Sherri Wolfgang
2010s American Realist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s American Realist Figurative Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s American Realist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s American Realist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s American Realist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s American Realist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
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1980s Pop Art Nude Photography
Silver Gelatin
Early 20th Century Naturalistic Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s American Realist Nude Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Academic Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s American Modern Nude Photography
Silver Gelatin
Early 20th Century Unknown Statues
Cement
Vintage 1920s German Art Deco Barware
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Books
Paper
Antique Mid-18th Century Italian Baroque Paintings
Canvas
Antique 18th Century Philippine Spanish Colonial Religious Items
Wood
Antique 1880s Spanish Rococo Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood
Vintage 1920s Italian Art Deco Dining Room Sets
Velvet, Mirror, Walnut, Burl
21st Century and Contemporary Books
Paper
Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Decorative Bowls
Blown Glass
19th Century Victorian Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
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.