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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
Returnable Items Only
Procession Four girls with flowers - English Female Illustrator
Located in Miami, FL
Four young English girls with flowers are shown in a line and moving from left to right. They are pushed forward on the picture plane as if they were on a stage with a simple indica...
Category

1890s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Study for “The Artist’s Studio” 1820, Horace Vernet (French 1789-1820)
Located in Sydney, NSW
Horace Vernet (French 1789-1863), Study for “The Artist’s Studio” 1820. This is a charming detailed pen and ink study for “Vernet’s The Artist’s Studio” which was painted in 1820. I...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Paper

British mid century pen drawing 'Bird's eye view' by Mona Alizon Edwards
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Mona Alizon Edmonds (British, circa 1944) Birds Eye View Pen on paper 9.7/8 x 10 in. (25.3 x 25.5 cm.)
Category

20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pen

Bozzetto Accademico della Testa di un Cherubino.
Located in Firenze, IT
Bozzetto Accademico della Testa di un Cherubino. Disegno a carboncino e gessetto bianco su carta leggermente colorata di grigio. Seconda metà dell'Ottocento In buone condizioni. Prov...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Chalk, Pencil

English School 19th Century, Julia Matthews in ‘The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein’
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
A highly decorative and whimsical study of ‘The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein’ starring Julia Matthews as the title role, first shown in 1867. La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein is an ...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Pen, Ink

French School circa 1880, Portrait of a boy holding a book, drawing
Located in Paris, FR
French school circa 1880 Portrait of a boy holding a book graphite and white gouache on paper 39.5 x 32 cm oval view in good condition, slightly yellowed with age In its original ova...
Category

1880s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache, Pencil

MB 017 (Figurative Life Drawing of Female Nude by Mark Beard)
Located in Hudson, NY
Academic style life drawing of female nude with charcoal and graphite by Mark Beard, "MB 017" graphite, Conte crayon and charcoal on Arches paper 30 x 22 inches unframed Signed, lowe...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal, Archival Paper, Graphite, Conté

Study of Christ, hands crossed, three pencils on blue paper
Located in PARIS, FR
Victor François Éloi BIENNOURRY (1823-1893) Study of Christ, hands crossed Three pencils on blue paper Signed "V. Biennourry" and located in "Paris" at the top right 10 x 8,5 inch Fr...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pencil, Color Pencil

Scottish early 20th Century watercolour painting of a sitting girl by Lamont
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
John Charles Lamont ARSA (Scottish, 1894-1948) “The sitting girl” Pencil, watercolour, body colour and pastel Signed ‘LAMONT’ (lower-right) 23. 3/4. X 14. 3/4 in (60.5 x 37.5 cm)
Category

20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel, Pencil, Watercolor

Study of a saint, circa 1875-79, Preparatory drawing
Located in PARIS, FR
Melchior DOZE (1827-1913) Study of a saint, ca. 1875-79 Preparatory drawing for the decoration of the church of Saint-Félix de Saint-Gervasy (Gard), chapel of the Cross (south side...
Category

1870s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Chalk, Paper, Graphite

Studious Girl Reading a Book - Women's Education - Female Illustrator
Located in Miami, FL
The work represents a carefully rendered and meticulously observed environmental portrait of a young girl absorbed in study in front of a book case. It celebrates the intelligence o...
Category

1910s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Chalk, Charcoal

Academic drawing. A large sketch-study of a female figure. 19th Century.
Located in Firenze, IT
A large sketch-study of a female figure. 19th Century. The young woman is depicted nude , with her hand seemingly calling for attention. The figure inserted into a niche. Large drawi...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pencil, Paper

Academic Drawing. Figure Study of Young Sitting Nude Man. 19th Century.
Located in Firenze, IT
Charcoal drawing on light gray-blue colored paper. The drawing depicts a young man sitting with the hand on forehead. the position is probably meant to express the feeling of regret,...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Steel

