Airo On Sale
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
People Also Browsed
1890s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Antique 19th Century Spanish Other Paintings
Leather, Wood
2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography
Magazine Paper
1970s Animal Paintings
Oil
Antique 18th Century French Baroque Paintings
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
Antique 19th Century Belgian Victorian Paintings
Canvas
2010s Folk Art Animal Prints
Linocut
Vintage 1930s Swedish Art Deco Paintings
Paint, Wood
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
1980s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...
2010s Animal Prints
Linocut
19th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Paper
2010s Academic Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century American Baroque Paintings
Canvas, Wood
Antique 17th Century European Baroque Paintings
Leather
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.