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
Period: 19th Century
Return Of Columbus In Chains To Cadiz By Emanuel Leutze
Located in New Orleans, LA
Emanuel Leutze
1816-1868 American
Return of Columbus in Chains to Cadiz
Signed E. Leutze / Philadelphia (lower right)
Oil on canvas
Painted by the artist in 1842, this masterpiec...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Passeggiata a cavallo a Trieste
Located in Roma, RM
Alfredo Tominz (Trieste 1854 – 1936), Passeggiata a cavallo a Trieste
Dipinto ad olio su tela di cm 69 x 110 firmato e datato 1890 in basso a destra.
Provenienza: Asta Stadion Trie...
Category
Late 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Fair Student
By Henry Wyatt
Located in Washington, DC
Signed and dated '1835' center right
Category
1830s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Courtship and The Shepherd's Family (a pair)
Located in Washington, DC
19th Century Dutch
Category
1860s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Daydreaming
Located in Washington, DC
Ideal head by 19th-century American painter.
Category
Late 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
The Goddess Hera - 19th Century Neoclassical Oil Painting Ancient Greek Myth
Located in Gerrards Cross, GB
‘Hera’ by Eduard Niczky (1850-1919).
The painting - which depicts the Greek queen of the gods in golden diadem and yellow robe - is signed by the artist and hangs in a newly commis...
Category
Late 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Connoisseur By Georges Croegaert
Located in New Orleans, LA
Georges Croegaert
1848-1923 Belgian
The Connoisseur
Signed "Georges Croegaert Paris" (lower right)
Oil on panel
A Cardinal peers through a magnifying glass at gilded treasures in...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Fair scene with actors
Located in PARIS, FR
French school circa 1815
Fair scene with actors
Painting, oil on wood
Unsigned
Painting: 20 x 27 cm
Period frame: 30 x 36.5 cm
Very good condition
Category
Early 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Love Letter
Located in Washington, DC
Signed and dated '1884' lower right
Category
1880s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Nude woman with roses by famous Latvian painter Janis Rozentāls
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Janis Rozentāls was born in 1866 in Saldus, Latvia, to a family with modest means. The son of a
blacksmith, Rozentāls faced economic challenges in his early life, prompting him to mo...
Category
Late 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of a young woman
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Alexandre Cabanel (1823–1889) was a prominent French academic painter known for his mastery of Neoclassical and Academic art. Born on September 28, 1823, in Montpellier, France, Caba...
Category
Mid-19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Study of a woman for the figure of Industry for a ceiling in Paris
Located in PARIS, FR
Pierre-Victor GALLAND
Geneva, 1822 - Paris, 1892
Study of a woman for the figure of Industry for the ceiling of Jean-François Cail's hotel in Paris (actually town hall of the 8th arr...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Amazons and horsemen on the hunt
Located in PARIS, FR
Victor Pinel de Grandchamps
1822-1869
Amazons and horsemen on the hunt
2 paintings in pair forming a pendant, oil on canvas
Signed on one painting: "V. de Grandchamps"
Paintings: 47 ...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Portrait of my Young Daughter
Located in Paris, FR
Beautiful oil on canvas from the end of the 19th century figuring the portrait of a young woman.
The painting is signed Y Pol on the bottom left .
The artist in his performance perfe...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Alone in the world, Oil on panel by Duwez Henri-Joseph (1810-1884)
Located in Gent, VOV
Alone in the world
Signature on the left
Presented in a period frame
Provenance: Sold in Paris on February 6, 1895, at Drouot, for 140 Gold Francs (Bénézit)
Biography Henri-Joseph ...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
The toy seller
Located in Roma, RM
Federico Del Campo (Lima 1837 - Venice 1923), The Toy Seller (1877)
Oil painting on panel 22 x 37 cm signed Campo on the left, on the back is an old label from Williams and sons ga...
Category
1870s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Board, Oil
Fiori di primavera
Located in Roma, RM
Federico Del Campo (Lima 1837 – Venezia 1923), Fiori di primavera (1877)
Dipinto ad olio su tavola di cm 22 x 37 firmato Campo, situato Roma e datato 1877 in basso a destra, sul r...
Category
1870s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Board, Oil
“Checco vuol un Soldo” (Checco wants a Penny)
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on wooden panel painting of a young child begging for a coin. The painting is attributed to the hand of Leopoldo Dumini. Circa 1865...
