Ethel Davenport
Mid-20th Century American Realist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
Mid-20th Century American Realist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
Mid-20th Century American Modern Landscape Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century American Realist Landscape Paintings
Oil, Board
1970s American Modern Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century American Realist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
1990s American Modern Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Oil
Richard MerkinLarge Richard Merkin Painting Harlem Jazz Club, New Yorker Magazine Cover Artist, 1997
People Also Browsed
2010s Contemporary Interior Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Water...
Archival Paper, Color Pencil, Pastel
Mid-20th Century American Paintings
Paint
Vintage 1940s American Paintings
Other
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Paint
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Paint
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Wall-mounted Sculptures
Wood
1940s American Realist Landscape Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1930s American Modern Figurative Prints
Woodcut
1950s Folk Art Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1940s Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1940s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Late 20th Century Old Masters Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century French Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Paint
1950s More Prints
Paper
Recent Sales
Mid-20th Century American Realist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
Mid-20th Century American Realist Landscape Paintings
Oil, Board
Mid-20th Century American Realist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
Mid-20th Century American Modern Landscape Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century American Realist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
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.