Surrealist Figurative Paintings
SURREALIST STYLE
In the wake of World War I’s ravaging of Europe, artists delved into the unconscious mind to confront and grapple with this reality. Poet and critic André Breton, a leader of the Surrealist movement who authored the 1924 Surrealist Manifesto, called this approach “a violent reaction against the impoverishment and sterility of thought processes that resulted from centuries of rationalism.” Surrealist art emerged in the 1920s with dreamlike and uncanny imagery guided by a variety of techniques such as automatic drawing, which can be likened to a stream of consciousness, to channel psychological experiences.
Although Surrealism was a groundbreaking approach for European art, its practitioners were inspired by Indigenous art and ancient mysticism for reenvisioning how sculptures, paintings, prints, performance art and more could respond to the unsettled world around them.
Surrealist artists were also informed by the Dada movement, which originated in 1916 Zurich and embraced absurdity over the logic that had propelled modernity into violence. Some of the Surrealists had witnessed this firsthand, such as Max Ernst, who served in the trenches during World War I, and Salvador Dalí, whose otherworldly paintings and other work responded to the dawning civil war in Spain.
Other key artists associated with the revolutionary art and literary movement included Man Ray, Joan Miró, René Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Frida Kahlo and Meret Oppenheim, all of whom had a distinct perspective on reimagining reality and freeing the unconscious mind from the conventions and restrictions of rational thought. Pablo Picasso showed some of his works in “La Peinture Surréaliste” — the first collective exhibition of Surrealist painting — which opened at Paris’s Galerie Pierre in November of 1925. (Although Magritte is best known as one of the visual Surrealist movement’s most talented practitioners, his famous 1943 painting, The Fifth Season, can be interpreted as a formal break from Surrealism.)
The outbreak of World War II led many in the movement to flee Europe for the Americas, further spreading Surrealism abroad. Generations of modern and contemporary artists were subsequently influenced by the richly symbolic and unearthly imagery of Surrealism, from Joseph Cornell to Arshile Gorky.
Find a collection of original Surrealist paintings, sculptures, prints and multiples and more art on 1stDibs.
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Style: Surrealist
Artist: Rudolf Kosow
Yes, right here Bob (surreal painting vintage blue Grey officers cops crime)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
keywords; surrealism, humour, uncanny, animals, rabbit, terra cota, fire red, earth tones, indian red, oil painting, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, un...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Irrésistible (cupcake rasberry lady dessert americana vintage surreal painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
A decadent chocolate cupcake, crowned with pink frosting, glossy ganache, and a ripe raspberry, sits against a textured, cool-toned blue background. However, a housefly perched atop ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Vicious Circle (donut cake lady dessert americana vintage surreal painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
A hyperrealistic doughnut dominates Vicious Circle, its glossy chocolate glaze reflecting light with mouthwatering precision. Seated atop it, a young woman in a vintage swimsuit appe...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Mind Blowing (vintage car surrealist oil painting grey monochrome dessert cake)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Two photographic motifs, which can by no means fit together in real life, result in a coherent and at the same time completely absurd image on the painting level. Something that has happened, you can see things clearly in front of you and still do not understand how often in real life what it all means.
keywords; americana, surrealism, rasberry cake, vintage, oil painting, men figurative painting...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Investigation (bat fox bat oil painting surrealism figurative animal vintage)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
In "Investigation I", banal, everyday things meet in this painting to create an unusual, strange, absurd and ironical situation derived by the disproportional scale size of things.
keywords; surrealism, animals, bat, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary figurative painting, dreams, symbolic composition, giant bat...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Hungry (pet dog, pug snout, cooking lady, animal art, surrealist oil painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
"Hungry" is a captivating painting by Rudolf Kosow that beautifully illustrates a moment of connection between a gargantuan, doleful-eyed bulldog and a diminutive woman. The dog’s fa...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Curious (black old dog, snout, lady, vintage, animal, surrealist oil painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
"Curious," by Rudolf Kosow, is an engaging portrayal of inquisitiveness and wonder, bridging the natural world and humanity. Dominating the scene is a giant bulldog, its face a tapestry of textures from the soft fur to the glistening nose, each detail crafted to convey a lifelike presence.
Facing the monumental canine is a small-scale girl, her posture embodying the essence of childhood wonder as she stands before the immense animal. Her tilted head and attentive stance suggest a moment of mutual discovery and fascination. This poignant interaction is a snapshot of the innocent and pure connections that can occur across the divides of size and species.
