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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Sisterhood - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Modern, Love
Daniel Owoeye
Painting - 106.7 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 42 x 36 x 1 inch
$2,950
Dia al camp (Banyoles)
Alejandra Caballero
Painting - 65 x 65 x 3 cm Painting - 25.6 x 25.6 x 1.2 inch
$2,925
Folie à Deux- Joker
Diederik Van Apple
Painting - 100 x 109 x 4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 42.9 x 1.6 inch
$5,791
Cosi Fan Tutte Fleurdelise
Erte Tirtoff
Painting - 38.1 x 26.7 x 0.3 cm Painting - 15 x 10.5 x 0.1 inch
$3,950
My Imperfection Gaze - 21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Woman
Akanji Bolaji
Painting - 114.3 x 55.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 45 x 22 x 1 inch
$1,950
Donde nace el horizonte nº7
Marta Fàbregas
Painting - 100 x 70 x 5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 27.6 x 2 inch
$3,510
Shining Loneliness
Tetiana Shendryk
Painting - 50 x 50 x 1.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.6 inch
$702
Tell me who your friends are...
Mikhail Baranovskiy
Painting - 59.9 x 49.8 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.6 x 1.2 inch
$650
3 in 1 Beauty - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, African Women
Samson Toba
Painting - 152.4 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 60 x 48 x 1 inch
$4,250
Emotions of Crossed Fingers - Portrait of Asia Girl
Max Skoblinsky
Painting - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$1,755
Taylor Swift's Violin (Taylor Swift au Violon)
Françoise Leblanc
Painting - 100 x 80 x 1 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.4 inch
$936
Blonde comme tes pieds
Matthias Gaillaguet
Painting - 61 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$936
Mes soeurs iraniennes
Annick Bonnet Dupeyron
Painting - 52 x 61 x 2 cm Painting - 20.5 x 24 x 0.8 inch
$643
Bye Bye Blackbirdds
Paula Montgomery
Painting - 121.9 x 91.4 x 2 cm Painting - 48 x 36 x 0.8 inch
$3,100
Après ma cigarette c'est toi que je fume
G. Carta
Painting - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$702
Nature
Prasert Chongudomsab (Pop Ako)
Painting - 60 x 60 x 1 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch
$772 $695
Emotional Landscapes
Maria Vetkalova
Painting - 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$1,000
Lou dans la cuisine à Vergisson
Marc Dailly
Painting - 38 x 28 x 2 cm Painting - 15 x 11 x 0.8 inch
$1,638
07 - Dancing stilt walkers / Potsdam 2
Sabine Winnemuth
Painting - 90 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 35.4 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
$4,212
The guiding light, Painting, Acrylic on canvas
Amy Bernays
Painting - 30.5 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting - 12 x 16 x 0.1 inch
$828
Dedicated to Botticelli 4
Olga Marciano
Painting - 30 x 30 x 1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
$936
L'agent de la cabine
Jean-Michel Mefort
Painting - 130 x 97 x 5 cm Painting - 51.2 x 38.2 x 2 inch
$4,563
A Look Inside the Mirror
Nazar Ivanyuk
Painting - 38 x 32 x 0.2 cm Painting - 15 x 12.6 x 0.1 inch
$936
Eternal (L'Eternel)
Alain Rigollier
Painting - 55 x 46 x 1 cm Painting - 21.7 x 18.1 x 0.4 inch
$573
Seeking peace of mind
Lindokuhle Khumalo
Painting - 145 x 119.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 57.1 x 47.2 x 1 inch
$6,600
Papillonne avec une louve
Gaelle Beyaert
Painting - 60 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$772
Moine bouddhiste avec un jeune novice
The opium smoking white elephant
Painting - 50 x 40 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 inch
$936
Let’s be really happy
Kseniya Rai
Painting - 90 x 150 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
$2,691
Schnappschuss 1706
Baurjan Aralov
Painting - 70 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
$1,404
Les deux amis et l'oiseau
Rebecca de Cachard
Painting - 60 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
$2,106
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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.