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Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

ACADEMIC STYLE

During the Renaissance, the first European fine art academies were established in Italy and would guide the style and standards of visual culture in the following centuries. Academic art became dominant across the continent in the 17th century, with artists coming together to offer instruction in this style of painting and sculpture

The academic art period represented a significant change from the previous era when painters, sculptors and other artists were part of guilds and seen more as artisans than purveyors of culture. While patronage from the elite and the church remained pivotal, young artists were able to support themselves for the first time through academic exhibitions and an independent marketplace. The leading academies included the French Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture founded in Paris in 1648 (which became the Académie des Beaux-Arts after the French Revolution) and the London Royal Academy of Arts formed in 1768 under the inaugural leadership of painter Joshua Reynolds

Academy students sketched drawings based on prints, sculptures and, finally, live models. Movements including neoclassicism and romanticism were particularly popular in these art schools and institutions where the influence of Raphael and Nicolas Poussin was prominent. Beaux Arts architecture and furniture design drew on these movements, too, and, as they also originated at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, the disciplines share common ground with academic painting and sculpture.

Although academic art was a major shift for artistic status when it began, by the middle of the 19th century it was viewed as stodgy and resistant to new ideas, with the subject matter of artists such as William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Jean-Léon Gérôme generally limited to allegorical or mythological themes. Impressionism, realism and the other movements that engaged with contemporary issues that followed were direct reactions to the academic tradition, although it continued to inform the avant-garde as artists like Gustav Klimt and Pablo Picasso started their practices as academic realists.  

Find a collection of academic paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs. 

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Style: Academic
Pair of Drawings with Apollo And Creugante 1916'
Located in Rome, IT
Pair of classical drawings representing Apollo de Belvedere And Creugante . Classical mythologic subjects. Timeless decoration for your interior . Black pencil on paper . Signe...
Category

1910s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper

Two Women (Contemporary Female Figurative Nude Drawing))
Located in New Orleans, LA
New Orleans/Washington State artist Lue Isaac shows off her remarkable draftsmanship with this classical nude figure drawing. Note that this is from her ske...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Conté

LAURENS French romantic Drawing 19th century pencil Departure children mountain
Located in PARIS, FR
Jules LAURENS Carpentras (Vaucluse), 1825 - Saint-Didier (Vaucluse), 1895 Pencil 29 x 23 cm (36 x 30 cm with frame) Signed and dated lower left "JL / 52" Modern frame Excellent condi...
Category

1850s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pencil

Attributed to Eugène Lami (1800-1890) A Maid feeding rabbits, Watercolor
By Eugène Louis Lami
Located in Paris, FR
Attributed to Eugène Lami (1800-1890) A maid feeding rabbits Watercolor on paper Bears a monogramm E L on the lower right 12.5 x 12.5 cm In good condition, some foxings in the uppe...
Category

1860s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Louis Charles Auguste Couder (1789-1873) The Widower and the Orphan, drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Louis Charles Auguste Couder (1789-1873) The Widower and the Orphan Lead pencil on paper 29 x 20 cm In good condition: some superficial creases, diffuse foxings Framed (losses, ...
Category

1860s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pencil

She Ain't Heavy - She's My Lover (Contemporary Figurative Nude Drawing))
Located in New Orleans, LA
New Orleans/Washington State artist Lue Isaac shows off her remarkable draftsmanship with this classical nude figure drawing. Note that this is from her ske...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

Le Vengeur
Located in BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT, FR
Après une formation à l’École des beaux-arts de Paris auprès de Jean-Léon Gérôme et Édouard Detaille, Gustave Bourgain se spécialise dans les marines ...
Category

1890s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"Self Portrait Conte Sketch" rare Ben Fenske work on paper - academic study
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
A colorful self-portrait from Ben Fenske, staring at the viewer straight-on. Hues of red dominate. Unframed. Ben Fenske (b. 1978) although a native of Minnesota, and has been worki...
Category

Early 2000s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Conté

Fagin Teaching Boys to Steal, Original Illustration by Marshall Goodman
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Marshall Goodman, American XXth Title: Fagin Teaching Boys to Steal (Oliver) I Year: circa 1960 Medium: Watercolor on Paper, signed in ink Size: 17 x 23 inches Frame: 21.5 x ...
Category

1960s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Retrato femenino - Dibujo a pastel
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra va firmada por el artista en la parte inferior En la parte trasera, va nuevamente firmado y fechado del año 2005 Se presenta enmarcada la obra (el marco presenta algún leve...
Category

Early 2000s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel

Boulevard parisino - Dibujo a pastel
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Firmado por el artista en la parte inferior Se presenta bien enmarcada la obra (no hay cristal para evitar posibles roturas del cristal en el transporte) y comentar que el marco pre...
Category