Kosow's "Curious" captures the beautiful moments of discovery that occur when the young and the gentle giants of the animal kingdom meet, encapsulating a shared curiosity that transcends words. The artwork serves as a reminder of the universal language of wonder that connects us all.
keywords; painting on canvas, surrealist painting, animal vs human, americana, nature, man, man vs nature, surrealism, giant animal...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Incident II (Pug face dog man's best friend vintage oil painting surreal)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
"Incident" by Rudolf Kosow is a visually stunning oil painting that masterfully utilizes surrealism and a subtle color palette to emphasize the unexpected juxtaposition of a giant pu...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Sly (hunt dog ear surrealism scale animal men best friend nostalgia vintage art)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
keywords; surrealism, hunting dog, humour, uncanny, animals, prussian blue, emerald green, earth tones, oil painting, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, uns...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Escapade (blue sky figurative oil painting brown tones Young boy balloon)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Escapade by Rudolf Kosow is a whimsical and thought-provoking oil painting that captures a fleeting moment of youthful curiosity and exploration. The composition features a young boy...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Instantly (woman tennis player vintage surrealist oil painting monochrome grey)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
**The actual color of this piece is a monochrome off-white and dark grey palette.
Rudolf Kosow’s Instantly is a striking monochrome oil painting that blends contemporary surrealism w...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Creative Rush (girl drawing blue sky figurative oil painting brown tonnes)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Creative Rush by Rudolf Kosow is a captivating oil painting that captures the intimate and imaginative world of a child in the act of creation. The artwork depicts a young girl kneel...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Banana (yellow banana blue sky vintage hat man surrealist oil painting grey)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
A surreal composition blending hyperrealism and vintage nostalgia, Banana presents an oversized, hyper-detailed banana floating in a muted blue sky. Below, a black-and-white, early 2...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Lazybone (st-bernard, dog pet, baseball, vintage, animal, surrealist painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Rudolf Kosow delivers a surreal masterpiece that encapsulates his fascination with the interplay of scale and the deep connection between humans and animals. In this painting, a Sain...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Tense (pet dog, bulldog, baseball, animal portrait art, surrealist oil painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
"Tense," a thought-provoking piece by Rudolf Kosow, presents a surreal interplay between a colossal bulldog and a diminutive baseball player. The dog's face, detailed with astonishing realism, conveys a palpable intensity through its piercing gaze. The size disparity between the dog and the player underscores a narrative ripe with anticipation.
The baseball player, clad in traditional attire, stands with bat at the ready, embodying a moment of concentration and readiness. This portrayal of the player, so starkly contrasted against the vastness of the bulldog's features, evokes a feeling of an undercurrent of suspense, as if the outcome of this encounter balances on a knife-edge.
Through "Tense," Kosow delves into the theme of confrontation and the moments that precede action. The artwork captures the stillness before the storm, the quiet before the play, offering a metaphor for life's high-pressure situations where individuals face larger-than-life challenges.
The painting invites reflection on the psychological interplay between fear and courage, the small against the mighty, and the personal tenacity required to stand firm in the face of overwhelming odds. "Tense" is not just a snapshot of a surreal encounter but a broader commentary on the emotional landscapes we navigate when confronted with formidable obstacles.
keywords; painting on canvas, surrealist painting, animal vs human, americana, nature, man, man vs nature, surrealism, giant animal...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Together I (purple surrealism eyes black animal head comical mystery figurative
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
We love Rudolf's latest series and particularly this exquisitely comical and enigmatic painting. The artist says "Banal, everyday things meet in the middle of nowhere and present the...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Easy Rider (red wood horse on wheels Child toy cowboy blue sky surreal painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
This stunning oil painting depicts a cowboy riding a vintage red wooden horse on wheels against a summer blue sky.
keywords; painting on canvas, surrealist painting, americana, man,...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
One more (vintage golfer yellow shirt wood painting sculpture tridimensional)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
One More is a tridimensional original painting on paper on branches depicting a golfer playing on a field on a sunny day.
keywords; golfer, yellow shirt,...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Driftwood, Oil, Laid Paper
Stranger (black kitten woman nostalgia vintage photograph enigma earth tones)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
We love Rudolf's latest series. The artist says about “Stranger”; "Normally one would hardly take notes of an inconspicuous, black kitten in everyday life...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
On Road (surreal dark mauve oil painting man butterflies magic Realism)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Rudolf Kosow’s On Road is a hauntingly poetic exploration of light, transition, and the unknown. A solitary figure stands at the edge of a glowing precipice, his gaze lowered towards...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Tricky (ballerina porcelain trinket vintage hat men surrealist oil painting grey
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Superbe original painting on canvas depicting a young ballerina performing a trick while onlookers contemplate perplexed to her prowess.
keywords; americana, surrealism, ballerina, ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Dreamers (yellow banana vintage car surrealist oil painting grey monochrome)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Two photographic motifs, which can by no means fit together in real life, result in a coherent and at the same time completely absurd image on a painting level. It may symbolize wishful thinking which can never be realized in reality.
keywords; americana, surrealism, yellow banana, vintage, oil painting, men figurative painting...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
United and Fate Challenge I
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Mental closeness connects two dissimilar beings, despite great differences.
keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Boxing Glove (red boxing glove surréaliste brown coat oil painting boxer)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Superbe bold original painting on canvas depicting the vivid portrait of a red boxing glove held by an anonymous figure in a coat.
keywords; boxing glove...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Couple (oil painting surrealist red hair woman man portrait figurative flesh
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
The significant size difference plays with the perception of the viewer, perhaps confused, one asks
oneself the question, if what is shown much larger, is also much more important .....
