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Academic Figurative Paintings

ACADEMIC STYLE

During the Renaissance, the first European fine art academies were established in Italy and would guide the style and standards of visual culture in the following centuries. Academic art became dominant across the continent in the 17th century, with artists coming together to offer instruction in this style of painting and sculpture

The academic art period represented a significant change from the previous era when painters, sculptors and other artists were part of guilds and seen more as artisans than purveyors of culture. While patronage from the elite and the church remained pivotal, young artists were able to support themselves for the first time through academic exhibitions and an independent marketplace. The leading academies included the French Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture founded in Paris in 1648 (which became the Académie des Beaux-Arts after the French Revolution) and the London Royal Academy of Arts formed in 1768 under the inaugural leadership of painter Joshua Reynolds

Academy students sketched drawings based on prints, sculptures and, finally, live models. Movements including neoclassicism and romanticism were particularly popular in these art schools and institutions where the influence of Raphael and Nicolas Poussin was prominent. Beaux Arts architecture and furniture design drew on these movements, too, and, as they also originated at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, the disciplines share common ground with academic painting and sculpture.

Although academic art was a major shift for artistic status when it began, by the middle of the 19th century it was viewed as stodgy and resistant to new ideas, with the subject matter of artists such as William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Jean-Léon Gérôme generally limited to allegorical or mythological themes. Impressionism, realism and the other movements that engaged with contemporary issues that followed were direct reactions to the academic tradition, although it continued to inform the avant-garde as artists like Gustav Klimt and Pablo Picasso started their practices as academic realists.  

Find a collection of academic paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs. 

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Style: Academic
"Pinks and Yellows" Luigi Lucioni, Green and Yellow, Still Life, Ancient Vase
Located in New York, NY
Luigi Lucioni Pinks and Yellows, 1959 Signed and dated lower right Oil on canvas 13 x 16 inches Provenance Milch Galleries, New York Private Collection, Woodland Hills, California ...
Category

1950s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Woman offering corn, Coastal, Impressionism Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2016 Style: Impressionism Title: Woman offering Corn Size: 22" x 28" ...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Farm, Original oil Painting, Impressionism, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2018 Style: Impressionism Title: Farm Size: 16" x 20" x 0.8'' inch, ...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Ships at Sunset" Hendricks Hallett, Fiery Sunset, Sailing Ships, Marine Scene
Located in New York, NY
Hendricks Hallett Ships at Sunset Signed lower left Oil on canvas 22 x 27 inches Hallett, originally from Massachusetts, pursued his studies in Antwerp and Paris. He is primarily r...
Category

1880s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Winged Genius - original painting by Paula Craioveanu Neo Mythology
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Winged Genius", oil on canvas, 70x110cm, 27.5×43.5in Winged Genius is a fantastic character, a mythological creature, a male figure with birds’ wings, a guardian spirit, a demigod. ...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Interior Scene with Lady and Two Children" Sarah Anne Freeman Clarke
Located in New York, NY
Sarah Anne Freeman Clarke Interior Scene with Lady and Two Children, 1883 Signed lower right Oil on canvas 32 x 27 inches Sarah Anne Freeman Clarke was born in Massachusetts in 180...
Category

1880s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Stony Beach, Cliffs, Impressionism Original Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Year: 2019 Style: Impressionism Title: Stony Beach Size: 24" x 30" x 0.8'' inch, (61x76x2cm), Unframed, Stretched on wooden bar, Ready to Hang, Artist Bio Ara H. Hakobyan is an Armenian artist and art critic, Doctor of Sciences (arts, 2017), professor (2018) and a member of Artist Union of the Republic of Armenia (1999). Ara H. Hakobyan was born in 1973 in Yerevan in the family of art historian Hravard Hakobyan. In 1997 Mr. Hakobyan graduated from the Yerevan State Academy of Arts, Department of Painting. During 1997-2000 Ara Hakobyan...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

'Classical Seated Female Nude', by Charles G. Bockman, Oil on Canvas Painting
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This 38 x 32 inch painting, is an oil on canvas titled 'Female Nude,' by artist Charles G. Bockmann. The painting depicts a 3/4th portrait of a nude woman wh...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antoni Costa Woman original Figurative Academician drawing painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
woman. original figurative academician drawing painting Barcelona, 1904 - Barcelona, 1965 It was formed in Buenos Aires, in the Circle of San Lucas of Barcelona and the FAD. He was ...
Category

