John Atherton On Sale
1930s Art Deco Landscape Paintings
Tempera
People Also Browsed
1970s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Masonite, Oil
Early 20th Century Art Deco Interior Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century French Contemporary Art
Ceramic
Vintage 1930s French Paintings
Fruitwood
Late 20th Century British Paintings
Canvas
1930s French School Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Vintage 1930s British Art Deco Paintings
Paint
1970s Other Art Style Landscape Paintings
Gouache
1920s Art Deco Figurative Paintings
Oil
1910s Art Deco Nude Sculptures
Bronze
1930s Art Deco Figurative Paintings
Oil
20th Century Victorian Landscape Paintings
Oil
1930s Art Deco Figurative Paintings
Oil
Vintage 1930s Romanian Art Deco Paintings
Paint
1970s Modern Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Watercolor, Gouache
Antique 19th Century Russian Neoclassical Sculptures
Bronze
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.