Benjamin G. Vaganov On Sale
1950s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Linen, Egg Tempera, Cardboard
People Also Browsed
1940s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Cardboard, Canvas, Oil
Vintage 1970s Chinese Qing Mounted Objects
Eggshell
1950s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary German Country Porcelain
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Chinese Figurative Sculptures
Cork
1950s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Cardboard, Oil, Canvas
1950s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
Antique Late 19th Century American Native American North and South Ameri...
Wool
1960s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
1970s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Oil, Canvas, Cardboard
1970s Post-Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Antique 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Ceramics
Glass
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Ceramics
Porcelain
1950s Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Vintage 1920s Chinese Qing Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Copper, Enamel
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Chinese Antiquities
Pottery
Recent Sales
20th Century American Modern Figurative Paintings
Masonite, Oil
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.