Portrait Painting for Sale
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Ma belle aventure
Cécile Desserle
Painting - 130 x 97 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 38.2 x 0.8 inch
€4,200
The old organ grinder and his friends
Serghei Ghetiu
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,600
The Flamenco woman
Serghei Ghetiu
Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,200
A girl who loves the sea
Serghei Ghetiu
Painting - 80 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,500
A ballerina portrait with dark background
Serghei Ghetiu
Painting - 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€800
Dans ma veste de soie rose...
Cacou
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€850
The faces of the world: the carpet weavers of the east
Serghei Ghetiu
Painting - 70 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€850
Girl with Blue Eyes
Muraz Martirosyan
Painting - 55 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 21.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,200
Souriez vous êtes filmé
Mr.Oreke
Painting - 136 x 105 x 3 cm Painting - 53.5 x 41.3 x 1.2 inch
€2,600
Space abstraction-7
Anand Manchiraju
Painting - 66 x 109.2 x 0.3 cm Painting - 26 x 43 x 0.1 inch
€4,828
Sous le ciel de Provence
Raya Sorkine
Painting - 55 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 21.7 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
€8,900
La Joie de Vivre
Agathe Lemaire Thalazac
Painting - 130 x 150 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
€16,000
Jack Le Magnifique
Agathe Lemaire Thalazac
Painting - 130 x 160 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 63 x 0.8 inch
€16,000
Marielle
Agathe Lemaire Thalazac
Painting - 150 x 150 x 2 cm Painting - 59.1 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
€16,000
Dormeur du Val
Agathe Lemaire Thalazac
Painting - 200 x 300 x 3 cm Painting - 78.7 x 118.1 x 1.2 inch
€27,000
Furioso (Christophe Rousset)
Agathe Lemaire Thalazac
Painting - 150 x 150 x 2 cm Painting - 59.1 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
€16,000
Christian Bérard
Agathe Lemaire Thalazac
Painting - 200 x 400 x 3 cm Painting - 78.7 x 157.5 x 1.2 inch
€32,500
The Albino Series IX (1)
Éric Odartey
Painting - 152 x 114 x 3 cm Painting - 59.8 x 44.9 x 1.2 inch
€3,800
Blue Sombreros - Dec
Nina Urushadze
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,200
L'homme bleu à la cigarette 3
Lila Maroun Frem
Painting - 25 x 25 x 1.5 cm Painting - 9.8 x 9.8 x 0.6 inch
€1,400
Cenizas y diamantes XXI
Cecilia Méndez Casariego
Painting - 45 x 33 x 0.3 cm Painting - 17.7 x 13 x 0.1 inch
€579
Double tête africaine
Robert Combas
Painting - 30 x 45 x 3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 17.7 x 1.2 inch
€22,500
Jeu de dames
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 100 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
€950
Poisson et muscadet
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 90 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
€900
Tout de bleu vêtue
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 90 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
€900
La mère et l'enfant
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 116 x 89 x 2 cm Painting - 45.7 x 35 x 0.8 inch
€1,300
María Elegante
Enrique Pichardo
Painting - 150 x 100 x 1 cm Painting - 59.1 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch
€2,617
Mujer con orgasmo
Ernest Carneado Ferreri
Painting - 82 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 32.3 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,200
Portrait de classe 2
Camille Cottier
Painting - 35 x 27 x 2.5 cm Painting - 13.8 x 10.6 x 1 inch
€950
Sur place ou à emporter
Nicolas Monjo
Painting - 55 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 21.7 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
€800
Les Jumelles aux Chapeaux
Clara Elliot
Painting - 100 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,466
On ne choisit pas sa famille
Béatrice Terra
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
€2,300
Le couple de danseur
Christof Monnin
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1 inch
€1,500
Portrait du poète russe Ivanov
Mady Epstein
Painting - 61 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,138
Autoportrait II
Ghislaine Ferreira
Painting - 100 x 81 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch
€2,400
Dreaming Muse #2
Lilit Soghomonyan
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,600
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
Diamant Noir
Sinden Collier
Photography - 51 x 41 x 0.1 cm Photography - 20.1 x 16.1 x 0 inch
€1,600
The tree of life
Seyran Gasparyan
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,159
Passeur de brise
Pascal Billard
Sculpture - 78 x 45 x 30 cm Sculpture - 30.7 x 17.7 x 11.8 inch
€1,480
Circus Acrobats
Joanna Zakrzewska-Cholewa
Sculpture - 49 x 15 x 6 cm Sculpture - 19.3 x 5.9 x 2.4 inch
€1,599 €1,440
Enchanting Elegance
Samson Adetunji
Painting - 76.2 x 76.2 x 2.5 cm Painting - 30 x 30 x 1 inch
€2,173
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.
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.