Figurative Paintings
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
20th Century Figurative Paintings
Board, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Street Art Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Board
Artist Comments
A fashionable couple poses together, rendered with stylized clothing and sunglasses. "In a stylistic amalgam of pop and folk, abstract and figurative, I portr...
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1940s Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Artist Comments
A portrait of a woman's torso against a striking orange and red backdrop, rendered in artist Diana Rosa's signature mix of folk and pop styles. Diana simplifi...
21st Century and Contemporary Outsider Art Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Provocative hyperrealist oil painting created with breathtaking detail. Artist David Shepherd used water and flowers to create a feeling of life, and to serve...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Feminist Figurative Paintings
Archival Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
1980s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Photorealist Figurative Paintings
Panel, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Ink, Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
20th Century Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
1980s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Egg Tempera
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Panel, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Board, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Other Art Style Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Gouache
1980s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Pop Art Figurative Paintings
Fabric, Wood, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
1910s Figurative Paintings
Crayon, Pastel, Gouache, Board
2010s Academic Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Cubist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Pastel, Paper, Conté
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Neo-Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Masonite, Acrylic
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.