Category
1860s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Joseph and Potiphar
By Jacques-Louis David
Located in Tricase, IT
Circle of Jacques-Louis David
Joseph and Potiphar
88x72 cm oil on canvas.
The story tells of Joseph's duties in Egypt. Sold as a slave to Putiphar, chief of the king of Egypt's guar...
Category
Early 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Classical French TURKISH Orientalist Beauty Painting of a Woman w/ Mandolin
Located in New York, NY
Francois Martin-Kavel (1861 - 1931) was active/lived in France. He was a profiling painter of woman, especially orientalism
His auction records have exceeded over $20,000
Such a ...
Category
1880s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"A Pompeiian Love Song" 19th Century Realism Antique Oil on Canvas
Located in Jacksonville, FL
Provenance:
Sold: Jackson's Auctioneers & Appraisers, Cedar Falls, Iowa, December 8, 2009, Lot 4
A Pompeiian Love Song" by Antonio Rivas (Spanish, 1845-1911) transports viewers back ...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Pre-Raphealite Neoclassical Reclining GRECIAN Girl holding a BIRD
Located in New York, NY
Oliver Rhys (1876-1893) was an important English 19th century Pre-Raphealite Academic painter known for paintings of Grecian woman.
His paintings have sold in sothebys and Christie’...
Category
1880s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"A Surprising Visit" 19th Century Antique European Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Jacksonville, FL
A Surprising Visit" by Eduardo León Garrido (Spanish, 1856-1949) invites viewers into a sumptuous journey through 19th-century European luxury. Eduardo León Garrido, a distinguished Spanish artist born in 1856 and leaving an artistic legacy until 1949, displayed a remarkable ability to capture the essence of his time through his brushstrokes.
This antique masterpiece, rendered in oil on panel and measuring 22 1/2 x 29 3/4 inches, unveils a world of opulence within a Royal European...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"A Short Break from Work" Oil On Canvas / Board By John George Brown
Located in Jacksonville, FL
"A Short Break from Work" captures the essence of a fleeting moment in the life of a young boy, skillfully portrayed by the artist John George Brown in oil on canvas or board. The sc...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
” La Maschera ” 19th Century Antique Realistic Oil Painting On Canvas
Located in Jacksonville, FL
“Mom and Her Kids,” an exquisite oil painting on canvas by Gaetano Chierici, also known as La Maschera, captures a timeless domestic scene with remarkable attention to detail and emo...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
A Mandolin Concert
Located in New Orleans, LA
Andrea Landini
1847-1935 Italian
A Mandolin Concert
Signed “A. Landini” (lower right)
Oil on canvas
A cardinal delights in a musical performance in this painting by Italian Card...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Letter By Georges Croegaert
Located in New Orleans, LA
Georges Croegaert
1848-1923 Belgian
The Letter
Signed "Georges Croegaert Paris" (lower right)
Oil on panel
A cardinal pauses while composing a letter in this oil on panel by Belg...
Category
Late 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
" At The Port" 19th Century Academic Realist Landscape Oil Painting on Panel
Located in Jacksonville, FL
"Sunrise on the Shore" by Andreas Schelfhout stands as a testament to the extraordinary talent of the Dutch artist, born in The Hague in 1787. A prominent figure of the Romantic move...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
A Painful Necessity
Located in Farmers Branch, TX
Born at Edinburgh, he was son of an architect, who placed him at the age of fifteen with a seal- engraver there. He was a student in the Trustees' Academy from 1831 to 1834, when he ...
Category
1850s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Education of Achilles by Auguste-Clément Chrétien
By Auguste-Clément Chrétien
Located in New Orleans, LA
The Education of Achilles by the Centaur Chiron
Signed and dated "A.C. Chrétien 1861" (lower right)
Oil on canvas
A masterpiece of French N...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
The gift of flowers
Located in Berlin, DE
Conrad Kiesel (1846-1921), The gift of flowers. Oil on wood, 43 x 35 cm, 69 x 61 cm (frame), signed at lower left "Conrad Kiesel pxt [pinxit]", about 1900. In a magnificent gilt stuc...
Category
1890s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Mephistopheles and the Faust" Mid 19th c, Antique Oil Painting on Wood Panel
By Alfred Jacomin
Located in Jacksonville, FL
The painting is dated and signed on the bottom left side.
