Figurative Paintings
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
Artist Comments
Artist Warren Keating takes after a late winter drizzle in Paris. He displays the light texture of falling rain over a moving figure holding their umbrella upwa...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
My work is about the rediscovery of the poetry and beauty in the everyday, and this painting was inspired by my view from a pier of the pedestrians and bicycl...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
This painting was inspired by Warren Keating's view from his balcony on St. Germain in Paris of an older couple in love, walking together arm-in-arm. He captu...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
This contemporary figurative painting was inspired by my aerial view of the pedestrians below from my hotel balcony in Paris. My signature Pixel Impressionist...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
This painting was inspired by the view from my hotel balcony in Paris of the pedestrian below me, trying to button his coat as he walked against the wind. I created the movement of the walking figure in expressive brushstrokes that emulate pixelation and motion. I use the unique aerial perspective to turn the human figure into a more abstract shape and to emphasize the movement of the figure.
About the Artist
Warren Keating's paintings start with documentation. He captures subjects on video from birds-eye views, digitizes the film on his computer and, finally, paints them on canvas in an active style he describes as Pixel Impressionism. He merges artistic elements of the 20th Century with 21st Century technology. Warren credits Futurism as well as Richard Diebenkorn and Willem de Kooning as influences in his paintings. Fun fact: Warren’s inspiration for this series came from a vacation to Paris where he photographed passersby from his hotel balcony in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Blue Monday...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil
1980s Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1990s Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Board, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Pop Art Figurative Paintings
Oil, Paper
1940s Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
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.