Cornelis Le Mair

Cornelis le Mair was born in Eindhoven on July 3, 1944. He is a Dutch painter. A romantic painter, he is famous because of his 17th-century paintings. As a child, Le Mair developed a talent for drawing.  After completing high school he went to study at the art academy in 's-Hertogenbosch where he hoped to improve his painting techniques. He left the academy because, in his opinion, free expression was taught almost exclusively. He was advised to transfer to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where the old painter's craft would still be learned. In professor Victor Dolphijn he found a teacher in the art of craftsmanship of old masters. In 1968, Le Mair graduated cum laude in the field of portrait, still life and figure painting. In 1973, Le Mair established himself as an independent painter in an old farmhouse in the vicinity of his hometown Eindhoven. He calls the style in which he works traditional craft. His work is described by art critics as not very innovative. With the general public, however, he is successful and receives many commissions for portraits. He has also arranged exhibitions in galleries and museums that attract many visitors. In addition to his profession, painting portraits, figures, still lifes and single landscapes, he is involved in periods with architecture, making images, building musical instruments and making furniture. He also has several publications on painting to his name.

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.