Description:
Alfred Jacomin was a landscape and genre painter. He was a student of his father, Jean-Marie Jacomin, the Swiss...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
An Amusing Thought by Georges Croegaert
Located in New Orleans, LA
Georges Croegaert
1848-1923 Belgian
An Amusing Thought
Signed "Georges Croegaert Paris" (lower left)
Oil on panel
This oil on panel by Belgian artist Georges Croegaert is a rich ...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
The Charge 19th-century Realism Antique Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed
Located in Jacksonville, FL
The painting is signed and dated 1894
Description:
Eugene Alexis Girardet (1853-1907) was a prominent Swiss painter known for his remarkable attention to detail and his ability to capture vivid and dynamic scenes. Born in Paris, France, Girardet came from a family of artists and received early artistic training from his father, Paul Girardet, and his uncle, Jules Girardet, both respected engravers. He later studied at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he honed his skills and developed a deep appreciation for historical and orientalist subjects.
He was interred at the Père-Lachaise Cemetery. In addition to several museums in France, his works may be seen at the Dahesh Museum of Art and the National Museum of Fine Arts of Algiers, as well as at museums in Switzerland and New York City.
Girardet’s artwork often depicted historical and exotic scenes, particularly focusing on Middle Eastern and North African themes. His meticulous attention to detail and his ability to convey a sense of movement and drama made his works highly sought after. One of his most renowned paintings, “The Charge,” exemplifies his exceptional talent and his ability to create a captivating and immersive experience for viewers.
In “The Charge,” Girardet presents an army of Arab camel...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Dance 19th-century Large Antique Nude Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed & Dated
Located in Jacksonville, FL
Exhibited at the Paris Salon, exhibition label on reverse.
Description:
Édouard François Zier (1837-1924) was a French painter known for his captiva...
Category
Early 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Ruth in the fields of Pharaoh, 19th Century Large Antique Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Jacksonville, FL
The Painting is signed bottom left side
Provenance:
Notes: This is the full scale version of Ruth in Pharoah's Fields exhibited at the Royal Academy (now lost). Exhibited at the Bristol Art Museum, Birmingham UK
Private Collection, Detroit, MI
Description:
Sir Edwin Long (1829-1891) was a renowned British painter known for his historical and Orientalist artworks. Born in Bath, England, Long displayed exceptional artistic talent from an early age. He received formal training at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where he honed his skills and developed his distinctive style.
One of Long’s oil paintings...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Morning News Early 19th-century Realism: Antique Oil Painting on Wood Panel
By William Wallace Gilchrist
Located in Jacksonville, FL
Provenance: Exhibited at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 1911 #229
Description:
William Wallace Gilchrist (1879-1926) was an American painter known for his captivating depictions of everyday life scenes and his ability to capture the ambiance and aesthetic of the late 19th century. Born in Philadelphia, Gilchrist showed an early passion for art and pursued his artistic education at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Gilchrist’s artwork often revolved around intimate domestic settings, where he skillfully portrayed the beauty and tranquility of ordinary moments. His painting “The Morning News...
Category
Early 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
"Caravansary at Shiraz" Antique orientalist Black & White Oil Painting on Board
Located in Jacksonville, FL
The "Caravansary at Shiraz," is accompanied by the book "From The Black Sea Through Persia and India" by Weeks. In his book, on page 115, Weeks provides an insightful explanation abo...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Board, Oil
19th-century Orientalist Antique Oil Painting on Wood Panel Signed and Dated
Located in Jacksonville, FL
The painting is signed and dated 1872 in Algiers
Description:
Ferdinand Victor Léon Roybet (1840-1920) was a French painter renowned for...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
"Music in the Parlor" 19th century antique realism oil painting on, Signed
Located in Jacksonville, FL
The painting is signed
Description:
Frederico Andreotti (1847-1930) was an Italian painter celebrated for his exquisite genre scenes and historical subjects. Born in Florence, Andreo...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
19th Century, Norwich school oil painting of the road to market
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Norwich School, 19th Century
The road to market
Oil on board
8 x 12 in. (20.3 x 30.5 cm.)
