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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Shut up, You Look Good!
Kim Jandi
Painting - 65 x 53 x 3 cm Painting - 25.6 x 20.9 x 1.2 inch
€1,530
Moon night by the sea
Schagen Vita
Painting - 29.5 x 21 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.6 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch
€230
Virtual Reality
Yannick Aaron
Painting - 150 x 150 x 4.5 cm Painting - 59.1 x 59.1 x 1.8 inch
€5,500
Waiting Time - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern, Women
Oluwafemi Akanmu
Painting - 121.9 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 48 x 36 x 1 inch
€2,689
Después de la Data, Diptych
Ivan Castiblanco
Painting - 59.9 x 119.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 47.2 x 0.1 inch
€2,734
Aprender a caminar y salir del pozo gravitacional, Diptych
Ivan Castiblanco
Painting - 93 x 185.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 36.6 x 73.2 x 0.1 inch
€4,557
Impression d’automne sur la terrasse au catalpas
Élisabeth Gineste (Sitelle)
Painting - 61 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
€1,100 €990
Choreography of Love
Barbara Schaumann
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,600
Company of Dance
Barbara Schaumann
Painting - 100 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
€1,900
Symphony of Movement
Barbara Schaumann
Painting - 120 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 47.2 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€1,900
Interwoven Steps
Barbara Schaumann
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,600
Hearts in Motion
Barbara Schaumann
Painting - 110 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 43.3 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,700
Sunlight and Swing
Barbara Schaumann
Painting - 100 x 130 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 51.2 x 0.8 inch
€2,100
Steps of the soul
Barbara Schaumann
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,700
Dissociated Centaur
Olivier Massebeuf
Painting - 81 x 100 x 2.5 cm Painting - 31.9 x 39.4 x 1 inch
€900
Alternative cancan
Olivier Massebeuf
Painting - 81 x 100 x 2.5 cm Painting - 31.9 x 39.4 x 1 inch
€900
Une petite musique d'ascension
Emmanuel Braudeau
Painting - 69 x 49 x 0.3 cm Painting - 27.2 x 19.3 x 0.1 inch
€1,450
La maison du 36
Emmanuel Braudeau
Painting - 65 x 45 x 3 cm Painting - 25.6 x 17.7 x 1.2 inch
€1,450
La paix des anges, ou les nouvelles danses de Christian Gailly
Emmanuel Braudeau
Painting - 57 x 41 x 3 cm Painting - 22.4 x 16.1 x 1.2 inch
€850
I Only Date Black Guys. LOL
Rob Omodiagbe
Painting - 122 x 89 x 3 cm Painting - 48 x 35 x 1.2 inch
€2,734
Un chapeau à la mer N°1
Aurélie Trabaud
Painting - 10 x 10 x 1 cm Painting - 3.9 x 3.9 x 0.4 inch
€110 €99
Un sourire
Alexandre Moore Rockefeller
Painting - 36 x 48.5 x 0.6 cm Painting - 14.2 x 19.1 x 0.2 inch
€1,500
A lazy afternoon
Federico Cortese
Painting - 35.1 x 45 x 0.3 cm Painting - 13.8 x 17.7 x 0.1 inch
€346
Nena I Barqueta
Maria Brugués I Gallego
Painting - 100 x 70 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
€850
Yacht Day in Maymi
Anna Reznikova
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€1,200
The Scarecrow Painter
Gegham Hunanyan
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
€319
Under the Evening Star
Gegham Hunanyan
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
€319
Portrait of Abigael - 21st Century. Contemporary, Figurative, Modern Portrait
Aba Linus
Painting - 78.7 x 78.7 x 2.5 cm Painting - 31 x 31 x 1 inch
€2,598
What Do You See When You Look Through
Aba Linus
Painting - 96.5 x 96.5 x 2.5 cm Painting - 38 x 38 x 1 inch
€2,598
Beautiful Like Sapphire
Aba Linus
Painting - 78.7 x 78.7 x 2.5 cm Painting - 31 x 31 x 1 inch
€2,598
Where Love Shapes The Soul
Aba Linus
Painting - 121.9 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 48 x 36 x 1 inch
€3,509
Ospiti / The guests
Pierluca Cetera
Painting - 180 x 60 x 0.2 cm Painting - 70.9 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch
€1,900
Maja with Parrot
Sirio Pellegrini
Painting - 73 x 37 x 1 cm Painting - 28.7 x 14.6 x 0.4 inch
€2,800
Spanish Girl
Sirio Pellegrini
Painting - 49 x 38.5 x 0.5 cm Painting - 19.3 x 15.2 x 0.2 inch
€2,800
Portrait of Woman
Sirio Pellegrini
Painting - 65 x 44.5 x 0.5 cm Painting - 25.6 x 17.5 x 0.2 inch
€3,200
Tropical Thoughts
Samson Adetunji
Painting - 121.9 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 48 x 48 x 1 inch
€3,509
"Girls at the table" - (based on Maria Berrio)
Viktor Konotopsky
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,500
Times are changing
Akintomide Akinshola
Painting - 63.5 x 52 x 1 cm Painting - 25 x 20.5 x 0.4 inch
€2,220
Other Day With My Brother
Samson Adetunji
Painting - 152.4 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 60 x 48 x 1 inch
€3,645
Simone, en clair-obscur
Muriel Deumie
Painting - 80 x 40 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 15.7 x 1.6 inch
€850 €765
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.