Abraham Weeping For Sarah
1930s American Modern Still-life Paintings
Gouache, Board, Watercolor
1930s American Modern Nude Paintings
Gouache, Board
1930s American Modern Nude Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache, Board
1930s American Modern Landscape Paintings
Gouache, Oil, Board
1930s American Modern Landscape Paintings
Oil, Board
1930s American Modern Landscape Paintings
Oil, Board
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1940s French School Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
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Artist Comments
Artist Judy Mackey says she asked her patrons to help her title this impressionist painting of orange tulips, and she loved the suggestion of Creamsicles. Jud...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Flush Mount
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21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Benches
Fabric, Velvet, Lacquer, Wood
Early 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Early 20th Century Post-Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Paper, Gouache
Early 1900s Realist Nude Paintings
Oil
Late 19th Century Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Impressionist Nude Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Early 1900s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Linen, Illustration Board, Oil
1940s American Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Colombian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights a...
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Vintage 1940s American Folk Art Paintings
Wood, Paint
1960s American Modern Landscape Paintings
Oil, Canvas
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1930s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
Finding the Right figurative-paintings for You
Figurative art, as opposed to abstract art, retains features from the observable world in its representational depictions of subject matter. Most commonly, figurative paintings reference and explore the human body, but they can also include landscapes, architecture, plants and animals — all portrayed with realism.
While the oldest figurative art dates back tens of thousands of years to cave wall paintings, figurative works made from observation became especially prominent in the early Renaissance. Artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and other Renaissance masters created naturalistic representations of their subjects.
Pablo Picasso is lauded for laying the foundation for modern figurative art in the 1920s. Although abstracted, this work held a strong connection to representing people and other subjects. Other famous figurative artists include Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. Figurative art in the 20th century would span such diverse genres as Expressionism, Pop art and Surrealism.
Today, a number of figural artists — such as Sedrick Huckaby, Daisy Patton and Eileen Cooper — are making art that uses the human body as its subject.
Because figurative art represents subjects from the real world, natural colors are common in these paintings. A piece of figurative art can be an exciting starting point for setting a tone and creating a color palette in a room.
Browse an extensive collection of figurative paintings on 1stDibs.