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
The Apparition - Large, Fine 1884 French Oil Painting - MAKE OFFER
Located in New Orleans, LA
A stunningly dramatic and well-rendered oil on canvas painted by French artist Antoine Marie Roucole in 1884. With the ornate antique gilt plaster frame, and with its size, it has t...
Category
1880s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
View of Capri, Italy
Located in PARIS, FR
August Wilhelm LEU
(Munster, 1819 – Seelisberg, 1897)
View of Capri
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated lower right
49 x 70 cm
1882
Born March 24, 1819 in Munster, Germany, Auguste Leu...
Category
Late 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
British, 19th Century oil painting of harvest time in the English countryside
By David Hamilton
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
David Hamilton (British, circa 1888)
Harvest time
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated `David Hamilton 1888’ (lower right)
20.1/8 x 16 in. (51.2 x 40.8 cm.)
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Chess Game By Georges Croegaert
Located in New Orleans, LA
Georges Croegaert
1848-1923 Belgian
The Chess Game
Signed "Georges Croegaert Paris" (lower right)
Oil on panel
This oil on panel by Belgian artist Georges Croegaert is a rich and...
Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Family scene, children dog and pup, French painting by Delacroix' prodigy friend
Located in Norwich, GB
A sweet and intimate family scene by the rarest of artists: French early 19th Century child prodigy Henri-Louis-Hippolyte Poterlet (1804-1835).
Poterlet was a close friend and confi...
Category
1820s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
19th Century French Realist Oil Profile Portrait of Lady Beautiful Quality
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French realist artist of the 19th century
oil painting on board, unframed
board: 12.5 x 10.5 inches
provenance: private collection, France
condition: ...
Category
Mid-19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Petite fille et sa poupée
Located in Washington, DC
Charming example of nineteenth-century genre painting depicting a young girl, her doll, and sewing.
Category
Late 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Lion
Located in Paris, FR
MONTBARD
(Active XIX-XXth c.)
"The Lion"
Oil on canvas
Painting: 78 x 62 cm
Framed: 93 x 78 cm
Category
1880s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Italian beginning 19th oil canvas oval Mythological Bacchus and Apollon child
Located in PARIS, FR
Italian school from the beginning of the 19th century Oil on canvas (2) 99 x 65 cm (103 x 78 cm with the frame) Old frames with gadroons and palmette decoration Excellent condition
...
Category
Early 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Sleepwalker
Located in Roma, RM
Artist: Vincenzo Catalano (attr.)
Title: Sleepwalker, 1848
Medium: oil on canvas
Exhibition: Exhibition of Fine Arts of the Royal Borbonic Museum of 1848, p. 36, no. 208.
Provenance:...
Category
1840s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Le pont de Saint Gérmain de Couilly (sur le Grand Morin)
Located in Washington, DC
Exhibited:
Salon, Société des Artistes Français, Paris, 1879 (no. 647)
Category
1870s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Olivia Unveiling to Viola (from Twelfth Night)
Located in Washington, DC
Exhibited:
Birmingham Royal Society of Artists, 1879
“Autumn Exhibition of the Birmingham Royal Society of Artists.” The London Times, 25 August 1879. T...
Category
1870s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Young Beauty
Located in Washington, DC
An Orientalist figurative or genre painting by Conrad Kiesel.
Category
Mid-19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
The Treasured Volume
Located in Washington, DC
Signed and dated '1879' lower right
Exhibited:
Royal Society of British Artists, London, 1880
Category
1870s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Young girl from Tetouan, Morocco
Located in New Orleans, LA
Young girl from Tetouan, Morocco
Signed (center right)
Oil on canvas
In this important oil on canvas, French Orientalist painter Charles Landelle captures the engaging visage of a young Moroccan woman in a moment of tranquil contemplation. Seated on the floor of what is almost certainly an opulent riad, the young woman wears an intricately embroidered Moroccan kaftan and headdress. The sumptuous patterns on the floor and in the background lend an additional warmth to the strikingly vivid red hues which dominate the composition and are a hallmark of Landelle’s work.
The symbols behind the young woman may represent either the Jewish Star of David or the Islamic Seal...
Category
Late 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Sweet Roses
Located in Washington, DC
Signed and titled lower left
Category
1870s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Summer
Located in Washington, DC
Exhibited:
Royal Academy, London, 1880, no. 355 (as Summer)
Category
1880s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
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.