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Body Figurative Paintings

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Art Subject: Body
Where the Heart Waits
Where the Heart Waits

Where the Heart Waits

By Natalia Yangalycheva

Located in Zofingen, AG

This painting is part of the series In Search of Our Shore, a body of work that reflects on the universal human longing to find a place—and a person—where we truly belong. The shore ...

Category

2010s Impressionist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Heritage 7 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, African Woman Hair

Heritage 7 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, African Woman Hair

By Arobieke Tomiwa

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gallery) About Artist Arobieke Tomiwa...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

"Eve", Original Oil painting by Kelly Birkenruth of Young Woman
"Eve", Original Oil painting by Kelly Birkenruth of Young Woman

"Eve", Original Oil painting by Kelly Birkenruth of Young Woman

By Kelly Birkenruth

Located in Denver, CO

Kelly Birkenruth's "Eve" (2024) is an original oil painting on panel, measuring 14 x 11 x 2 inches. This exquisite artwork features a detailed portrayal of a female back, capturing the soft curvature and delicate play of light and shadow on the skin. The lace trim of her clothing adds a touch of elegance and femininity to the composition. The muted tones and soft background highlight Birkenruth’s technical skill and artistic vision. The painting is framed, with overall dimensions of 15 x 12 inches, enhancing its presentation. Known for her ability to convey the human form with both realism and sensitivity, Birkenruth’s "Eve" is a captivating addition to any art collection. Kelly Birkenruth’s captivating paintings are in the style of contemporary realism while staying firmly grounded in the tradition of the Old Masters. She is able to pull the viewer into her paintings by interweaving emotion with a humanistic quality through her supreme handling of light. Through her portraits and still lifes she is able to evoke sensitivity and empathy, which in turn allows her to create images which transcend mere representation to capture the true essence of her subject. Kelly’s arresting compositions, draftsmanship, use of color and observation of detail allow her to create paintings with a timeless quality. After earning her degree from Pennsylvania State University, Kelly moved...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Reflection- 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Fashion

Reflection- 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Fashion

By Gobe Joseph

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Gob...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic

Perfect Day, Original Painting
Perfect Day, Original Painting

Perfect Day, Original Painting

By Nava Lundy

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A large-scale painting captures a serene moment of a woman sitting at the bow of a boat. She gazes across endless shades of blue. The textured brushwork and lay...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Don't Be Perfect, Be Real -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait Women
Don't Be Perfect, Be Real -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait Women

Don't Be Perfect, Be Real -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait Women

By Elijah Olanase

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Eli...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Stare 3 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women

Stare 3 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women

By Emmanuel Daniel

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Stare 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women

Stare 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women

By Emmanuel Daniel

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

"Graceful Curve" by Mark Bradley Schwartz, Original Oil Painting, Portrait
"Graceful Curve" by Mark Bradley Schwartz, Original Oil Painting, Portrait

"Graceful Curve" by Mark Bradley Schwartz, Original Oil Painting, Portrait

By Mark Bradley Schwartz

Located in Denver, CO

"Graceful Curve" by Mark Bradley Schwartz is an original oil on canvas depicting a reclining female model draped with a white sheet. A native of Illinois, He began his professional life as a graphic designer and art director in St. Louis, Missouri and later moved to Southern California to further his design career. Although Schwartz’s career was successful, he wanted to pursue work of a more personally fulfilling nature. To reach these new goals Schwartz first attended life drawing classes at Associates in Art, in Sherman Oaks, California. He later studied at the California Art Institute in Westlake Village, California, where he received extensive training in drawing and painting the human figure from life. While studying with famed illustrator Glen Orbik...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of African Woman Tanzania - Signed Oil Painting circa 1970's
Portrait of African Woman Tanzania - Signed Oil Painting circa 1970's

Portrait of African Woman Tanzania - Signed Oil Painting circa 1970's

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Artist/ School: The work is signed and dates to the 1970's period. Title: Portrait of an Africa Woman, believed to be from Tanzania (according to previous owner). Medium: oil paint...

