Figurative Paintings
2010s Modern Figurative Paintings
Tempera, Mixed Media, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Figurative Paintings
Pastel, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1980s Modern Figurative Paintings
Ink, Pen, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Post-Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Cardboard, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1980s Modern Figurative Paintings
Ink, Paper, Pen
2010s Outsider Art Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Academic Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Sandstone
1990s Abstract Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Paper, Oil, Board
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Outsider Art Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
20th Century Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Paint, Illustration Board, Engraving, Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
19th Century Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Mary Pratt paints a fashionable woman with her back gracefully turned to the viewer. She wears a long, billowing dress adorned with polka dots that match...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
Artist Comments
Artist Sharon Sieben creates a stern portrait of a man who, despite his attempt to appear disinterested, finds himself unable to resist the allure of curiosit...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Outsider Art Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Academic Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Wood Panel, Tissue Paper
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Wood Panel, Tissue Paper
1940s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Encaustic, Oil, Board
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s American Realist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Other Art Style Figurative Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
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.