Late 20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel

Self Portrait, Graphite Drawing
Located in Denver, CO
Elizabeth Zanzinger's (US based) "Self Portrait" is a graphite drawing that depicts the artist. Elizabeth Zanzinger is an award-winning painter with an enthusiastic international following. She developed her artistic voice through her studies at the Aristides Atelier and Gage Academy of Fine Art in Seattle. Elizabeth finished her education with a fellowship award (Grand Prize, 2nd Annual Utrecht Art...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

Dusk from the Tomb of Lorenzo di Piero de'Medici - Original Ink Drawing
Located in Chicago, IL
This particular drawing is a study of the sculpture at the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy. The artist creates a true to life representation of the sculpture in question by incorporating techniques of classical academic drawing such as cross hatching and gesture based mark making in order to create volumes and give the study an overall three-dimensionality. Christopher Ganz Dusk from the Tomb of Lorenzo di Piero de'Medici, by Michaelangelo, in Florence Ballpoint pen 24h x 13w in 61h x 33.29w cm CG0064 -ARTIST STATEMENT- I depict my person in multiplicity with different selves representing dramatis personae. My likeness is both implicit and symbolic in the portrayal of my narrative; the drama involved in creating art and the artist’s role in society. I use realism to invite the viewer into mysterious inner worlds that are layered reflections of the outer. Dehumanizing environments are imbued with art historical references as a critique of power structures. The artist is an Everyman who is at odds with society and his self. Visually my work is a celebration of society’s dark undercurrents and its overlooked absurdities. I use charcoal and printmaking media as their tenebrous values add a fitting metaphor. The nuances of light and shadow seduce viewers into a world their better judgment would have them avoid. This provokes a sense of disquietude that causes viewers to assess our world through the austerity of a colorless, yet not humorless, light. -BIO- Christopher Ganz grew up in Northeast Ohio and from early on had a fertile imagination and an interest in art. Christopher's artistic education truly began at the University of Missouri, where his love of the human form led to many figure drawing classes and his exposure to the wonders of printmaking. Christopher's then went onto graduate school at Indiana University and a summer abroad program in Italy was a dream realized. Christopher then grasped charcoal with a renewed vigor and large, sfumato-laden drawings ensued. Christopher's artistic influences are many; from a seminal exposure to Dore's engravings of the Divine Comedy, to Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Goya, and up to Lucian Freud, Mark Tansey, and Michael Mazur. Christopher is now an associate professor of printmaking and drawing at Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne. Christopher drawings are represented by Ann Nathan Gallery in Chicago, and he shows his prints across the nation. -CV- EDUCATION MFA 2001 Printmaking Indiana University-Bloomington BFA 1995 Drawing and Printmaking University of Missouri-Columbia TEACHING/PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 2002-13 Associate Professor, Printmaking and Drawing Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), Fort Wayne, IN 2002 Adjunct Professor: Lithography (instructor of record) Indiana University-Bloomington 1998-00 Associate Instructor: Beginning Drawing (instructor of record) Indiana University-Bloomington 1998 Artist’s Assistant, Assisted Distinguished Professor Emeritus Rudy Pozzatti in the production of an intaglio edition, Bloomington, IN SOLO OR SMALL GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2013 Multiplicities: Drawings and Prints by Christopher Ganz, Franklin College, Franklin, IN Feb. 5 – Feb. 21 2012 Dramatis Personae: Drawings and Prints by Christopher Ganz, University of South Carolina-Columbia, Jan 16. – Feb. 16, 2012 2011 Christopher Ganz; Prints and Drawing Hendrix College, Hendrix, Arkansas, March 5 - 18 2009 Fall Season Exhibition, six drawings displayed Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago. Oct 16 – Nov. 24 South Bend Museum of Art Biennial 25 - regional juried exhibition for artists in all media, six large drawings displayed; 14 artists selected from over 200 submissions; May 30-Aug. 23 Juror: William Lieberman, Director of Zolla/Lieberman Gallery, Chicago 2007 Christopher Ganz: Drawings, The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center Covington, KY, March 9 - April 6 Alter Egos: Drawings and Prints by Christopher Ganz Trisolini Gallery, Ohio University, Athens, OH, Jan. 9 - Feb.17 2005 The Two-Way Mirror: Self - Portraits by Christopher Ganz Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN, Aug.20 - Oct. 23 2004 Works on Paper: Christopher Ganz and Paul Schumann Robert E. Wilson Gallery, Huntington College, Huntington, IN, Sept. 2 - 25 2002 Images by Christopher Ganz - Visual Arts Gallery Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, IN, Sept. 3 – Oct. 11 2001 M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition - School of Fine Arts Gallery Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, March 27 - April 7 SELECTED ADJUDICATED OR INVITATIONAL GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2012 International Expositions of Sculpture Objects and Functional Art (SOFA) Chicago, Drawing, “The Initiation” on display in Ann Nathan Gallery space, Nov. 2-4 Reverse Watching, Invitational Print Portfolio Monoprint, “The Mind’s Eye" displayed at Mid America Print Council’s National Conference, Southeast Missouri State, Cape Girardeau, MO, Nov. 1 – 3 Contemporary