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Academic 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
The Charge 19th-century Realism Antique Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed
The Charge 19th-century Realism Antique Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed

The Charge 19th-century Realism Antique Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed

By Eugene Alexis Girardet

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 Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Water Tower
The Water Tower

The Water Tower

Located in Greenville, DE

Coastal landscape painting by Giovanni Casadei, "The Water Tower." Oil on panel. Framed dimensions 12.5 x 17.5 inches. Casadei’s approach to painting is to communicate to the viewer ...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Marines in Pair - Dutch Painting 19th Century
Marines in Pair - Dutch Painting 19th Century

Marines in Pair - Dutch Painting 19th Century

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

VAN WYK Henri (1833-NC) Marines in pair Oil on wood panel signed low left Old frame re-gilded with gold leaves Dim wood : 23 X 41 cm Dim frame : 40 X 58 cm Certificate of authenticit...

Category

1880s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Antique SUNSET VIEW OF SAN LAZZARO, VENICE
Antique SUNSET VIEW OF SAN LAZZARO, VENICE

Antique SUNSET VIEW OF SAN LAZZARO, VENICE

Located in New York, NY

Up for sale is a wonderful Italian Venetian Sunset painting by Bernhard Stange (1807-1880). Painting for sale depicts SUNSET VIEW OF SAN LAZZARO, VENICE It is absolutely colorful a...

Category

1870s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Composition of Roses With Lute and score
Composition of Roses With Lute and score

Composition of Roses With Lute and score

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

GODCHAUX Emile (1860) Big Composition of roses with Oil on canvas signed low right Frame gilded with gold leaves Dim canvas : 90 X 129 cm Dim frame : 118 x 159 cm GODCHAUX Emile (1860 - nc) French School - 19th century - Born in 1860 Painter of genre scenes, landscapes, waterscapes, marines, flowers, still lives. He sold his paintings on the public place, and sometimes in Lotteries. He is related to Alfred Godchaux...

Category

Late 19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Hunting Still LIfe
Hunting Still LIfe

Hunting Still LIfe

By Joseph van den Kerkhoven

Located in Atlanta, GA

Joseph van den Kerkhoven was born in Bruges. He became a student of J. van Meunincxhove in 1682, and then a student of E. Quellinus in Anvers. After a voyage to Frankfort, he found...

Category

Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Jupiter and Mercury received by Philemon and Baucis
Jupiter and Mercury received by Philemon and Baucis

Jupiter and Mercury received by Philemon and Baucis

Located in New York, NY

Canvas size: 57 3/4 x 45 1/2 inches A striking and impressive French Academic painting in a high quality Italian style gold leaf frame. Gorguet was an Academic French artist who was trained by Boulanger, Gerome, Bonnat and Morot. His academic training was so strong that he was asked by the Opera House to illustrate many of their posters and he made his living illustrating many books of the time. In the market today this is most of what circulates and comes to light by the artist. He was ultimately made a professor of Drawings at L’Institut. However, Gorguet was also a Symbolist artist and did works aligned with the Art Nouveau movement. Many of these works are quite impressive but rarely have surfaced in the art market. Jupiter and Mercury Received by Philemon and Baucis is more of an Allegorical work and Gorguet switched gears to do a painting which would garner International attention at the important Concourse du Prix de Rome competition. 1891 was a year where the competition would be stiff and he knew he had to do an impressive painting with a compelling historical or allegorical content. In this painting, Gorguet is depicting their Jupiter and Mercury’s arrival at their home and the indication that Philemon and Baucis will share what they have with them despite their poverty-stricken means. The technical execution of this work is exceptional as the figurative work is done masterfully and any small detail within the canvas demonstrates tremendous attention of subtlety of tone and modeling. An example is the strand of cloth that crosses Jupiters chest and the delicate shades of pink and gray and how it is modeled. More than ever, the academic artists of this period are to be appreciated for the quality and creativeness of their work. And the timelessness of these classical allegories are still applicable to our lives today. So we predict a turn back toward work like this as qualitatively we know it will never be done again. Story of Jupiter and Mercury Visiting Philemon and Baucis (one interpretation) According to ancient Roman mythology and Ovid's Metamorphoses (8.631, 8.720.), Philemon and Baucis had lived out their long lives nobly, but in poverty. Jupiter, the Roman king of the gods, had heard of the virtuous couple, but based on all his previous experiences with humans, he had serious doubts as to their goodness. Jupiter was about to destroy mankind but was willing to give it one final chance before starting over again. So, in the company of his son Mercury, the wing-footed messenger god, Jupiter went about, disguised as a worn and weary traveler, from house to house among the neighbors of Philemon and Baucis. As Jupiter feared and expected, the neighbors turned him and Mercury away rudely. Then the two gods went to the last house...