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

Watercolor, Board, Ink

Scene of Venetian evenings during the Carnival - Ink drawing - circa 1916
Located in Paris, FR
Georges CONRAD (1874-1936) Scene of Venetian evenings during the Carnival Original India ink and color pencil drawing Signed with the stamp of atelier On paper 26.5 x 20 cm (c. 10....
Category

1910s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

India Ink, Color Pencil

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

Pen, Paper

Resting Man (Man relaxes draped only in a small towel)
Located in New Orleans, LA
A rare pencil drawing by John Lear created in 1937, signed and dated in pencil. John Brock Lear, Jr. Born: 1910 - Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania Died: ...
Category

1930s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pencil, Graphite

Dame Laura Knight, signed, charcoal on board drawing of behind theatre scene
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
A beautifully composed drawing of 'A Barry Jackson Xmas Play' by Dame Laura Knight executed in 1921. The work is signed and titled and is in good condition. The full details are as...
Category

20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal, Board

"Sons and Lovers" Drill Drawing, #2
Located in Dallas, TX
Signed by artist "M. O'KEEFE 2013" at lower left. Media is graphite on clay-coated panel. Overall dimensions including the frame are 18 x 15 inches.
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Clay, Panel, Graphite

“India, 1912”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor and gouache on paper of a busy street scene in India done in 1912 by the American artist, William Henry Drake. Copyrighted signed and dated 1912 lower left. Condition is good. Recently professionally matted. Unframed. Overall matte size is 12 by 16 inches. Provenance: A Long Island, New York estate. William Henry Drake Born: 1856 New York Died: 1926 Los Angeles Nationality: American Education: Académie Julian, Art Students League of New York Known for: Painting, illustration Awards: National Academy Biography: Drake studied at the Académie Julian in Paris, with Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant and Henri Lucien Doucet. Back from Europe, he studied at the Cincinnati School of Design, and would often go to the zoo, where he could draw the animals. He was then employed by the Museum of Natural History. He continued to study at the Art Students League of New York. In 1878 he worked as a freelance pen-and-ink artist for such periodicals as Century or Harper’s with animal studies...
Category

1910s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Gouache

Early 20th Century profile of a lady in pastel by Belgian artist Fabry
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Emile Fabry Profile of a lady Pastel on paper Signed ‘Emile Fabry’ (lower right) 15 x 12 in. (38.2 x 30.5 cm.) Emile Fabry was a highly regarde Belian symbolist painter who became a refugee in St. Ives during the first world war. This work is a study of a lady from St. Ives during this period. He was commissioned by University College Cardiff to paint two large canvasses...
Category

20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

The Carpet Seller 19th Century Orientalist Antique Watercolor Painting on Paper
Located in Jacksonville, FL
Provenance John Welles Hollenback, New York The Painting is Signed FBartolini Lower Right Federico Bartolini (Italian, 1861 - 1908) Description: Federico Bartolini was a renowned ...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"Portrait of Young Woman with Bonnet, " Watercolor
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Portrait of Young Woman with Bonnet" is an original watercolor and graphite drawing on paper by Hannah de Rothschild. This artwork features a woman in a hat holding a ring. 10" x ...
Category

1860s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Graphite

Early 20th Century head study in pastel by Belgian artist Emile Barthelemy Fabry
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Emile Barthelemy Fabry (Belgian, 1865 – 1966) Head study Pastel on paper Signed ‘Emile Fabry’ (lower left) 15 x 12 in. (38.2 x 30.5 cm.) £850 Emile Fabry was a highly regarded Belgian symbolist painter who became a refugee in St. Ives during the first world war. This work is a study of a lady from St. Ives during this period. He was commissioned by University College Cardiff to paint two large...
Category

20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Alice Liddell and sisters, inspiration for Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
By Lewis Carroll
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
This is a beautiful drawing, brimming with the unique personalities of Alice Liddell and her beloved sisters, Lorina and Edith. Dating back to the late 19th Century, this captivatin...
Category