American Realism: Fort Wayne Museum of Art 2012 National Biennial, Fort Wayne, IN, Aug.11-Oct. 28 32nd Annual National Print Exhibition at Artlink - National Juried Exhibition Artlink Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN, April 13 – May 23 Juror: Ladislav Hanka, internationally exhibiting printmaker International Expositions of Sculpture Objects and Functional Art (SOFA) New York, Park Avenue Armory, Drawing, “The Enigma” on display in Ann Nathan Gallery space, April 20-23 Spring Group Show, drawings, “Checking Out” and “The Enigma” displayed, April – May 2 Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago 2011 Prints U.S.A. 2011 – National Juried Exhibition Springfield Art Museum, Missouri, Nov. 18 – Jan. 8 Juror: Elizabeth Wyckoff, Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs, St. Louis Art Museum International expositions of Sculpture Objects and Functional Art (SOFA) New York, Park Avenue Armory, Drawing, Checking Out on display in Ann Nathan Gallery space, April 14-17 2010 Contemporary American Realism: Fort Wayne Museum of Art 2010 National Biennial, Fort Wayne, IN, Sept. 3 – Nov. 7; two pieces accepted Cultural Baggage, Invitational Print Portfolio Intaglio print, Super-Heroes go to Hell, after Dore’ displayed at Mid America Print Council’s National Conference, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, Chicago, Oct. 13-16 Art Chicago: International Fair of Contemporary and Modern Art Drawing, The Cyclops on display in Ann Nathan Gallery space, April 29 - May 2 30th Annual National Print Exhibition at Artlink - National Juried Exhibition Artlink Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN, April 16 – May 26 Juror: Claudia Berlinski, Senior Lecturer of Printmaking at Akron University, Akron, OH 2009 Are you looking at me? Invitational Print Portfolio Color lithograph, Open and Shut, displayed at IMPACT 6: International Print Conference Centre for Fine Print Research, University of the West of England, Bristol, Sept. 16 – 19 Art Chicago: International Fair of Contemporary and Modern Art Drawing, Self-Checkout on display in Ann Nathan Gallery space, May 1 – 4 Identification Please, Invitational Print Portfolio Intaglio print, Good Cop/Bad Cop displayed at Southern Graphics Council National Conference, Columbia College, Chicago, March 25 – 29 Boston Printmakers 2009 North American Print Biennial – National juried printmaking exhibition Juror: Rebecca Waddell, Curator of Prints at the New York Public Library Boston University’s 808 Gallery, Boston, MA, Feb. 15 – March 30 22nd Parkside National Small Print Exhibition - National Juried Exhibition University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI, Jan.18 - Feb. 19 Juror: Professor of printmaking at the University of Wisconsin - Parkside Portraits and Beyond, Ann Nathan Galley, Chicago, IL, Jan. 9 - Feb 19 2008 Contemporary American Realism: Fort Wayne Museum of Art 2008 National Biennial, Fort Wayne, IN, Sept13 – Nov. 2; two pieces accepted 28th Annual National Print Exhibition at Artlink - National Juried Exhibition 2008 Artlink Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN, April 11 – May 21 Juror: Mark Pascale, Printmaking Faculty, School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Curator of Prints and Drawing, Art Institute of Chicago “No Danger” - Invitational Portfolio Folded paper airplane lithograph, “The Dream of Flight” displayed at Richmond International Airport as part of the Southern Graphics Council National Conference Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, March 26 – April 26 21st Parkside National Small Print Exhibition - National Juried Exhibition University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI, Jan.20 - Feb. 21 Juror: Karla Hackenmiller, Printmaking Chair and Associate Professor, School of Fine Arts, Ohio University 2007 Singularities – Invitational group exhibit Joan Resnikoff Gallery, Roxbury Community College, Boston, MA Nov. 2 – Dec. 17 Hong Kong Graphics Art Festival 2007: Crossing Boundaries - Invitational international printmaking exchange exhibition School of Design Gallery, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China, Nov. 1 – Nov. 16 27th Annual National Print Exhibition at Artlink - National Juried Exhibition Artlink Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN, May 26 - July 5; two pieces accepted Award Selector: Brett Colley, Assistant Professor of Art and Design, Grand Valley State University Boston Printmakers 2007 North American Print Biennial – National juried printmaking exhibition Boston University’s 808 Gallery, Boston, MA, Feb. 18 - April 1 Juror: Judith B. Hecker, Assistant Curator, Department of Prints and Illustrated Books, The Museum of Modern Art, New York 2006 The Printed Image: The First Biennial Midwestern Graphics Juried Exhibition National Juried Printmaking Exhibition Alice C. Sabatini Gallery, Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, Topeka, KS Aug. 11 - Sept 15 Juror: Karen Kunc, Professor of Printmaking/Book Arts, University of Nebraska- Lincoln 2006 National Contemporary American Realism: Fort Wayne Museum of Art's 2006 Biennial, Fort Wayne, IN, June 10 - Aug. 20; two pieces accepted 26th Annual National Print Exhibition at Artlink - National Juried Exhibition Artlink Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN, May 26 - July 5; two pieces accepted Award Selector: Carolyn Autry, artist and Associate Professor of Art and Art History at the University of Toledo 19th University of Dallas Print Invitational - Traveling national invitational exhibition Haggerty Gallery, University of Dallas, Irving TX, Jan. 28 – March 6 three pieces accepted Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, TX, Feb. 1 – March 9, 2007 Juror: Juergen Strunck...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pen

