Warren B. Davis On Sale

During the Renaissance, the first European fine art academies were established in Italy and would guide the style and standards of visual culture in the following centuries. Academic art became dominant across the continent in the 17th century, with artists coming together to offer instruction in this style of painting and sculpture. 

The academic art period represented a significant change from the previous era when painters, sculptors and other artists were part of guilds and seen more as artisans than purveyors of culture. While patronage from the elite and the church remained pivotal, young artists were able to support themselves for the first time through academic exhibitions and an independent marketplace. The leading academies included the French Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture founded in Paris in 1648 (which became the Académie des Beaux-Arts after the French Revolution) and the London Royal Academy of Arts formed in 1768 under the inaugural leadership of painter Joshua Reynolds. 

Academy students sketched drawings based on prints, sculptures and, finally, live models. Movements including neoclassicism and romanticism were particularly popular in these art schools and institutions where the influence of Raphael and Nicolas Poussin was prominent. Beaux Arts architecture and furniture design drew on these movements, too, and, as they also originated at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, the disciplines share common ground with academic painting and sculpture.

Although academic art was a major shift for artistic status when it began, by the middle of the 19th century it was viewed as stodgy and resistant to new ideas, with the subject matter of artists such as William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Jean-Léon Gérôme generally limited to allegorical or mythological themes. Impressionism, realism and the other movements that engaged with contemporary issues that followed were direct reactions to the academic tradition, although it continued to inform the avant-garde as artists like Gustav Klimt and Pablo Picasso started their practices as academic realists.  

Find a collection of academic paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs. 

The human body has long been a favorite subject for artists throughout history. Nude drawings and watercolor paintings reveal the human figure but also the social ideals, traditions and cultural beliefs around people and bodies at the time they were created.

Nude drawings and watercolors offer a unique way to illustrate the human body. Drawings in pencil or ink can quickly capture movement or poses while watercolor is more expressive of a moment. Different cultures utilize the same materials differently, and each piece provides a singular glimpse into the perspectives and expectations around people’s bodies.

Artists like Francisco Goya, Gustav Klimt and Lucian Freud — who painted his friends, his lovers and his children — found acclaim and success by creatively depicting the human body. More recently, as contemporary artists have followed the figurative muse, many painters are exploring the nude as a subject for their drawings and works in watercolors.

If you’re thinking about bringing this kind of work into your space, there are many ways to consider how to arrange wall art in your living room or elsewhere in your home. Creating a wall of art is a wonderful way to enhance your space, showcase beautiful pieces and tie an interior design vision together. It allows you to evoke emotions in a room while also showing off your tastes and interests.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of nude drawings and watercolor paintings for diverse views and attitudes toward the human form through a range of cultures and times.