George Davis Fine Arts Antiques Gallery
1940s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Western European Rugs
Wool
20th Century Animal Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Prints and Multiples
Offset, Paper
Late 20th Century Danish Art Deco Western European Rugs
Wool
Mid-20th Century American Impressionist Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Oil, Masonite
Mid-20th Century American Post-Modern Paintings
Canvas, Paint
1910s American Impressionist Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Vintage 1920s Austrian Art Deco Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
1920s American Modern Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s American Modern Figurative Prints
Lithograph
Mid-20th Century American Impressionist Animal Paintings
Paper, Gouache
Vintage 1910s Austrian Jugendstil Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1990s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
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.