Category

20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Where Silence Meets Soul -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women
Where Silence Meets Soul -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women

Where Silence Meets Soul -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women

By Adebayo Taiwo

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

"Where Silence Meets Soul" is a contemplative piece that invites viewers to step into the sacred space within. This artwork was inspired by the idea that silence has the power to awa...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Paradox of St. Sebastian - Contemporary Oil Painting with Graffiti and Shackles
Paradox of St. Sebastian - Contemporary Oil Painting with Graffiti and Shackles

Paradox of St. Sebastian - Contemporary Oil Painting with Graffiti and Shackles

By Bruno Surdo

Located in Chicago, IL

This painting is Bruno Surdo’s contemporary reimagining of Saint Sebastian, one of the most enduring subjects in Western art. From Mantegna and Botticelli to Guido Reni and Caravaggio, Sebastian has long been depicted as the bound, arrow-pierced martyr whose physical suffering becomes an image of spiritual transcendence. Surdo clearly situates himself within this lineage: the contrapposto pose, uplifted gaze, and carefully modeled anatomy reflect his atelier training and deep engagement with Renaissance ideals of the heroic nude. The flesh is luminous and sculptural, recalling Michelangelo’s influence on the canon of the male body as both aesthetic and symbolic form. Yet Surdo decisively destabilizes the tradition. The arrows piercing the body are not lethal shafts but rubber suction-cup darts—objects associated with toys and staged play. This substitution transforms martyrdom into performance. The gravity of sacred suffering is undercut by irony, even absurdity. The saint is no longer impaled by instruments of death but by harmless projectiles, suggesting that contemporary suffering may be theatricalized, trivialized, or culturally mediated. At the same time, the figure’s expression remains sincere and emotionally vulnerable; the psychological intensity is real, even if the wounds are not. This tension between authentic emotion and artificial harm introduces a modern critique of spectacle—how pain can be aestheticized, simulated, or consumed. The graffiti-covered urban wall further collapses sacred history into contemporary space. Instead of a devotional landscape or heavenly backdrop, Surdo situates his Sebastian against a chaotic, tagged surface, merging classical beauty with raw urban immediacy. Saint Sebastian has long functioned not only as a symbol of faith but also as an emblem of sensualized male beauty and coded identity in art history. Surdo acknowledges that layered tradition while reframing it through irony and cultural commentary. By replacing deadly arrows with toy darts, he transforms martyrdom into a meditation on vulnerability in an age where suffering may be symbolic rather than fatal—performed, projected, or socially inflicted rather than divinely ordained. As in much of his work, Surdo grounds contemporary psychological tension in the authority of Renaissance form, using the language of history painting to question what sanctity, sacrifice, and spectacle mean today. Bruno Surdo Paradox of St. Sebastian oil on canvas 60h x 36w in 152.40h x 91.44w cm Bruno A. Surdo b. Chicago, 1963 EXHIBITIONS 2018 Liberation, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL Blood Sport, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL Art on Paper 2018, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Pier 36, New York, NY SOFA Chicago 2018, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL 2017 POP!ARAZZI, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL Coming Attractions, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2015 SOFA Chicago 2015, Ann Nathan Gallery, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL Bruno Surdo: Allegories, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2014 Bruno Surdo: Respond, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Modern Metaphors, Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, IL 2013 Bruno Surdo: Revelations, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Vice + Virtue, Northern Illinois University Museum of Art 2012 Contemporary Realism Biennial, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN 2011 Bruno Surdo, University of St. Francis School of Creative Arts, Fort Wayne, IN Uncensored, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2010 Art Chicago 2010, Ann Nathan Gallery, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2009 Art Chicago 2009, Ann Nathan Gallery, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2007 Bruno Surdo, Art Institute of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 2006 Context/Content: Making Meaning with the Figure, University of Arkansas, Conway, AR Creative Imaginings, Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL Bruno Surdo: Cycles, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2005 Art Chicago 2005, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2004 Tragedy, Memory, & Honor, Richard M. Daley Center, Chicago, IL Art Chicago 2004, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Group Show, Arcadia Gallery, New York, NY Drawings VII, Koplin Del Rio Gallery, West Hollywood, CA Armory Show, New York Armory, New York, NY 2003 Paintings & Drawings, College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL The Art Show, New York, NY Bruno Surdo: New Work, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Art Chicago 2003, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2003-10 International Show of Contemporary Artists, Chicago Art Open, Chicago, IL 2002 Bruno Surdo: Perception of Appearance, Frye Museum, Seattle, WA Tragedy, Memory, & Honor, Richard M. Daley Center, Chicago, IL Bruno Surdo: Transcendence, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Art Chicago 2002, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Tragedy, Memory, & Honor, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2001 Magic Vision, Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR 1998 Evanston and Vicinity Artists, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL 1996 Bruno Surdo: A Personal View, University of Wisconsin, Kenosha, WI 1995 Bruno Surdo: Recent Works, College of Lake County, IL AIDS in Our Society, Loyola University, Chicago, IL Bruno Surdo: Life, Struggle, and Hope, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL 2001 Magic Vision, Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR Bruno Surdo: Dualities of Life, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 1999 Group Show, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 1998 Group Exhibition, Fine Arts Building Gallery, Chicago, IL 1995 Spiritual Inquiries, Struve Gallery, Chicago, IL 1994 Recent Works, The 14th Annual Juried Exhibition for Lake County Artists, Grayslake, IL Go Figure, Figurative Works on Paper, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, Chicago, IL SELECTED COLLECTIONS The Re-Birth of Venus, Temporary Loan, Fort Wayne Museum of Art Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR College of Lake County, Greyslake, IL Flashpoint Academy, Chicago IL John Robert Wiltgen Design Shoemaker Ruud Collection Julie & Thomas Danilek Michael Vozzella and Mike Silver Benjamin Fernandez Tom Braake Betsy Colburn Michael Diemand & Lor LaRose Michael Staab & Kathy Brock Bruce Leep Frank Tzurect Mary Foley Rosalyn Carlson Mimmy Turney Janet Long Halstead Billy Hunt Carol Galli Myles Kerrigan Honorable & Mrs. Edwin Berman Theodore Gage Northrop Art Museum Past Present & Future Company Dr. James & Peggy Kemmler Salvatore Monastero Nix & Virginia Lauridsen Joel Miller David & Marlene Zerkel Ann & Andy Abel Claudia Rush Marc Miller Leonard Goldberg Lawrence Pucci Howard Tullman Collection Susan & Manny Kramer James Rinnert Richar Interiors Michael & Nancy Colt Khalid Altijir Dr. Joe Grodman Beryl & Jack Gore Larry Wolf & Eric Naegle Chuck Wolandi Jack Schwab & David Sandelin Thomas Kaczmarek Marti Dinerstein Craig & Michael Golden...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Outgoing Tide, Oil Painting
Outgoing Tide, Oil Painting

