Barent Graat
1650s Dutch School Figurative Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
People Also Browsed
Antique Early 18th Century French Baroque Western European Rugs
Silk, Wool
Antique 1890s German Dinner Plates
Porcelain
20th Century French Floor Lamps
Crystal
Antique 19th Century French Empire Revival Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace ...
Gesso, Mirror, Wood
15th Century and Earlier Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Wood Panel, Tempera
Late 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
19th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Antique 19th Century English Chinese Chippendale Vitrines
Glass, Mahogany
Late 19th Century Academic Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
16th Century Italian School Portrait Paintings
Oil, Panel
16th Century Mannerist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Panel
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
17th Century Portrait Paintings
Oil, Canvas
18th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
Antique 19th Century French Torchères
Bronze
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.