1960s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Pencil

"Frawg Hollow, Virginia" Corwin Knapp Linson, Southern Country Landscape
Located in New York, NY
Corwin Knapp Linson Frawg Hollow, West Virginia Signed and titled lower left Oil on canvas 24 x 28 inches Provenance The artist Artist's family by descent Corwin Knapp Linson was ...
Category

Early 1900s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

A. Costa Woman original Figurative academician drawing painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Woman. original figurative academician drawing painting Barcelona, 1904 - Barcelona, 1965 It was formed in Buenos Aires, in the Circle of San Lucas of Barcelona and the FAD. He was f...
Category

1960s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Carbon Pencil

“The Swordsman”
Located in Southampton, NY
Exquisite, vibrant original oil on canvas painting of a French swordsman in an interior. Very finely done with exacting detail. Circa 1880. Signed lower left “Jean Lamaire”. Conditi...
Category

1880s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Antoni Costa Woman. original figurative Academician drawing painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
woman. original figurative academician drawing painting Barcelona, 1904 - Barcelona, 1965 It was formed in Buenos Aires, in the Circle of San Lucas of Barcelona and the FAD. He was ...
Category

1960s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Carbon Pencil

Asian girl portrait Teddy bear innocence toys pink soft colors fine art classic
Located in Zofingen, AG
Girl with Teddy bear / Tender innocence This is one of my favorite artworks painted from nature. Painting are on stretched canvas come ready to hang. This is the “hidden frame”...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Three Men Conversing
By Louis C. Moeller
Located in New York, NY
Louis Charles Moeller was a master of American genre painting. His meticulously detailed, highly finished paintings of late Victorian interiors received considerable critical attenti...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Return from the Field”
Located in Southampton, NY
Oil on canvas backed onto wooden board of a worker with a scythe returning home from a day of labor. In a picturesque Swiss village. The painting is attributed to the hand of Karl Adolph Weber, the Swiss artist. Signed “K. Weber” lower right. Circa 1935. The painting is a contemporary wood frame in a mahogany finish. Overall framed measurements are 19 by 15.25 inches. Provenance: A Sarasota, Florida collector. Karl Adolph Weber was a Swiss artist born in 1899 and died in 1978 known for his rural landscapes and figurative paintings of Switzerland...
Category

1930s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

"Portrait of a Woman" Edward Percy Moran, Early American Portrait, Bucolic
Located in New York, NY
Edward Percy Moran Portrait of a Woman Signed lower right Oil on canvas 30 x 20 inches Provenance: The Madison Gallery, Atlanta Percy Moran was the son of marine painter Edward Mo...
Category

1890s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Habenero, " Oil painting
Located in Denver, CO
Thane Gorek's (US based) "Habenero" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts an orange Habanero pepper halved, so that it's seeds and core are ex...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

“The Potato Peelers”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas painting of a man and a woman intently peeling potatoes at a table. No visible signature. Old gallery label in German verso that is dated 1934 Condition is go...
Category

1930s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Anaheim, " Oil painting
Located in Denver, CO
Thane Gorek's (US based) "Anaheim" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a green Anaheim pepper halved, so that it's seeds and core are exposed, with an indigo blue back...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Solothman on the Aase, Switzerland
By Eugene Schmidt
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Eugene Schmidt (German/American, 1919-2007) Title: Solothman on the Aase, Switzerland Year: Circa 1970 Medium: Oil on canvas board Board size: 10 x 8 inches Signature...
Category

Late 20th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Red Bell II, " Oil painting
Located in Denver, CO
Thane Gorek's (US based) "Red Bell II" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a red bell pepper halved, so that it's seeds and core are exposed...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Departure of the infantrymen for the war of 14, signed
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas signed lower right Dimension with frame 70 x 80 x 6 cm This striking work captures a group of French soldiers marching determinedly along a dusty road, with the distan...
Category

1910s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

“Misty Morning Gloucester”
Located in Southampton, NY
Oil on artist board painting of a misty morning in Gloucester Harbor by the Provincetown artist, Kay Kellogg. Signed lower left. Circa 1935. The painting d...
Category