Two divine women - Pencil drawing - circa 1914
Located in Paris, IDF
Georges CONRAD (1874-1936) Two divine women Original pencil and color pencil drawing Signed with the stamp of atelier On paper 26.5 x 20 cm (c. 10,4 x 7.8 in) Very good condition, ...
Category

1910s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil

Secretary in the Subway - Pencil drawing - circa 1913
Located in Paris, IDF
Georges CONRAD (1874-1936) Secretary in the Subway Original pencil and color pencils drawing Signed with the stamp of atelier On paper 26.5 x 20 cm (c. 10,4 x 7.8 in) Good conditio...
Category

1910s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil

Ludovico Marchetti, "Avant le tournoi", lavis
Located in BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT, FR
Ce dessin est une réplique par Ludovico Marchetti de son tableau présenté à l’Exposition Universelle de 1878, "Avant le tournoi", reproduit dans la Gazette des beaux-arts du 1er juil...
Category

1870s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Gouache

Portrait Sketch
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
A portrait of a male head, in profile by BenFenske. The artist uses a variety of colors to convey a naturalist impression. Artist Bio Ben Fenske (b. 1978) although a native of Minn...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Conté, Crayon

Bacchanal scene with nymp and Satyrs, pencil on Paper signed and dated 1778
Located in Paris, FR
A Nymph and two Satyrs Signed lower right "................fecit" and dated 1778 Grey wash over charcoal and brown ink, on laid paper 27 x 40.5 cm / 10.5 X 16 inches Framed : 51 x...
Category

1770s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pencil

French school 19th Sketch costume canopy holder church pictorial decoration
Located in PARIS, FR
French school of the 19th century Watercolor Annotations "Porte Dais / Costume for for the church of Saint Denis" 24 x 16.5 cm
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

A Fine Orientalist Pencil and Watercolor Reclining Middle Eastern Beauty
By Francesco Ballesio 2
Located in LA, CA
Francesco Ballesio (Italian, 1860-1923). A fine orientalist pencil and watercolor heightened with gum Arabic on paper figure of "A Middle-Eastern Beauty at Rest" depicting a young ma...
Category

Early 1900s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

"Warm Evening Solitude"
By John P. Nicolson
Located in Southampton, NY
For your consideration here is a wonderful original watercolor by the Scottish born artist John P. Nicolson also known as John Nicolson. Executed circa 1915 in the style of Winslow H...
Category

1910s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Street Costumes, Gay Nineties Fashion - Female Illustrator
Located in Miami, FL
Street Costumes by Ruth Kreps. Signed lower right. Most likely for a book published in the 1930's about turn of the century women's fashion. "Costume Design of the Gay Nineties" T...
Category

1930s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Board

Self Portrait Sketch
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An early work on paper, by American Impressionist painter, Ben Fenske. It's rare to see a drawing like this from Fenske, especially of a self portrait. Fenske uses classical draftin...
Category

Early 2000s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Conté

Ballroom Dancers II - Charcoal, Figurative, Fabric, Movement, Human Form
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Ballroom Dancers II by Trudy Good. Original Charcoal & Pastel onto paper. Trudy Good is a British figurative painter who has exhibited in numerous pla...
Category

Early 2000s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal, Pastel

Ballroom Dancers - Charcoal, Figurative, Fabric, Movement, Human Form, British
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Ballroom Dancers by Trudy Good. Original Charcoal & Pastel onto paper. Trudy Good is a British figurative painter who has exhibited in numerous plac...
Category

Early 2000s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal, Pastel

Academic figurative drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Academic figurative drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 20th Century, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add figurative drawings and watercolors created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple and other colors. Frequently made by artists working with Archival Paper, and Archival Tape and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Academic figurative drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 2.56 inches across are also available. Prices for figurative drawings and watercolors made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $11 and tops out at $288,500, while the average work sells for $747.

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