Lucio Ranucci On Sale

Lucio Ranucci was born in 1925 in Italy. He began painting as a young man while at boarding school at the age of 22. Not long after his father passed away, Ranucci set out for Latin America seeking personal exploration and adventure. What was to be a brief excursion turned into a 16-year stay that involved immersing himself in the cultures of Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia and Costa Rica. There, he worked as a sailor, photographer and hearse driver. This rich life experience illuminates his paintings. In 1959, during his days as a journalist, Ranucci interviewed key political figures such as Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. In 1963, he came home to Italy to undergo the trial of European art critics. His return entailed a series of successful exhibitions throughout Italy, Germany, France and England. Filled with a passion for life, Ranucci's paintings show an understanding and compassion for people. His work is a testament to human kind's unchanging rituals. What makes Ranucci's work particularly striking is his combination of rich, vibrant colors with cylindrical forms set against soft curves. The complementary shapes provide a harmony throughout each painting, giving us a warm sense of the people's lives he depicts. Unlike most visual artists, Ranucci is also a writer and a journalist and has worked extensively in the theater. He has written three books, and has had five books published about his work as a painter. He is internationally renowned and collected worldwide, and has been commissioned to paint murals, among them, a panel for the International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica. Today at his advanced age, Ranucci continues his life-long passion for painting.

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.