20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pencil

“Tsingtao, China 1912”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor and gouache on paper of a Tsingtao, China street scene in 1912 executed by the American illustrator, William Henry Drake. Copyrighted and signed and dated 1912 lower left. Condition is good. Recently professionally matted. Unframed. Overall mat size is 16 by 12 inches. Provenance: A Long Island, New York estate. William Henry Drake Born: 1856 New York Died: 1926 Los Angeles Nationality: American Education: Académie Julian, Art Students League of New York Known for: Painting, illustration Awards: National Academy Biography: Drake studied at the Académie Julian in Paris, with Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant and Henri Lucien Doucet. Back from Europe, he studied at the Cincinnati School of Design, and would often go to the zoo, where he could draw the animal...
Category

1910s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper, Gouache

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

Feeding the Kittens - Little cat mother -
Located in Berlin, DE
Ernst Albert Fischer-Cörlin (1853 Körlin - 1932 Persante). Feeding the Kittens, 1893. Pencil on painting cardboard, 38 x 29 cm. Signed and dated by the artist at lower left "E[rnst] A[lbert] Fischer=Cörlin 1893". - Lightly stained, somewhat dusty and minimally foxed. - Little cat mother - About the artwork Daughter, mother and grandmother gather in the sunlight to feed a litter of kittens. The mother and grandmother hold the lively, playful animals in their arms, while the young girl feeds two of the four kittens with cookies. There is also a small bucket of milk and a bowl of milk. The women and the girl watch as the cute, still blind animals eat. It is a scene taken from everyday life, but it also has an allegorical dimension, bringing maternal care into the representation. Three generations are represented, with the grandmother and the mother already mothers. They not only offer the kittens to the youngest, but also proudly observe the maternal care that the youngest gives to the kittens. Like the kittens, she will grow up and become a mother herself, so the image is also an allegory of life's ever-new beginnings. In keeping with this, the morning sun shines into the picture from the right. Fischer-Cörlin has masterfully worked out the quality of the light, with its light and dark areas, with the pencil used...
Category

1890s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Cardboard, Carbon Pencil

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

Crayon, Paper, Conté

A pair of early 20th Century drawings of Neo-Classical hero by Hildegard Miller
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Hildegard Miller (British, 19th / 20th Century) Studies of a Neo-Classical Hero Signed ‘HILDEGARD BMB MILLER’ (lower right) Crayon and light chalk 15.3/4 x 11.5/8 in. (40 x 29.7 cm.)...
Category

20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Chalk, Crayon

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

“On Alert”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original pen and India ink drawing on heavy card stock of French soldiers on horseback by the well known French military artist, Edouard Detaille. Signed lower left and dated 1882. ...
Category

1880s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Archival Paper, Pen

British early 20th Century pastel drawing of Puck, Midsommers Night Dream
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Herbert James Draper (British, 1863-1920) Puck Pastel Inscribed ”PUCK” (middle left) and further inscribed and signed `Study for Puck/ Herbert Dra...
Category

20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel

“Nassau Harbor, Bahamas”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor and gouache on archival paper by the American artist, Martin Louis Lindsay. Signed, titled and dated top right. Done in 1944. Condi...
Category

1940s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Miss Twisty: Back to the City - Mid-Century Female Illustrator
Located in Miami, FL
Miss Twisty is a story of a young girl who leaves the big city to spend time in the country. The book is filled with insight and humor. This work is a deftly rendered black-and-wh...
Category

1940s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite, Paper

Academic master drawing: Allegorical Scene artist in Musée d'Orsay
Located in Norwich, GB
A fascinating allegorical scene by French master Paul-Louis Delance (1848–1924), an artist known for the allegorical and history paintings. His grandfather was the Count Joseph van R...
Category

