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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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Painting, Wine Not, B.AX

Wine Not

B.AX

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

$1,179

Painting, The Theatre, Pepe Hidalgo

The Theatre

Pepe Hidalgo

Painting - 60 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

$3,667

Painting, Personal code, Ljubow Jung

Personal code

Ljubow Jung

Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,268

Painting, Struggle, Ashola'sa Daniel

Struggle

Ashola'sa Daniel

Painting - 152.4 x 134.6 x 2.5 cm Painting - 60 x 53 x 1 inch

$3,800

Painting, Sourires 3, Agathe Wagner

Sourires 3

Agathe Wagner

Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch

$1,071

Painting, My rules board, Shake

My rules board

Shake

Painting - 80 x 21 x 1 cm Painting - 31.5 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch

$536

Painting, Dekobra, Claude Voutat

Dekobra

Claude Voutat

Painting - 80 x 80 x 4.5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.8 inch

$5,327

Painting, Marilyn Monroe, PyB

Marilyn Monroe

PyB

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

$226

Painting, Rafael Nadal, PyB

Rafael Nadal

PyB

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

$226

Painting, Rimbaud pop, PyB

Rimbaud pop

PyB

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

$226

Painting, Kouka, Kouka

Kouka

Kouka

Painting - 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Painting - 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch

$1,429

Painting, Elya, Christiane Bernais

Elya

Christiane Bernais

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

$1,786

Painting, Simone, Marion Dauga

Simone

Marion Dauga

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

$238 $214

Painting, Violet, Franklin Ndibam

Violet

Franklin Ndibam

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

$3,104

Painting, Capture, Dan Baldwin

Capture

Dan Baldwin

Painting - 150 x 150 cm Painting - 59.1 x 59.1 inch

$27,300

Painting, Fire, Jojo Wang

Fire

Jojo Wang

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

$3,810

Painting, Let's dance Bowie, Spaco

Let's dance Bowie

Spaco

Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

$143

Painting, King Pelé, Spaco

King Pelé

Spaco

Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

$143

Painting, Regard lointain, Christy

Regard lointain

Christy

Painting - 35 x 27 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 10.6 x 0.8 inch

$976

Painting, Ange ou démon, Christy

Ange ou démon

Christy

Painting - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$1,179

Painting, Portrait, Gago Chtchyan

Portrait

Gago Chtchyan

Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,060

Painting, Sans titre, Hans Mendler

Sans titre

Hans Mendler

Painting - 38 x 29.5 x 0.1 cm Painting - 15 x 11.6 x 0 inch

$417

Painting, L'Envole II, Patricia Dubois

L'Envole II

Patricia Dubois

Painting - 93 x 130 x 3.5 cm Painting - 36.6 x 51.2 x 1.4 inch

$3,274 $2,947

Painting, On A Date, Gobe Joseph

On A Date

Gobe Joseph

Painting - 121.9 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 48 x 48 x 1 inch

$5,499

Painting, Esto Memor, Karine Secret

Esto Memor

Karine Secret

Painting - 116 x 89 x 1 cm Painting - 45.7 x 35 x 0.4 inch

$2,619

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Sculpture, König, Nando Kallweit

König

Nando Kallweit

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

$812

Print, Untiteled, JM Robert

Untiteled

JM Robert

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

$952

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

$1,405 $1,124

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.