Portrait Painting for Sale
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Poussières d'étoiles 05
Théo Le Franc
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,018
Brigitte Bardot "Kitchen"
Peter Donkersloot
Painting - 150 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 59.1 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
$9,619
Les couleurs des fleurs d'été
Jéko
Painting - 65 x 50 x 0.2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$1,358
Konohanasakuyahime
Kusaba Kazuhisa
Painting - 38.8 x 46.2 x 2 cm Painting - 15.3 x 18.2 x 0.8 inch
$2,603
Portrait #13. 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
Eclipse (2) Forbidden production (7)
Julien Delagrange
Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
$2,037
Masquerade of emotions
Aram Sevoyan
Painting - 90 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,000
La jeune fille à la fenêtre
Anne Horlaville
Painting - 65 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
$634
Portrait #1. 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
Impermanence 15-2023
Françoise Utrel
Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$2,263
She wants Bitcoin X10
Kseniya Rai
Painting - 70 x 68 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 26.8 x 0.8 inch
$1,584
Smooth parralel
Rudy Dougbe (PRO 176)
Painting - 92 x 92 x 5 cm Painting - 36.2 x 36.2 x 2 inch
$4,527
Identity 4
Hezekiah Oyejide Obidare
Painting - 152.4 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 60 x 48 x 1 inch
$4,699
Fades de Canigó
Marta Carceller
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$2,207
Els dansants de Forcall en la Festa Major
Marta Carceller
Painting - 100 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$962
Camins de tardor
Marta Carceller
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$2,207
L'aube de tes jours
Cécile Desserle
Painting - 116 x 89 x 2 cm Painting - 45.7 x 35 x 0.8 inch
$4,300
Muse. From the Portraits series
Luigi Christopher Veggetti Kanku
Painting - 140 x 140 x 0.3 cm Painting - 55.1 x 55.1 x 0.1 inch
$12,000
Jardim das Fragilidades II
Ritchelly Oliveira
Painting - 150 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 59.1 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
$15,277
Não Me Esqueça
Ritchelly Oliveira
Painting - 190 x 145 x 3 cm Painting - 74.8 x 57.1 x 1.2 inch
$18,672
O Pouso Em Mim
Ritchelly Oliveira
Painting - 150 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 59.1 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
$15,277
Douce mélodie
Albena Vatcheva
Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,528 $1,452
Yellow Fantasy II
Aaron Labin (Grigoryan)
Painting - 30 x 30 x 3.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.4 inch
$565
Marie-Antoinette
Joris Ghilini
Painting - 106 x 73 x 15 cm Painting - 41.7 x 28.7 x 5.9 inch
$10,637
Wolfgang Amadeus
Joris Ghilini
Painting - 106 x 73 x 15 cm Painting - 41.7 x 28.7 x 5.9 inch
$10,637
You Will See (Part 1)
Halyna Abramova
Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
$679
You Will See (Part 2)
Halyna Abramova
Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
$679
You Will See (Part 3)
Halyna Abramova
Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
$679
Golden Hour’s Sun
Nazar Ivanyuk
Painting - 60 x 48 x 0.2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 18.9 x 0.1 inch
$1,245
Discover the styles & movements
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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.
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.
A portrait can be created in various different art styles and forms, including sculpture, painting and drawing.
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.