Figurative Paintings
Late 18th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings
Egg Tempera
18th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings
Copper
1760s Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Carbon Pencil
1720s Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Chalk
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-18th Century Edo Figurative Paintings
Paper, Ink, Pigment
Mid-18th Century Figurative Paintings
Oil
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Early 18th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings
Oil
1780s Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Early 19th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
17th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Watercolor, Ink, Archival Paper
17th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
19th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
20th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1910s Art Deco Figurative Paintings
Pencil, Archival Paper, Gouache
Late 17th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
18th Century Other Art Style Figurative Paintings
Oil
Late 18th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
Early 18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Paper, Chalk, Ink
Late 18th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-18th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings
Parchment Paper, Ink, Watercolor
Early 18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Oil
Late 18th Century Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 18th Century Other Art Style Figurative Paintings
Tempera
Early 18th Century Northern Renaissance Figurative Paintings
Oil
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
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.