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 #2. From the Portraits series
Luigi Christopher Veggetti Kanku
Painting - 30 x 20.8 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 8.2 x 0.1 inch
$1,200
Fire in my soul
Nolwenn Samson
Painting - 180 x 180 x 6 cm Painting - 70.9 x 70.9 x 2.4 inch
$14,625
Awokose (The Role Model)
Oladire Araireoluwa
Painting - 76.2 x 66 x 2.5 cm Painting - 30 x 26 x 1 inch
$1,200
Voices in the Wind
Mario Henrique
Painting - 150 x 150 x 4 cm Painting - 59.1 x 59.1 x 1.6 inch
$10,413
Imagine, Yoko Ono and John Lennon
Orest Hrytsak
Painting - 195 x 130 x 2.5 cm Painting - 76.8 x 51.2 x 1 inch
$23,400
Une vie d'homme...
Javier Navarro Avilés
Painting - 50 x 65 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0.4 inch
$877
Falling in love with her
Marleen Suvi
Painting - 135 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 53.1 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
$3,744
Sous le ciel de Provence
Raya Sorkine
Painting - 55 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 21.7 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
$10,413
Aprender a caminar y salir del pozo gravitacional #3
Ivan Castiblanco
Painting - 93 x 93 x 0.3 cm Painting - 36.6 x 36.6 x 0.1 inch
$2,500
Sculpted Heritage (Beauty Within Us)
Fasalejo Tobiloba
Painting - 61 x 50.8 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 20 x 1 inch
$1,350
Autoportrait - Introduce myself
Gris1
Painting - 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
$7,605
Les Mannequins (The Supermodels) 2
Alawaye Tope
Painting - 76.2 x 76.2 x 2.5 cm Painting - 30 x 30 x 1 inch
$1,850
I'm in the cabin
Ekaterina Krylova
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,200
Zelf Portret (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Chuli Herrera
Painting - 90 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$8,424
Unknown Soldier - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Military, Veteran, Men
Makama John
Painting - 101.6 x 101.6 x 2.5 cm Painting - 40 x 40 x 1 inch
$2,650
There must have been an angel by my side
Ritchelly Oliveira
Painting - 65 x 54 x 3 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 1.2 inch
$8,541
Situation bancale sous latitude 45'3
Nicolas Monjo
Painting - 65 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
$2,574
The Tree of Life
Kateryna Ocheredko
Painting - 90 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,900
Lost in Thoughts
Tigran Araqelyan
Painting - 90 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,500
Sans-titre
Gérard Zlotykamien
Painting - 65 x 49.5 x 0.2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.5 x 0.1 inch
$3,042
From Somewhere Deep Inside
Aba Linus
Painting - 78.7 x 78.7 x 2.5 cm Painting - 31 x 31 x 1 inch
$2,499
Trust Your Vision
Lena Bera-Pancini
Painting - 90 x 90 x 90 cm Painting - 35.4 x 35.4 x 35.4 inch
$2,223
La belle en chair - série portrait d'huitre
Alexandra Baudin
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$4,095
Black Girl in Origami Dress with Rooste II, Framed
Efren Isaza
Painting - 111.8 x 182.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 44 x 72 x 1 inch
$15,000
Fragile souvenir XI
Cécile Duchêne-Malissin
Painting - 65 x 54 x 4 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 1.6 inch
$1,170
Europe mythologie Femme
Adélaïde Leferme
Painting - 130 x 93 x 4.5 cm Painting - 51.2 x 36.6 x 1.8 inch
$1,778
Sisters in Yellow 3
Oluwafemi Afolabi
Painting - 152.4 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 60 x 48 x 1 inch
$4,000
Not everyone will be taken into the future
Konovalov Igor
Painting - 80 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,287
Innocence in the Fields
Armen Vahramyan
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$600
Bather with the blue wave
Damien Bassez
Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
$4,329
Original 73 face portrait
Eugen Dick
Painting - 100.1 x 100.1 x 4.6 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.8 inch
$2,600
Focus (Bold Face) - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Woman
Kehinde Mayowa
Painting - 61 x 61 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 24 x 1 inch
$1,700
Discover the styles & movements
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tizlu
Fine Art Drawings - 60 x 40 x 1.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.6 inch
$1,872
Top Elite Faschions
Shepard Fairey (Obey)
Print - 61 x 46 x 0.2 cm Print - 24 x 18.1 x 0.1 inch
$643
Degas Danseur de Ballet
Martín Duque
Sculpture - 44 x 16 x 20 cm Sculpture - 17.3 x 6.3 x 7.9 inch
$1,147
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
$2,450
Maiko in Springtime Kyoto
Takashi Murakami
Print - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Print - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$2,842
The Wrinkles of the city, La Havana, Antonio Cruz Gordillo
JR
Print - 100 x 70 x 0.2 cm Print - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch
$2,223 $2,001
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.