm Painting - 45.7 x 35 x 0.8 inch
€5,000
Lorsque mon coeur fait boom
Jeannette Guichard-Bunel
Painting - 73 x 92 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 36.2 x 0.8 inch
€4,000
Elysia, blushing enigma
Noir Visualart
Painting - 80 x 60 x 0.1 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0 inch
€370 €333
Conversation avec un ange
Mathilde de Bellecombe
Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
€2,600
Requiem for a Dream
Docteur Bergman
Painting - 46 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
€580
La petite robe noire
Ayoka Zahir
Painting - 30 x 22.5 x 0.01 cm Painting - 11.8 x 8.9 x 0 inch
€150 €75
Retrato del sabio
Carlos Hugo Lezcano
Painting - 36 x 26 x 0.1 cm Painting - 14.2 x 10.2 x 0 inch
€340
Dedicated to Modigliani 5
Olga Marciano
Painting - 24 x 24 x 2 cm Painting - 9.4 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
€350
Dedicated to Modigliani 6
Olga Marciano
Painting - 24 x 24 x 2 cm Painting - 9.4 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
€350
Dedicated to Modigliani 4
Olga Marciano
Painting - 24 x 24 x 2 cm Painting - 9.4 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
€350
Portrait Grand Format
Maxime Frairot
Painting - 100 x 81 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch
€1,955
Adam et Eve love in Paris
Patricia Molinaro
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
€250
Arthur le Passionné
Martine Le Bidan
Painting - 65 x 55 x 3 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.7 x 1.2 inch
€2,100
Pourquoi pas des petits pois
Maxime Frairot
Painting - 46 x 38 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 15 x 0.8 inch
€360
La fête du mimosa à Eze
Yvan Philmer
Painting - 120 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
€3,900
La cueillette des fruits d'amour
Yvan Philmer
Painting - 100 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
€2,600
Muhammad Ali - Rumble in the Jungle
Pure Evil
Painting - 100 x 100 x 3.8 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.5 inch
€2,471
Valerie Solanas' Nightmare (Andy Warhol)
Pure Evil
Painting - 100 x 100 x 3.8 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.5 inch
€2,471
L'homme au bonnet d'ours
Florian Eymann
Painting - 72 x 54 x 3 cm Painting - 28.3 x 21.3 x 1.2 inch
€3,024
Sur un banc rouge
Maurice Douard
Painting - 120 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
€10,000
Tendrement
Nicolas Fropo de Habart
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,700
Oscillant
Nicolas Fropo de Habart
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,700
Muse in a Mask
Lilit Soghomonyan
Painting - 150 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 59.1 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€2,200
Blossoming Dreams
Lilit Soghomonyan
Painting - 56 x 76 x 0.3 cm Painting - 22 x 29.9 x 0.1 inch
€1,000
Au pays du soleil
Rebecca de Cachard
Painting - 50 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
€1,200
Comic strip et art nouveau
Marabout
Painting - 89 x 146 x 2 cm Painting - 35 x 57.5 x 0.8 inch
€8,500
Nu assis de face Ref BDNW10753 (1)
Jacques Poncet
Painting - 65 x 50 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 inch
€2,000
Ne me retiens pas
Nicolas Fropo de Habart
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
Sold
Discover the styles & movements
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
€1,480
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
€2,233
Mask geometric - Geometric art
Tarek
Painting - 73 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
€2,300 €1,955
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.