Category

1890s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Swing des Oranges

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Swing des Oranges

Located in Paris, IDF

Artwork located in Los Angeles, USA. Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in th...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Jungle by the River - Original Old painting
Jungle by the River - Original Old painting

Jungle by the River - Original Old painting

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

VON PLESSEN Willy (1868-1937) Jungle by the River - Probably from old german colonies in Africa Oil on wood signed low left Frame gilded with gold leaves Dim canvas : 62 X 50 cm Dim ...

Category

1910s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Venus Cast - Figurative Painting Colors Black Purple White Yellow Grey
Venus Cast - Figurative Painting Colors Black Purple White Yellow Grey

Venus Cast - Figurative Painting Colors Black Purple White Yellow Grey

By Lyubena Fox

Located in Sofia, BG

"Venus cast" Oil on canvas (The painting is unframed 70 x 50 cm.) The Painting’s Qualities Lyubena Fox’s paintings are painted in several layers, using both the transparent and opaque qualities of oil paint. Each layer is applied after the previous has dried which makes the painting withstand time. It also creates a glowing, three-dimensional effect, which is due to the different layers showing though each other. These paintings are painted following the logic of how the eye perceives: seeing the details in the context of the form. To create a fulfilling experience, the images are composed of places, full of detail for the eye to explore and places where the eye can rest. “The impressions of Lyubena's paintings on the viewer is so mighty, mesmerizing, grand, that it paralyzes the imagination with its realistic perfection. Her paintings bring emotion of drama, mystery, love, desire and energy, represented by the vast creative power of her talent.” Bio Lyubena Fox was born in 1994 in Sofia, Bulgaria. 2013 she graduated from the National school of fine arts Bulgaria, specializing in illustration. The same year she moved to Florence, Italy to study painting with John M. Angel and in 2016 graduated from Angel Academy of Art Florence, after which she studied with Alessandro Dari. 2017 she has two solo exhibitions in Sofia. 2018 Lyubena has three of her paintings qualified as ARC finalists and later in May studies painting with her favorite contemporary painter Roberto Ferri...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Edgard CUGNOTET - Painting 19th Century - Portrait of Two Children
Edgard CUGNOTET - Painting 19th Century - Portrait of Two Children

Edgard CUGNOTET - Painting 19th Century - Portrait of Two Children

By Edouard Ferdinand Ludovic Cugnotet

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

CUGNOTET Edgard (19th Century) Portrait of two Children Oil on canvas signed low left and dated 1884 Frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 138 X 100 cm Dim Frame : 162 X 122 cm CUGNOTET Edgard Ferdinand Ludovic (19th Century) French painter 19th Century born in Dijon Figures, Portraits, Landscapes He was taught by François Édouard PICOT (1786-1868) royal Academy of Anvers. He exhibited at the Salon de Paris between 1868 and 1884. Museum : Langres « the hurdy gurdy...

Category

1880s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Go Bang
French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Go Bang

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Go Bang

Located in Paris, IDF

Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His wor...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Panel

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - L'Espoir en Rose

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - L'Espoir en Rose

Located in Paris, IDF

Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His works e...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Amour Celeste

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Amour Celeste

Located in Paris, IDF

Artwork located in Los Angeles, USA. Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as i...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provencale No. 6
French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provencale No. 6

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provencale No. 6

Located in Paris, IDF

Rapidography & acrylic on paper + white frame Pascal Plazanet is a French artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Paris, France. For more 30 years, he constantly uses rapidograph pens in his artworks on paper or onto canvas. The rapidograph is a special pen with a capillary tubular tip in which flows a black pigment, an ancient drawing tool...

Category

1990s Academic Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provencale No. 12
French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provencale No. 12

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provencale No. 12

Located in Paris, IDF

Rapidography & acrylic on paper + white frame Pascal Plazanet is a French artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Paris, France. For more 30 years, he constantly uses rapidograph pens in his artworks on paper or onto canvas. The rapidograph is a special pen with a capillary tubular tip in which flows a black pigment, an ancient drawing...

