Gill Airbrush
Early 20th Century Tribal Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
People Also Browsed
Early 20th Century Modern Figurative Prints
Woodcut
Early 20th Century American Realist Landscape Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Modern Figurative Prints
Woodcut, Engraving
2010s Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Oil
1780s Landscape Prints
Engraving
Antique Mid-19th Century Japanese Edo Prints
Paper
Antique 1820s Maps
Paper
1980s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Landscape Paintings
Oil
1990s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s American Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Laid Paper
1990s American Modern Interior Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Antique 18th Century Prints
Paper
Early 20th Century Modern Figurative Prints
Woodcut
2010s Contemporary Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1780s Realist Figurative Prints
Engraving
Recent Sales
1960s Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s American Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
1950s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
1960s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1950s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Masonite, Oil
Vintage 1940s American Paintings
Glass, Paper, Wood
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.