Carl Gustaf Simon Nelson
1930s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
People Also Browsed
2010s Mexican Brutalist Contemporary Art
Wood
2010s Conceptual Nude Photography
Photographic Paper, Color, Archival Pigment
1960s Other Art Style Nude Photography
C Print
1920s Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Antique 1890s German Beaux Arts Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s Contemporary Color Photography
Photographic Paper, Archival Paper, Color
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
Early 2000s Contemporary Color Photography
Photographic Paper, Archival Paper, Color
1990s Realist Portrait Paintings
Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
1970s Pop Art Black and White Photography
Silver Gelatin
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Centerpieces
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1990s Contemporary Nude Photography
Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, 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.