Bob Mackie Illustrations
1980s Art Deco Figurative Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Photography
Paper
1970s Victorian Landscape Paintings
Oil, Board
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Oil
Antique Late 19th Century German Biedermeier Paintings
Wood, Canvas
Artist Comments
Afternoon at the lake in a classical style. Delicate shadows in the foreground give way to glistening water in the distance. The scene is nicely framed on the...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings
Oil
20th Century American Posters
Linen, Paper
Antique 19th Century Italian Grand Tour Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Paint
1990s Modern Figurative Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache, Pencil
1940s Art Deco Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Gouache, Pencil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
19th Century Romantic Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Oil
Joseph BrunnerJ. Brunner 1869 Oil on Canvas Austrian Landscape with Lake and Mountain Painting, 1869
Mid-20th Century Chinese Export Paintings
Paint
19th Century Victorian Landscape Paintings
Oil, Canvas
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.