Buckley Macgurrin
1940s Art Deco Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Paintings
Paint
People Also Browsed
2010s Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Wood Panel
1940s American Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Paper
1970s Surrealist Figurative Prints
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Early 20th Century Romantic Nude Paintings
Burlap, Oil
20th Century American Paintings
Vintage 1920s German Art Deco Paintings
Paint
1980s Modern Nude Paintings
Board, Oil
1970s American Modern Figurative Prints
Screen, Paper
2010s Academic Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
Mid-19th Century Renaissance Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Drawings
Paper
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Paintings
Paint
1960s Modern Figurative Prints
Lithograph
Early 20th Century Victorian More Prints
Lithograph
Recent Sales
1940s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1940s Other Art Style Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s Art Deco Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
1940s Art Deco Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1940s Art Deco Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Art Deco Figurative Paintings
Masonite, Oil
1950s Art Deco Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
1920s Paintings
Oil, Panel
1950s Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
1960s Paintings
Oil, Panel
1930s Nude Paintings
1930s Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s Art Deco Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
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.