Jan Cossiers
17th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
17th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
17th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
People Also Browsed
17th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings
Panel, Oil
Antique Late 19th Century French Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Board
17th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Copper
17th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Oil
Antique 1890s French Louis XVI Beds and Bed Frames
Rosewood
16th Century Old Masters Paintings
Oil
Antique Late 19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Busts
Carrara Marble
17th Century Old Masters Paintings
Oil
17th Century Old Masters Paintings
Oil
17th Century Baroque Portrait Paintings
Oil
17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Oil, Oak, Panel
17th Century Old Masters Animal Paintings
Oil
17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings
Oil, Wood
Mid-19th Century Old Masters Nude Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Recent Sales
18th Century and Earlier Baroque Landscape Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Mid-17th Century Baroque Figurative 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.