Charles Pompilius
Early 2000s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
People Also Browsed
Early 20th Century Pre-Raphaelite Figurative Paintings
Oil
1940s Post-Impressionist Nude Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Photography
Giclée, Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Panel, Oil
2010s Realist Nude Paintings
Board, Oil
1970s American Modern Nude Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Surrealist Nude Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
2010s Contemporary Nude Paintings
Wood Panel, Oil
19th Century Other Art Style Nude Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Nude Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Nude Paintings
Board, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Nude Paintings
Board, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Late 20th Century Contemporary Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal
Vintage 1950s American Paintings
Canvas
Finding the Right figurative-paintings for You
Figurative art, as opposed to abstract art, retains features from the observable world in its representational depictions of subject matter. Most commonly, figurative paintings reference and explore the human body, but they can also include landscapes, architecture, plants and animals — all portrayed with realism.
While the oldest figurative art dates back tens of thousands of years to cave wall paintings, figurative works made from observation became especially prominent in the early Renaissance. Artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and other Renaissance masters created naturalistic representations of their subjects.
Pablo Picasso is lauded for laying the foundation for modern figurative art in the 1920s. Although abstracted, this work held a strong connection to representing people and other subjects. Other famous figurative artists include Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. Figurative art in the 20th century would span such diverse genres as Expressionism, Pop art and Surrealism.
Today, a number of figural artists — such as Sedrick Huckaby, Daisy Patton and Eileen Cooper — are making art that uses the human body as its subject.
Because figurative art represents subjects from the real world, natural colors are common in these paintings. A piece of figurative art can be an exciting starting point for setting a tone and creating a color palette in a room.
Browse an extensive collection of figurative paintings on 1stDibs.