1930s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Escalade Festival in Geneva
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas This striking painting accurately and lavishly depicts the commemorative parade of the Fête de l'Escalade in Geneva, a historical celebration commemorating the victory...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Figures at a mill
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
English school, 18th Century Figures at a mill Gouache on paper 4.5/8 x 7.1/2 in. (11.8 x 19 cm.)
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Lively conversation around a balustrade
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas Dimensions with frame : 83 x 101.5 x 3.5 cm This 19th-century painting depicts a genre scene, typical of the academic and romantic art of the period. It shows three fi...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

19th Century gouache of a visit to Pompei on the Grand Tour
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Neapolitan school (early 19th Century) A visit to Pompei on the the Grand Tour Gouache on paper Inscribed ‘Porzione del quartiere a Pompei’ and ‘In Nap...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Las costureras - Óleo sobre lienzo
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Óleo sobre lienzo de Baldomer Gili Roig – Mujeres cosiendo, firmado, con marco ornamentado. Magnífica pintura al óleo sobre lienzo del reconocido artista catalán Baldomer Gili Roig ...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Brother Sister
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Pierre Lavarenne (French, born 1928) Title: Brother Sister Year: Circa 1975 Medium: Oil on canvas Canvas size: 15 x 18.25 inches Signat...
Category

Late 20th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

“French Cavaliers”
Located in Southampton, NY
Oil on wooden panel painting of horse riding French cavaliers in battle. Signed lower left. Not dated. Original period gilded frame in fine condition. Painting has been recently professionally cleaned. Painting and frame circa 1875. Overall framed measurements are 16 by 14 inches. Condition of the painting is very good. Provenance: Saint Petersburg, Florida estate. Charles Michel Guilbert D'anelle was a pupil of Horace Vernet ( known for his military paintings...
Category

1870s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

“French Cavaliers”
“French Cavaliers”
$2,200 Sale Price
31% Off
"Fishing in Autumn" Frederick Dickinson Williams, Early 20th Century Landscape
Located in New York, NY
Frederick Dickinson Williams Fishing in Autumn, 1914 Signed and dated lower left Oil on board 9 1/4 x 6 7/8 inches Frederick Dickinson W...
Category

1910s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

"Portrait of Fanny Adam" Mary Jane Peale, Mid-19th Century, Early Portrait
Located in New York, NY
Mary Jane Peale Portrait of Fanny Adam, 1857 A scanned photograph of the back of the canvas taken prior to relining shows the inscription "Fanny Adam / painted by / Mary J. Peale / P...
Category

1850s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Bavarian Flower Girls”
Located in Southampton, NY
Here for your consideration is a vibrant portrait of a pair of Bavarian flower girls in traditional dress. The painting is unlined and has recently been cleaned. Circa 1875. The pain...
Category

1870s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique Female American Orientalist painting ARABS PRAYING outside MOSQUE
Located in New York, NY
Maria Martinetti was born in 1864 in Italy. Martinetti attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, studying under the Orientalist painter Gustavo Simoni. Martinetti exhibited works in...
Category

1880s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Queen's Walk, Figurative Surrealism, Original oil Painting One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2014 Style: Figurative Surrealism, Subject: Queen's Walk, Size: 40" x 35" ...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Greek / Roman Naturalistic Allegory Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Stormy landscape scene in which a Cupid-like figure seen in the clouds appearing to have shot a number of wounded and dying men in the foreground. The men have a number of women and ...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Feeding the Young
Located in Mc Lean, VA
A rural interior scene by Austrian artist Edmund Adler. The scene is typical of Adler's paintings of Austrian culture and rural life. It is full of gemütlichkeit.
Category

1930s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

After Paolo Uccello's "Battle of San Romano" Painted in 1438
Located in Houston, TX
After Paolo Uchello's set of three paints titled "The Battle of San Romano." Originally painted around 1438 to 1440. Uccello depicts events that took place ...
Category

20th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Fair Student
Located in Mc Lean, VA
Signed and dated '1835' center right
Category

1830s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Torah Scholar, Shimshon Holzman
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Shimshon Holzman (1907-1986) Title: Torah Scholar Year: 1962 Medium: Watercolor and graphite on wove paper Size: 13.75 x 19.75 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: Signed...
Category