Outgoing Tide, Oil Painting

By Faye Vander Veer

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
"What could be more relaxing than the gentle sounds of the outgoing tide as it recedes from the shore, leaving behind little pools of water?" asks Faye. Throu...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Three Swimmers from the Back - acrylic and oil on canvas
Three Swimmers from the Back - acrylic and oil on canvas

Three Swimmers from the Back - acrylic and oil on canvas

By Wencke Uhl

Located in West Hollywood, CA

Wencke Uhl is a contemporary figurative paintress living and working in Germany. She draws inspiration from human beauty and the female form. As a teenager Uhl wanted to become a fas...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Heritage 5 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, African Woman Hair

Heritage 5 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, African Woman Hair

By Arobieke Tomiwa

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gallery) About Artist Arobieke Tomiwa...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Away From The Lens 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Oil, Women, Fashion

Away From The Lens 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Oil, Women, Fashion

By Afolayan Emmanuel

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Contemporary expressive colorful figurative acrylic painting of woman on paper
Contemporary expressive colorful figurative acrylic painting of woman on paper

Contemporary expressive colorful figurative acrylic painting of woman on paper

By Natalya Mougenot

Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR

his contemporary figurative painting "Feeling happy on the beach", infused with modern expressionism and brut art elements, portrays a woman with long black hair clad in a red swimsu...

