Charles Waite
1890s Pre-Raphaelite Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
People Also Browsed
Artist Comments
Coastal bluff on a sunny afternoon. Distant purple mountains set against the deep blue water and light sky give depth and nice focal point. This painting is p...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist More Art
Oil
19th Century Hudson River School Landscape Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1950s American Modern Landscape Paintings
Board, Oil
Early 20th Century Post-Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel
2010s Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Oil, Canvas
20th Century Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Board, Oil
1980s Fauvist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Waterco...
Watercolor
Antique 19th Century English Paintings
Canvas
Early 20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Laid Paper, Pencil
20th Century Paintings
Canvas
20th Century Paintings
Wood
Artist Comments
Artist Drew Noel Marin draws inspiration from the healing properties of the Aqua Onyx crystal. She skillfully lays hues of turquoise and white in this abstract ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Photorealist Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Academic 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.