1870s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal, Paper

Vogue Magazine Illustration Turn of the Century - Woman Illustrator
By Helen Dryden
Located in Miami, FL
Early in the artist's career most likely for Vogue Magazine. Signed lower left. Helen Dryden (1882–1972) was an American artist and successful industrial designer in the 1920s and 1...
Category

1910s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pencil, Graphite, Gouache, India Ink

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

Nude back (1978) - Ink on paper 46x63 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
China Ink Signed H. Balslaecj (artist unknown from the gallery) and dated 1978 Pastel wooden frame with plexiglas Total size with frame: 75x57x6 cm
Category

1970s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

Stipple Drawing in Black and White of the First Lady of Haiti - African American
Located in Miami, FL
1942 Calendar illustration featuring the First Lady of Haiti (Madame Elie Lescot]) rendered in a precise stipple effect and celebrating African-American women which was titled "Twelve American Women." It was executed during the hight of World War II. Lois Mailou Jones...
Category

1940s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Pencil

“Afternoon Stroll”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor of a hunter and his dog taking a late afternoon stroll in the countryside. Signed middle bottom and dated 1852 or 1853 J. Hamilto...
Category

1850s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Archival Paper, Watercolor

“Bedouin Encampment at Sunset”
Located in Southampton, NY
Beautiful orientalist original gouache by the well known French artist, Paul B. Pascal. Circa 1885. Signed lower right. Condition is excellent. The scene is of a Bedouin encampment at sunset. Newly professionally matted and framed in antique style frame. Under glass. Overall measurements are 11 by 13 inches. Provenance: A Sarasota, Florida estate. Paul B. Pascal (1839–1905) was a French landscape painter. He did landscape paintings of the Middle East and the Mediterranean coast with gouache. After he emigrated to the United States in 1893, he did paintings of the American wilderness...
Category

1880s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache

Kyffin Williams OBE RA, pen and ink study, Welsh 20th Century, figurative
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Sir John Kyffin Williams, OBE, RA (Welsh, 1918–2006) Study for The Agony in The Garden Pen and ink Signed with initials `KW’ (lower right) 18 x 10....
Category

20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pen

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

“Mother and Children”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor on archival paper of a mother and her children by the Japanese artist, Takashi Nakayama. Signed in watercolor lower left...
Category

1920s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Archival Paper, Watercolor

“Figures on Camelback along the Nile”
Located in Southampton, NY
Wonderful original orientalist gouache by the well known French artist, Paul B. Pascal. Signed lower right. Circa 1885. Condition is excellent. The scene depicts figures on camelback along the Nile with pyramids in the background. Newly professionally matted and framed in antique style frame. Under glass. Overall framed measurements are 11 by 13 inches. Provenance: A Sarasota, Florida estate. Paul B. Pascal (1839–1905) was a French landscape painter. He did landscape paintings of the Middle East and the Mediterranean coast with gouache. After he emigrated to the United States in 1893, he did paintings of the American wilderness...
Category

1880s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache, Archival Paper

Richard Wintzer, A Young Woman & Bathing Machine, Drawing
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This early 20th-century drawing by German artist Richard Wintzer (1866-1952) depicts a lady standing before a bathing machine. It’s a risque portrayal ...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

'Erika in Gesture I, ' by James Cobb, Drawing
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This framed 21" x 19" drawing by artist James Cobb, 'Erika in Gesture I,' captures the female model in a seated pose. The model is seated with her legs tuck...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Chalk, Conté, Graphite

Diptych of a mother and her daughter by Elisabeth De Stoutz - Watercolor 24x40
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper without frame Framing possible Pour Elisabeth DE STOUTZ (1854-1917) Swiss artist famous on our different auction house
Category

1890s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Persephone, 19th Century Classical French Academy Drawing
Located in Cotignac, FR
19th Century French Academy drawing of a classical maiden, signed Xavier Rendeley bottom right, numbered and dated 2nd April 1883. Presented in ...
Category