Category

1990s Academic Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Cute Koala Bear Australia,  Photorealism
Cute Koala Bear Australia,  Photorealism

Cute Koala Bear Australia, Photorealism

By John Ruthven

Located in Miami, FL

John Ruthven is recognized as the “20th-century Audubon. In this very detailed and meticulously rendered work the artist depicts a Koala in an iconic and proud pose and a Photoreali...

Category

1970s Academic Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Droit au Coeur

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Droit au Coeur

Located in Paris, IDF

Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His works e...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"The ribbons bent"
"The ribbons bent"

"The ribbons bent"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

The picture "Stozhki nakhilis" transports the viewer to the winter fairy tale of Transcarpathia, where a sunny day envelops the snow-covered slopes of the mountains with warm rays. O...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - De ma Fenêtre

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - De ma Fenêtre

Located in Paris, IDF

Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His works e...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Terre qui Saigne ?

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Terre qui Saigne ?

Located in Paris, IDF

Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His works e...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Au Fond l'Espoir
French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Au Fond l'Espoir

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Au Fond l'Espoir

Located in Paris, IDF

Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His wor...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Watercolour painting by Henry Ryland
Watercolour painting by Henry Ryland

Watercolour painting by Henry Ryland

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 Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Board, Laid Paper

Pasture with Cows
Pasture with Cows

Pasture with Cows

By Rémy Cogghe

Located in Atlanta, GA

Born in Mouscron in the Belgian province of Hainaut, Cogghe attended the Academy of Roubaix where he studied under Constantin Mils. In 1876, Cogghe was admitted to the École Nation...

Category

Early 1900s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cavalry Charge 1st Empire - French realism by Edouard Detaille - French art
Cavalry Charge 1st Empire - French realism by Edouard Detaille - French art

Cavalry Charge 1st Empire - French realism by Edouard Detaille - French art

By Jean Baptiste Édouard Detaille

Located in PARIS, FR

Conditions : Very good original conditions including a beautiful frame. This Framed under glass with a Length of 90 x 68 cm , this rare composition for sale is an exceptionnel piece...

Category

Late 19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Tempera

Two Marines in Pair
Two Marines in Pair

Two Marines in Pair

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

BURLING Gilbert (1843-1875) Two oil on wood panel signed low right Showing scenes of fishing by the sea Frames giglded with leaves Size wood panel : 22 X 41 cm (each) Size frame : 33...

Category

Late 19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

A Sylvan Toilette -- ca. 1898
A Sylvan Toilette -- ca. 1898

A Sylvan Toilette -- ca. 1898

By James Carroll Beckwith

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 Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Girl with Bouquet
Girl with Bouquet

Girl with Bouquet

Located in Mc Lean, VA

Monogrammed lower right

Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Divertimento in the Music Salon
Divertimento in the Music Salon

Divertimento in the Music Salon

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

GUIDI Giuseppe (1881-1931) Divertimento in the Music Salon Oil on canvas signed low right Old frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 70 X 100 cm Dim frame :...

Category

Early 1900s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Across the River by Sir David Murray
Across the River by Sir David Murray

Across the River by Sir David Murray

By Sir David Murray

Located in New Orleans, LA

Sir David Murray, R.A., H.R.S.A., R.S.W., R.I. 1849-1933 • Scottish Across the River Signed and dated D. Murray 1907 (lower left) Signed and inscribed “Across the River/by David M...

Category

Early 20th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Marine at twilight from Nederland
Marine at twilight from Nederland

Marine at twilight from Nederland

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

VAN KOPP (19th Century) Dutch School Marine at twilight from Nederland Oil on canvas signed low right Old frame re-gilded with gold leaves Dim canvas : 50 X 100 cm Dim Frame : 72 X 1...

Category

Late 19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

GRISAILLE 19th Century - Cherubs asleep
GRISAILLE 19th Century - Cherubs asleep

GRISAILLE 19th Century - Cherubs asleep

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

GRISAILLE 19th Century (anonymous) Cherubs asleep Part of "Rococo Style" made famous by François Boucher (1703 - 1770) Oil on canvas Circa 1850 Old frame re-gilded Dim canvas : 33 X ...

Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Transmutations: A Study of Systems Substitution, Painting by Mary Fish
"Transmutations: A Study of Systems Substitution, Painting by Mary Fish

"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 Paintings

Materials

Ink, Tempera

Academic paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Academic 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 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, purple, pink, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Karen Darbinyan, Mark Beard, Kyna de Schouël, and Elizabeth Zanzinger. 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 4.14 inches across are also available. Prices for 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 $140 and tops out at $700,000, while the average work sells for $4,850.