Figurative Paintings
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Mixed Media
2010s Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Benjamin Thomas demonstrates an impressionist scene of a couple having an intimate conversation on a lake-side bench. "I was on a bike ride around the town of Niagara and came back to them still being there," says Robert. The figures bathe in the light of the sunset...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Digital
Artist Comments
Artist Warren Keating displays an image of a man riding a bicycle from an aerial view. "This painting was inspired by an early morning cyclist traveling on a de...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
A mother embraces her child in artist Diana Elena Chelaru's tender expressionist portrait. "We all know as children and later on, as parents how much we love be...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Wood Panel, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
1970s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Figurative Paintings
Panel, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Artist Robin Okun paints modernist abstract figures in cool shades of blue. The scene lights up with vibrant colors and patterns while maintaining a sense of ca...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Figurative Paintings
Panel, Oil
2010s Other Art Style Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Robin Okun displays modernist figures with a lively interplay against a royal blue background. She adds painterly abstract designs to the women and the w...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Pop Art Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Post-Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil
20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Photorealist Figurative Paintings
Panel, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Pop Art Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Charcoal, Gouache
1980s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Artist Comments
Artist Benjamin Thomas shows a sunny beach with softly crashing waves on the dark sand. Three Amish sisters enjoy a stroll on the receding water with their bare...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Figurative Paintings for Sale
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.