1880s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Chalk, Pencil

'Dancer in Seated Gesture 2, ' by James Cobb, Chalk and Conté on Paper, 2021
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This 11.25 x 15.25 work on paper features a lone, seated, female dancer viewed from the back. The figure is twisting toward the viewer as she begins to look over her right shoulder. Her legs are pulled toward her body with the left leg crossed over the right. The isolation of the seated figure within the ground of the page lends a vulnerable quality to the work. The 16 x 20 dark brown mat has a window size of 11.25 x 15.25. Bio: Jim Cobb, until recently was hanging his work on Canyon Rd in Santa Fe, New Mexico. One-man shows have been hosted in Taos, New Mexico, Norman, Oklahoma and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. When the Oklahoma Art...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Conté, Paper, Chalk

'Harvest Time', Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, London Royal Academy
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'H. Hammond' for Horace Murray Hammond (British, circa 1879-1966) and dated 1921. A luminously painted, bucolic view of harvest time in England with the lilac of the evening casting a soft light over the contented horses and loaded hay-cart, as the harvesters come to the end of their day's labors. Son of the noted landscape painter, Robert John Hammond, Horace Hammond was born and raised in Warwickshire. In 1927, he moved, first to Worcestershire and then to London. Over the course of a long and successful career, Hammond exhibited widely, including at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool and at London's Royal Academy, among numerous other locations. A well-listed painter...
Category

1930s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Illustration Board, Gouache, Watercolor

'Erika in Gesture II, ' by James Cobb, Drawing
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This framed 21" x 19" academic drawing by artist James Cobb, 'Erika in Gesture II,' captures a female model in a standing pose. Facing away from the viewer...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Conté, Graphite

Under the weight of the cross by Pierre Eugène Vibert - Charcoal 63x48 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Sanguine and charcoal on paper without frame
Category

1920s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal

“European Village”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor on archival paper laid down to heavy card stock by the American artist, Edward Loyal Field. The watercolor is of a European scene, perhaps Holland when the artist...
Category

1870s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

Early 20th Century French crayon drawing of a group of young people
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Edmund Dulac (French, 1882 – 1953) A welcome refreshment Black crayon with a touch of white chalk Signed ‘E Dulac’ (upper right) 8.7/8 x 11 in. (22.5 x 28...
Category

20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Chalk, Crayon

Gentle Evening - Pencil drawing - circa 1914
Located in Paris, FR
Georges CONRAD (1874-1936) Gentle evening 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, pa...
Category

1910s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil

Isidore Pils (1813-1875) An Orientalist scene, signed watercolor
Located in Paris, FR
Isidore Pils (1813-1875) An Orientalist scene Signed lower left Pencil and heightenings of watercolor on paper ​​​​​​​15 x 24 cm paper yellowed by time, stains and a small repaired tear on the upper right edge. In a modern mount 40.5 x 53 cm Isidore-Alexandre-Augustin Pils (1815–1875) was a French academic painter of religious and military subjects. Pils was born in Paris as the son of a soldier François Pils. At the age of twelve, he studied with Guillaume Guillon-Lethière for four years. In 1831 he became a student at the École des Beaux-Arts and studied under François-Édouard Picot. He competed for the Prix de Rome, which he won in 1838 for a history painting, St. Peter Healing a Lame Man at the Door of the Temple. Although in poor health, Pils then spent the customary three years at the French Academy in Rome at the Villa Medici, which then had Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres as its director. While in Italy he visited Naples, Venice, and Florence. Pils's earlier paintings have religious themes. In 1849 he completed his most famous work, Rouget de L'Isle Singing La Marseillaise, which now resides at the Musée historique de Strasbourg. After experiences travelling with French troops through the Crimea, his themes took on military and nationalistic subjects. He later produced many military scenes during the siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Pils was appointed professor of painting at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1863 but left the same year for two years in Algeria. In 1868 he was elected to seat #14 of the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Among his students were Adrien Moreau...
Category

1870s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

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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