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Dizzy (lady woman legs high heels black and white flesh tones monochrome city)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
In "Dizzy“, something inexplicable has happened in the middle of a sleepy city; a traffic accident where the fire brigade is trying to rectify and underst...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Couple (oil painting flesh tones vintage couple sleeping beauty nostalgia)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
The significant size difference plays with the perception of the viewer, perhaps confused, one asks
oneself the question, if what is shown much larger, is also much more important .....
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Not so bad (cowboy hat western country vintage hat man oil painting light brown)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Rudolf Kosow’s Not So Bad is a haunting contemporary surrealistic oil painting that evokes the aesthetic and ethos of Americana, tinged with an unsettling air of mystery and nostalgi...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Ice case (ice cream surrealist oil painting grey monochrome vintage crime)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
A group of men come across something inexplicable, something that looks amazingly like a scoop of ice cream with a chocolate topping, in the middle of the forest and desperately try ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Last Leaves (young girl yellow shirt fall leave portrait figurative oil painting
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Rudolf Kosow’s Last Leaves is a hauntingly poetic oil painting that blends contemporary figurative painting with surrealism and symbolic composition. A young girl, her face rendered ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Marvellous (ballerina red hair porcelain vintage hat men surrealist oil painting
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Superbe original painting on canvas depicting a young ballerina performing a trick while onlookers contemplate perplexed to her prowess.
keywords; americana, surrealism, ballerina, ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Lovers and autumn leaf (oil painting vintage black and white Picture couple)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
LOVERS AND AUTUMN LEAVES is a superbe original painting on canvas depicting a still life of a fall leaves next to a vintage black and white photograph of a couple in a loving embrace...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Soulmate (white Swan Woman bather red green vintage surrealist oil painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Soulmate is a superbe original painting on canvas depicting a woman bather next to a giant white Swan on a green lawn against an intense red sky.
keywords; white Swan, woman bather,...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Dreamer (monkey gorilla iceberg arctic surrealist oil painting light blue)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Superbe original painting on canvas depicting a gorilla in a contemplative state on top of an iceberg while a young woman next to him plays the guitar.
keywords; guitar playing woma...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Fate Challenge I (lady climber wildcat brown earth tones yellow ochre mauve
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
In "Fate challenge II“ a mountaineer is eagerly climbing a steep rock ledge because she has seen something from a distance that she could not explain and is planning to find out. Alt...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Fate Challenge II (lady climber art forbidden apple snake brown earth tones
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
In "Fate challenge II“ a mountaineer is eagerly climbing a steep rocky promontory, hoping to get the sweetest fruit, an apple, and take a bite out of it. Although, she is completely ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Scrappy (car wreck girl yellow dress toy surrealism scale nostalgia vintage)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
keywords; surrealism, humour, uncanny, yellow dress, little girl, car wreck, car incident, earth tones, oil painting, figurative painting, strangeness, conte...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Busy (vintage ladies woman lingerie 3D oil painting paper branches surrealist)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Busy is a tridimensional original painting on paper on branches depicting tailor ladies working taking body measurements along a path in a dark night.
keywords; vintage tailor ladi...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Driftwood, Oil, Laid Paper
Hermits (blue butterfly Woman vintage lingerie surrealist oil painting sculpture
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Hermits is a tridimensional original painting on paper on branches depicting a woman next to a giant butterfly along a path in a dark night.
keywords; butterfly, woman, lingerie, americana...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Driftwood, Laid Paper
It's just like that (fly blue sky vintage men americana surrealist oil painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Superbe original painting on canvas depicting an oversized fly as an enigma in a clear bue sky above a perplexed group of men.
keywords; americana, surrealism, fly, vintage, oil painting, men figurative painting...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Leaf and couple (yellow oil painting vintage black and white Picture couple)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
LEAF AND COUPLE is a superbe and vivid original painting on canvas depicting a still life of a fall leaf next to a vintage black and white photograph of a couple in a tender brace.
...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Stranger (dog soldier cop surrealist crime scene oil painting yellow tape)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Absurd scenery in the middle of nowhere: a case for the special forces, inexplicable and uncanny
has emerged and must therefore be "arrested"...
key...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Capture (girl soldier surrealist oil painting sleeping child portrait figurative
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Trapped, imprisoned and guarded - are there reasons to do so? Maybe "She" is dangerous, or
possibly quite harmless, she is dreaming and serene.
keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil p...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Mr. L (oil painting monochrome vintage old man beard portrait nostalgia flower)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary figurative painting, dreams, symbolic...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Surrealist figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist 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, orange, purple, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Rudolf Kosow, Carlos Gamez De Francisco, Henry David Potwin, Ferjo, and Fernando de Jesus Oliveira. 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 Surrealist figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 2.13 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 $1 and tops out at $400,000, while the average work sells for $3,770.