1960s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Graphite

View of Venice canal with bridge
Located in New York, NY
Excellent condition. No restorations.
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Magnificent Pair of Canal Views, Venice. Pristine condition.
Located in New York, NY
Pristine condition. No restorations.
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Woman Reading by JOZEF ISRAËLS - Dutch painter, Hague School, portrait art
Located in London, GB
Woman Reading by JOZEF ISRAËLS (1824-1911) Oil on Panel 21 x 12.5 cm (8 1/4 x 4 15/16 inches) Signed lower right Executed circa 1870 Artist biography Du...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Magnolia Grandiflora, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Elizabeth Zanzinger's (US based) "Magnolia Grandiflora" is an oil painting that depicts a nude figure in the foreground with a bright red backgroun...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Antoni Costa Woman. original figurative academician drawing painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
woman. original figurative academician drawing painting.. frame Barcelona, 1904 - Barcelona, 1965 It was formed in Buenos Aires, in the Circle of San Lucas of Barcelona and the FAD....
Category

1950s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Graphite

"Transmutations: A Study of Systems Substitution, Painting by Mary Fish
By Mary Fish
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Mary Fish Title: Transmutations: A Study of Systems Substitution Year: 1980 Medium: Ink and Tempera on Paper, signed Size: 33.5 x 56 in. (85.09 x 142.24 cm)
Category

1980s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Ink, Tempera

"Crossing", Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Elizabeth Zanzinger's (US based) "Crossing" is an oil painting that depicts an elderly man crossing the high water of a river with a young child on...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Brothel, Groovy Harem with Courtesan, Concubine, Paramour, Playboy Magazine
Located in Miami, FL
George Hirsch - He gets his inspiration from the prototype of neo-classic painting for this groovy 1970s brothel. This is a complex figural work with m...
Category

1970s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gouache

Young Italian woman in traditional dress holding a tambourine
Located in Genève, GE
This superb 19th-century portrait depicts a young Italian woman in traditional dress, holding a tambourine, a symbol of music and popular celebration. Dressed in a white shirt with ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Current, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Elizabeth Zanzinger's (US based) "Current" is an oil painting that depicts a lone figure in a golden field with clouds holding a floral fabric agai...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Fossils, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Elizabeth Zanzinger's (US based) "Fossils" is an oil painting that depicts nude forms suspended in air between highway and underpass. Elizabeth Z...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Rowboat in a Summer Landscape" George Bacon Wood, Pleine Air Landscape
Located in New York, NY
George Bacon Wood Rowboat in a Summer Landscape Signed lower left Oil on wood panel 6 1/4 x 8 inches Born in Philadelphia, landscape painter George Bacon Wood, Jr., studied at the ...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Party Skull #1, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Elizabeth Zanzinger's (US based) "Party Skull #1" is an oil painting that depicts a human skull in profile with blow outs and party regalia on blue and purple background. Elizabeth Zanzinger is an award-winning painter with an enthusiastic international following. She developed her artistic voice through her studies at the Aristides Atelier and Gage Academy of Fine Art in Seattle. Elizabeth finished her education with a fellowship award (Grand Prize, 2nd Annual Utrecht Art...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Leaves I, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Elizabeth Zanzinger's (US based) "Leaves I" is an oil painting that depicts yellow Fall leaves with a cream colored background Elizabeth Zanzinger...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Feedback Loop, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Elizabeth Zanzinger's (US based) "Feedback Loop" is an oil painting that depicts peculiar machine with wiring and red in interior with white background Elizabeth Zanzinger is an awa...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

A Sylvan Toilette -- ca. 1898
Located in Mc Lean, VA
Exhibited: Society of American Artists, New York, 1898 Intimate Revelations: The Art of Carroll Beckwith, Berry-Hill Galleries, New York, 1 December 1999-15 January 2000, no. 49 Li...
Category

1890s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Prism, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Elizabeth Zanzinger's (US based) "Prism" is an oil painting that depicts a woman in the foreground looking into the distance with an atmospheric su...
Category

2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Watercolour painting by Henry Ryland
Located in London, GB
This watercolour painting is by the English artist Henry Ryland, celebrated in his day and since for his Neoclassical pictures. Ryland was a contemporary of Lawrence Alma-Tadema and ...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Board, Laid Paper

Le pont de Saint Gérmain de Couilly (sur le Grand Morin)
Located in Mc Lean, VA
Exhibited: Salon, Société des Artistes Français, Paris, 1879 (no. 647)
Category

1870s Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Academic figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Academic figurative paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add figurative paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, red, purple and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Mark Beard, Kyna de Schouël, Elizabeth Zanzinger, and Delphin Enjolras. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Academic figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 4.93 inches across are also available. Prices for figurative paintings made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $280 and tops out at $595,000, while the average work sells for $7,158.

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