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

French Contemporary Art by Karine Bartoli - Cargèse
French Contemporary Art by Karine Bartoli - Cargèse

French Contemporary Art by Karine Bartoli - Cargèse

By Karine Bartoli

Located in Paris, IDF

Acrylic on canvas Karine Bartoli was born in 1971 in Ajaccio. She enrolled at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts in Marseille where she graduated in 1997. Since then she ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Sunday - Large Format Painting, Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Sea View

Sunday - Large Format Painting, Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Sea View

By Julita Malinowska

Located in Hallein, AT

Artodyssey "Julita Malinowska's paintings belong to those, which once seen - are never forgotten. The open spaces, sometimes cool and bright, at other times heavily saturated with contrasting light, create a landscape in which, like a counterpoint, we come across a figure – sometimes one, perhaps two or more. The synthetic construction of form, clean contours, and strong divisions are elements which at first sight are the defining characteristics of the artist's style. It is impossible to pass one by and remain indifferent to the subdued harmony flooding these spaces which not totally defined. The drawings, however, are somewhat different. Although they contain the same motifs, at times even the same compositions – the value strategems employed by Julita create a sense of foreboding in a world already balancing on the edge. The painterly and graphic form constructed by the artist is itself thought- provoking . The heightened tones, the light which at times goes off the scale and the almost classic contours lead us to look at Malinowska's work through the prism of classicism and the great art theories of the 17th century. Such references are quite rare in the painting of today and beyond – in art. The search for a language allowing the artist to deal with universal issues and fundamental questions in order to understand the sense of not only art, but also life, has not been too popular a phenomenom in art over the last century. The artist has, however, for the last few years quite consciously defined the sphere of her search. It could first be seen in the diploma cycle of paintings, the summary of her years of study. “The role of the painting defined then and the concious selection of formal sources became the starting point for further artistic exploration, which I have been following carefully ever since.” Julita Malinowska Born in Otwock in 1979. Studied in the Art Department of the University of Maria Curie-Sklodowska in Lublin from 1999-2000, and then from 2000-2005 in the Painting Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. Received a Sokrates/Erasmus scholarship in 2003 for Wolverhampton University in the UK. Graduated (MA degree) from the Painting Department in 2005 with distinction. From 2008 till 2011 was making Doctoral studies (PhD degree) at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. In December 2012 defended PhD degree. In 2005 won Second Prize at The Samsung Art...

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Ìrètí( Hope) 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Africa
Ìrètí( Hope) 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Africa

Ìrètí( Hope) 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Africa

By Adebayo Taiwo

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Ìrètí—the Yoruba word for “hope”—guides this series of portraits, each one a meditation on the dreams, aspirations, and quiet resilience of African womanhood. In these works, every g...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Fine 1950's French Signed Oil Painting Head & Shoulders Portrait Nude Man
Fine 1950's French Signed Oil Painting Head & Shoulders Portrait Nude Man

Fine 1950's French Signed Oil Painting Head & Shoulders Portrait Nude Man

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Head & Shoulders Portrait, Nude Male French, mid 20th century signed oil on board, unframed board : 13 x 9.5 inches Provenance: private collection, France Condition: very good condit...

Category

Mid-20th Century French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

What Does The Future Hold 1 -21st Century Contemporary, Portrait, Modern Fashion

What Does The Future Hold 1 -21st Century Contemporary, Portrait, Modern Fashion

By Afolayan Emmanuel

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Heritage 9 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, African Woman Hair

Heritage 9 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, African Woman Hair

By Arobieke Tomiwa

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gallery) About Artist Arobieke Tomiwa...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Underwater Siren, Photorealistic Figurative Swimmer Painting, Oil on Canvas
Underwater Siren, Photorealistic Figurative Swimmer Painting, Oil on Canvas

Underwater Siren, Photorealistic Figurative Swimmer Painting, Oil on Canvas

Located in Atlanta, GA

Photorealist painter, Miguel Nuñez was born in Uruguay, in the city of Maldonado in 1966. Maldonado is located on the banks of the Río de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean, and the ef...

