Henry Hintermeister On Sale

Henry Hintermeister was born in 1897 in New York. His father John Henry Hintermeister was an illustrator as well. Father and son often worked as a duo, from the 1890s–1940s, under the pseudonym Hy Hintermeister. They became well known producing over 1,000 illustrations; John Henry and Hintermeister were often compared to Norman Rockwell with their illustration storytelling. Both father and son painters injected humor into their paintings and one can’t help but laugh or feel a wave of nostalgia come over them. When working for a client the Hintermeisters would send a sketch to the client for approval then used models from a large POOL of friends, family and neighbors. John died in 1945 and Hintermeister in 1963. Both artists used the same signature but on rare occasions, John would sign "J. Hy Hintermeister.

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.