Female Oil Bikini
1950s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Masonite, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Linen
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Linen, Oil
20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
People Also Browsed
1970s American Modern Nude Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Paint, Mixed Media, Oil, Handmade Paper
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Paint
1960s Post-Modern Nude Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Late 20th Century American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Nude Paintings
Oil, Board
20th Century Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Pop Art Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Vintage 1950s English Paintings
Paint
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Canvas, Plaster, Wood, Paint, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Impressionist Nude Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
1990s Pop Art Nude Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Recent Sales
2010s Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Photorealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Board, Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Figurative Paintings
Canvas, 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.
Read More
Art Brings the Drama in These Intriguing 1stDibs 50 Spaces
The world’s top designers explain how they display art to elicit the natural (and supernatural) energy of home interiors.
Welcome (Back) to the Wild, Wonderful World of Walasse Ting
Americans are rediscovering the globe-trotting painter and poet, who was connected to all sorts of art movements across a long and varied career.
In Francks Deceus’s ‘Mumbo Jumbo #5,’ the Black Experience Is . . . Complicated
Despite the obstacles, the piece’s protagonist navigates the chaos without losing his humanity.
With Works Like ‘Yours Truly,’ Arthur Dove Pioneered Abstract Art in America
New York gallery Hirschl & Adler is exhibiting the bold composition by Dove — who’s hailed as the first American abstract painter — at this year’s Winter Show.
Donald Martiny’s Jumbo Brushstrokes Magnify the Undeniable Personality of Paint
How can a few simple gestures — writ extra, extra, extra large — contain so much beauty and drama?
Patrick Hughes’s 3D Painting Takes Us on a Magical Journey through Pop Art History
The illusions — and allusions — never end in this mind-boggling portrayal of an all-star Pop art show on a beach.
Mid-Century Americans Didn’t Know Antonio Petruccelli’s Name, but They Sure Knew His Art
The New York artist created covers for the nation’s most illustrious magazines. Now, the originals are on display as fine art.
Learn Why There Have Been So Many Great Women Painters
Featuring iconic works by more than 300 female artists, a new book makes a more than compelling case for casting off the patriarchal handcuffs that have bound the art historical canon for far too long.