Oil Painting Portraits

Before the invention of photography, portrait painters spent countless hours capturing the essence of a person on canvas and studying the intricate details of his or her face. Some of the most famous works of art in history are portraits, from archetypal artists such as Klimt, Manet and perhaps the most famous of all, Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa with her mysterious smile. overstockArt carries a large collection of gorgeous reproductions of these classic oil painting portraits, all on quality canvas and at the best value available online. overstockArt’s portrait collection includes famous symbolist paintings by Gustav Klimt, full of erotic depictions of the female body and whimsical stars, shapes and flowers. Klimt’s paintings are perfect representations of the ways in which artists capture a person’s essence without creating a replica of his or her physical appearance. In a more realistic manner, Johannes Vermeer’s famous Girl with a Pearl Earring shows a beautiful young girl wearing a large pearl earring, and the painting is done in dark, deep shades of black, gold and blue for a striking effect. Vermeer’s painting, similar to the Mona Lisa, manage to capture a feeling in the subject’s eye that is the main goal of portrait painting, to capture the humanness of the person depicted. overstockArt’s collection of oil painting portraits will add sophistication to your home or private art collection. With a sense of mystery behind the details of each subject, these reproductions are done in a number of different styles and unique color schemes. While Klimt’s girls are painted using bright, unrealistic colors, painters like Edouard Manet use deep, vibrant colors to show liveliness, and Munch even uses dark, moody colors to paint his subjects. overstockArt’s reproductions of famous oil painting portraits are hand-painted on artist-grade canvas to recreate every detail of the original works. These paintings are all available in different sizes and framing options, and at prices that can accommodate any art collector’s budget.