Category

2010s Photorealist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Don't Rush Life 3 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Men
Don't Rush Life 3 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Men

Don't Rush Life 3 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Men

By Elijah Olanase

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Where am from Bandana was once a common style, we called it Big Boy Style, then it's seem to me like a style or fashion only, because our elder brothers only allowed to used it but n...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

"Balloon Muse" Contemporary figurative oil painting Picasso inspired on canvas
"Balloon Muse" Contemporary figurative oil painting Picasso inspired on canvas

"Balloon Muse" Contemporary figurative oil painting Picasso inspired on canvas

By Mougenot Natalya

Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR

“Balloon Muse” is an original contemporary figurative oil painting by French artist Natalya Mougenot, created on cotton stretched canvas and ready to hang. The work measures 40 × 40 ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lost of Value - 21st Century, Figurative Portrait, African Currency, Modern
Lost of Value - 21st Century, Figurative Portrait, African Currency, Modern

Lost of Value - 21st Century, Figurative Portrait, African Currency, Modern

By Abdulateef Salaudeen

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique; this is not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. (Issues b...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Desire - Nude Lovers Entangled in a Passionate Kiss, Oil on Paper on Canvas
Desire - Nude Lovers Entangled in a Passionate Kiss, Oil on Paper on Canvas

Desire - Nude Lovers Entangled in a Passionate Kiss, Oil on Paper on Canvas

By Bruno Surdo

Located in Chicago, IL

This painting demonstrates Bruno Surdo’s deep grounding in classical figurative tradition while addressing intimacy in a distinctly contemporary register. The tightly compressed composition—two nude bodies locked in a kiss—recalls Renaissance and Baroque explorations of entwined figures, from Michelangelo’s sculptural studies of interlocking forms to Caravaggio’s emotionally charged chiaroscuro. The anatomical modeling is central: the musculature of the male back, the subtle weight shift in the female torso, and the nuanced transitions of light across flesh reveal Surdo’s atelier training and commitment to Renaissance draftsmanship. The dark, atmospheric background isolates the figures, heightening their sculptural presence and intensifying the psychological focus. Art historically, the pose evokes both sacred and mythological precedents—embraces seen in depictions of Venus and Mars, Cupid and Psyche, or even the sensual gravity of Rodin’s later sculptural couples. Yet Surdo strips away allegorical attributes and narrative setting. The white drapery loosely gathered at the woman’s hip subtly references classical sculpture, where cloth both conceals and accentuates form. Unlike historical idealization, however, these bodies feel lived-in and human rather than mythic. Surdo’s broader practice often stages grand allegories or mythological conflicts; here he distills that tradition into a singular moment of private intensity. The painting bridges past and present, demonstrating how the language of Renaissance form and Baroque light can still articulate modern vulnerability, desire, and connection without relying on overt narrative symbolism. Bruno Surdo Desire oil on paper on canvas 40h x 30w in 101.60h x 76.20w cm BRS086 Bruno A. Surdo b. Chicago, 1963 EXHIBITIONS 2021 Ethos + Truth, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2020 Realities, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2018 Liberation, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL Blood Sport, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL Art on Paper 2018, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Pier 36, New York, NY SOFA Chicago 2018, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL 2017 POP!ARAZZI, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL Coming Attractions, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2015 SOFA Chicago 2015, Ann Nathan Gallery, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL Bruno Surdo: Allegories, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2014 Bruno Surdo: Respond, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Modern Metaphors, Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, IL 2013 Bruno Surdo: Revelations, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Vice + Virtue, Northern Illinois University Museum of Art 2012 Contemporary Realism Biennial, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN 2011 Bruno Surdo, University of St. Francis School of Creative Arts, Fort Wayne, IN Uncensored, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2010 Art Chicago 2010, Ann Nathan Gallery, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2009 Art Chicago 2009, Ann Nathan Gallery, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2007 Bruno Surdo, Art Institute of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 2006 Context/Content: Making Meaning with the Figure, University of Arkansas, Conway, AR Creative Imaginings, Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL Bruno Surdo: Cycles, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2005 Art Chicago 2005, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2004 Tragedy, Memory, & Honor, Richard M. Daley Center, Chicago, IL Art Chicago 2004, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Group Show, Arcadia Gallery, New York, NY Drawings VII, Koplin Del Rio Gallery, West Hollywood, CA Armory Show, New York Armory, New York, NY 2003 Paintings & Drawings, College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL The Art Show, New York, NY Bruno Surdo: New Work, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Art Chicago 2003, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2003-10 International Show of Contemporary Artists, Chicago Art Open, Chicago, IL 2002 Bruno Surdo: Perception of Appearance, Frye Museum, Seattle, WA Tragedy, Memory, & Honor, Richard M. Daley Center, Chicago, IL Bruno Surdo: Transcendence, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Art Chicago 2002, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Tragedy, Memory, & Honor, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2001 Magic Vision, Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR 1998 Evanston and Vicinity Artists, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL 1996 Bruno Surdo: A Personal View, University of Wisconsin, Kenosha, WI 1995 Bruno Surdo: Recent Works, College of Lake County, IL AIDS in Our Society, Loyola University, Chicago, IL Bruno Surdo: Life, Struggle, and Hope, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL 2001 Magic Vision, Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR Bruno Surdo: Dualities of Life, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 1999 Group Show, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 1998 Group Exhibition, Fine Arts Building Gallery, Chicago, IL 1995 Spiritual Inquiries, Struve Gallery, Chicago, IL 1994 Recent Works, The 14th Annual Juried Exhibition for Lake County Artists, Grayslake, IL Go Figure, Figurative Works on Paper, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, Chicago, IL SELECTED COLLECTIONS The Re-Birth of Venus, Temporary Loan, Fort Wayne Museum of Art Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR College of Lake County, Greyslake, IL Flashpoint Academy, Chicago IL John Robert Wiltgen Design Shoemaker Ruud Collection Julie & Thomas Danilek Michael Vozzella and Mike Silver Benjamin Fernandez Tom Braake Betsy Colburn Michael Diemand & Lor LaRose Michael Staab & Kathy Brock Bruce Leep Frank Tzurect Mary Foley Rosalyn Carlson Mimmy Turney Janet Long Halstead Billy Hunt Carol Galli Myles Kerrigan Honorable & Mrs. Edwin Berman Theodore Gage Northrop Art Museum Past Present & Future Company Dr. James & Peggy Kemmler Salvatore Monastero Nix & Virginia Lauridsen Joel Miller David & Marlene Zerkel Ann & Andy Abel Claudia Rush Marc Miller Leonard Goldberg Lawrence Pucci Howard Tullman Collection Susan & Manny Kramer James Rinnert Richar Interiors Michael & Nancy Colt Khalid Altijir Dr. Joe Grodman Beryl & Jack Gore Larry Wolf & Eric Naegle Chuck Wolandi Jack Schwab & David Sandelin Thomas Kaczmarek Marti Dinerstein Craig & Michael Golden...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas, Archival Paper

