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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Portrait d'Ursula Stauffacher au livre rouge
Alexandre Blanchet
Painting - 91.5 x 75 x 2 cm Painting - 36 x 29.5 x 0.8 inch
€3,979
The Cellist. Allegro! - French Character Portrait
J Tempier
Painting - 46 x 33 x 0.25 cm Painting - 18.1 x 13 x 0.1 inch
€480
Carnegie Hall (serie Smart Barby)
Isa Sator
Painting - 120 x 60 cm Painting - 47.2 x 23.6 inch
€3,200
La touareg du Sahara
Ellis Zbinden
Painting - 50 x 42 x 0.1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 16.5 x 0 inch
€3,000
PINK TUBES : COTTON CANDY AND EPHEMERAL LOLITA SPECTRUM
Saori Nakamishi
Painting - 180 x 130 x 5 cm Painting - 70.9 x 51.2 x 2 inch
€7,000
I could feel my heart beating I
Jacqueline H-Botquelen
Painting - 120 x 80 cm Painting - 47.2 x 31.5 inch
€7,400
Le vendeur de rue
Edouard Menta
Painting - 46.5 x 38.5 x 0.5 cm Painting - 18.3 x 15.2 x 0.2 inch
€2,987
La marchande de poissons, Genève 1814
Alexandre Cingria
Painting - 110.2 x 78 x 1 cm Painting - 43.4 x 30.7 x 0.4 inch
€4,369
Jeune fille au bord de la fenêtre
Fritz Glarner
Painting - 92 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€3,187
Life can be tough but so are you
Mpumi
Painting - 74 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 29.1 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
€3,400
Femme à la ceinture
Marie Thuillier
Painting - 43 x 30 x 0.1 cm Painting - 16.9 x 11.8 x 0 inch
€750
Dance in the glow of the Sun
Ala Ilescu
Painting - 30.5 x 30.5 x 3.8 cm Painting - 12 x 12 x 1.5 inch
€342
I kissed a frog
Christian Granwehr
Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
€4,400
En tiempo y Espacio
Griselda Alcazar
Painting - 120 x 85 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 33.5 x 1.2 inch
€4,550
Elegante assisse pres d'une chaise lyre
Paul César Helleu
Painting - 61 x 40 x 1 cm Painting - 24 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
€6,500
The dark side of the beauty
Walter Geraci
Painting - 60 x 50 x 0.1 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€380 €342
Retrato de cuerpo entero - Prometeo y el fuego
Pere Bennàssar Obrador
Painting - 190 x 97 x 2.5 cm Painting - 74.8 x 38.2 x 1 inch
€9,000
Echelons of empowerment : purple panorama
Jimmy Yoshimura
Painting - 40 x 160 x 5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 63 x 2 inch
€4,000
Amphibologie - série portraits hybrides
Claude Verger dite Claud
Painting - 40 x 40 x 0.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.2 inch
€450
Portrait de sa Majesté Baudouin 1er
Pierre Piget
Painting - 61 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€250
Memories take a nap in between
Djénina Hagenburger
Painting - 122 x 149 x 1 cm Painting - 48 x 58.7 x 0.4 inch
€4,500
Abstract portrait blue
Benjamin Carrivick
Painting - 15 x 9.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 5.9 x 3.9 x 0.1 inch
€193
The True North
Roldán Lauzán Eiras
Painting - 170 x 145 x 3 cm Painting - 66.9 x 57.1 x 1.2 inch
€9,700
THINKING ABOUT : VIRTUAL CONTEMPLATION OR NAVIGATING THE MIND’S CODE
Sumomo Kanashiwa
Painting - 140 x 123 x 3 cm Painting - 55.1 x 48.4 x 1.2 inch
€6,000
EQUILIBRIUM : BRIDGES OF SERENITY
Ryoko Watanabe
Painting - 170 x 167 x 5 cm Painting - 66.9 x 65.7 x 2 inch
€7,100
Les souris
Dominique Albertelli
Painting - 146 x 114 x 2.5 cm Painting - 57.5 x 44.9 x 1 inch
€5,800
The blue shadow
Hildegarde Handsaeme
Painting - 140 x 50 x 4 cm Painting - 55.1 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch
€2,800
Bavière Pervers
Sorrel Mocchia di Coggiola
Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
€5,200
Marilyn Monroe II
Maria Trattner
Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
€3,350
Woman at the pool
Heinz Rabbow
Painting - 110 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 43.3 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
€14,600
My granny Polli
Zurab Kurchishvili
Painting - 100 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€5,182
In the Desert, Pink Sky
Mickey Bond
Painting - 20.3 x 20.3 x 1.3 cm Painting - 8 x 8 x 0.5 inch
€182
Serge Gainsbourg
Gwendal Lemercier
Painting - 29.7 x 21 x 0.2 cm Painting - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch
€280
La sagesse dans les branches
Amor de Agua
Painting - 120 x 108 cm Painting - 47.2 x 42.5 inch
€1,100
L'homme et la mer
Isabelle Fournet
Painting - 146 x 97 x 2 cm Painting - 57.5 x 38.2 x 0.8 inch
€2,370
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
€2,230
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.