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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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
Il a peur de son ombre
Béatrice Terra
Painting - 162 x 114 x 3 cm Painting - 63.8 x 44.9 x 1.2 inch
$8,851
La Madonne du Panier
Marie-France Gely
Painting - 100 x 81 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 1 inch
$1,624
Série : Portrait de couleur - tableau No 1
Wen Ming Tao
Painting - 40 x 30 x 5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 2 inch
$7,600
Something about childhood 4
Liubou Sas
Painting - 50 x 40 x 0.4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.2 inch
$902
Série Casier portrait d'automne I
Evazesir (No Rules Corp)
Painting - 23.4 x 47 x 1 cm Painting - 9.2 x 18.5 x 0.4 inch
$733
Old man with beard (with gold leak 24k)
Le Closier
Painting - 91.4 x 91.4 x 3.8 cm Painting - 36 x 36 x 1.5 inch
$2,200
La gouvernante anglaise
ShuJie Wang
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$902
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
Virgin Plays with a Real Rubik's Cube
Quiona Ribes
Painting - 73 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$902
Summertime Coffee Together
Kirill Postovit
Painting - 100 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,917
Marilyn on Bright Blue
Marian Williams
Painting - 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch
$1,071 $782
Madonna with roses
Dasha Pogodina
Painting - 150 x 130 x 2.5 cm Painting - 59.1 x 51.2 x 1 inch
$2,029
Sognami ancora
Francesco Calistri
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,917
The Enigmatic Gathering
Harutyun Aghajanyan
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$600 $510
Sans titre
Karha Nizharadzé
Painting - 100 x 81 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch
$2,254 $1,917
A ballerina at the window II
Serghei Ghetiu
Painting - 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$902
J'ai rêvé d'horizon plus vaste
Xavier Jallais
Painting - 100 x 81 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 inch
$3,044
Generation Josephine Baker
Caro Graffiti
Painting - 90 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,353
Allure, variations sur fond ocre
David Jamin
Painting - 130 x 97 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 38.2 x 0.8 inch
$4,735
Marilyn Reimagined: A Surreal Portrait
Artush Voskanyan
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$12,000
Ah, mais alors !
Sabine Louriac
Painting - 65 x 50 x 0.2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$631 $568
Eve and forbidden fruit
Pintor Nicolás
Painting - 60 x 90 x 1.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.6 inch
$1,200
Three-quarter-length woman
Milena Sgambato
Painting - 45 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 17.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,353
Alain Delon
Jean-Michel Lourenço
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$846 $592
Ballerina no. 15, Series XXV
Mario Henrique
Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
$733
Il a une tête à passer à la télé
Robert Combas
Painting - 150 x 101 cm Painting - 59.1 x 39.8 inch
$101,471
Je Crois En L'Eternel Féminin
Miss.Tic
Painting - 122 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 48 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$19,167
A contre courant
Pierre Alechinsky
Painting - 31 x 22 x 0.1 cm Painting - 12.2 x 8.7 x 0 inch
$11,275
Au grand Café de Barbizon
Sylvie Julkowski-Egard
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,691
Kafka sur le rivage
Artiste Ouvrier
Painting - 80 x 40 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 15.7 x 1.6 inch
$1,578
Peace Love and Anarchy 3D Canvas
Ziegler T
Painting - 40 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 15.7 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch
$676
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
La Cage et la trace du crayon
Sandra Chevrier
Print - 36 x 30.5 x 0.1 cm Print - 14.2 x 12 x 0 inch
$2,255
Commanda Large Format
Shepard Fairey (Obey)
Print - 105 x 77 x 0.1 cm Print - 41.3 x 30.3 x 0 inch
$2,819
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.