Unbroken Poise -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Women

Unbroken Poise -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Women

By Olaniyi Timothy

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

There’s a poise that comes not from perfection but from resilience and the quiet strength we all carry from within. This artwork speaks to the moments when life tests us, yet we choo...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Don't Rush Life 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Africa Men
Don't Rush Life 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Africa Men

Don't Rush Life 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Africa Men

By Elijah Olanase

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Where am from Bandana was once a common style, we called it Big Boy Style, then it’s seem to me like a style or fashion only, because our elder brothers only allowed to used it but n...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Demonstrating a Dive

[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Demonstrating a Dive

By Mark Beard

Located in New York, NY

Signed in red, u.r. Oil on canvas mounted to Masonite 85 x 45 inches This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Mark Beard, born in 1956 in Salt Lake City...

Category

2010s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Boat Couture: Home Edition
Boat Couture: Home Edition

Boat Couture: Home Edition

By Nataliya Bagatskaya

Located in Zofingen, AG

A surreal and contemplative composition, this painting captures a poised woman standing in a delicate pale pink rowboat that gently floats atop still water—remarkably, within the con...

Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Iwalewa - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Dress, Women
Iwalewa - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Dress, Women

Iwalewa - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Dress, Women

By Ademola Clement Ajayi

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...

Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Fabric, Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pencil

Gaze 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern, Men
Gaze 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern, Men

Gaze 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern, Men

By Akingbade Mayowa

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity About Artist Oluw...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Italian Contemporary Art by Matteo Nannini - Adam

Italian Contemporary Art by Matteo Nannini - Adam

By Matteo Nannini

Located in Paris, IDF

Oil on canvas Matteo Nannini is an Italian artist born in 1979 in Bologna who lives and works in Cento, Ferrara, Italy. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna. Painter by...

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bunmi - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, School Uniform, Nature
Bunmi - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, School Uniform, Nature

Bunmi - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, School Uniform, Nature

By Meshach Charity

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Mes...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil