Mckinsey Childs
1990s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil, Linen
People Also Browsed
19th Century Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Antique 1880s English Anglo-Japanese Settees
Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century Paintings
Other
Antique Late 19th Century Paintings
Other
20th Century Romantic Landscape Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1960s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Antique Late 19th Century Paintings
Other
1980s Pop Art Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pigment, Screen
1970s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
Antique Late 18th Century English Georgian Prints
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
Antique 1860s English Victorian Busts
Marble
Antique Late 19th Century Paintings
Other
Late 19th Century Impressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Graphite
19th Century Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century British Paintings
Paint
Antique Early 1900s English Paintings
Paint, Paper
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.