Vintage Downtown Los Gatos, California Street Scene
Located in Soquel, CA
Charming vintage oil painting of the iconic La Canada Building on the corner of North Santa Cruz Ave and W. Main Street in downtown Los Gatos, California by Eugene Atcheson (American...
Canvas, Oil
$3,800
H 24 in W 18 in D 1 in
Early 20th Century Figurative -- The Paper Boy and His Comics
By Louise Miller Clark
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderful 1940s figurative of paper boy reading the comics by Louise Miller Clark (American, 20th Century). Signed "Louise Miller" lower right. Unframed. Image size, 24"H x 18"W. ...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
$350
H 5 in W 5 in D 1 in
"Le Jardin de Monet, II" (2023) by Leigh Ann Van Fossan, Oil Painting, Lily Pond
By Leigh Ann Van Fossan
Located in Denver, CO
Leigh Ann Van Fossan's "Le Jardin de Monet, II" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts an impression of a lily pond. Van Fossan was born in Vail, Colorado, and began oi...
Canvas, Oil
$2,760Sale Price|20% Off
H 22 in W 26 in D 1.5 in
Paul K. Smith New Mexico Adobe Church Oil Southwestern Modernist Painting
By Paul Kauvar Smith
Located in Denver, CO
A highly collectible mid-century modern oil painting by Paul Kauvar Smith, this New Mexico Adobe Church captures one of the most iconic and enduring subjects in Southwestern American...
Oil
$1,500
H 21 in W 23 in D 1.375 in
Vermont Farmhouse Painting by Henry Thomas Clark
Located in New York, NY
Henry Thomas Clark (American, 1929-2000) Untitled, 20th Century Oil on canvas 16 x 18 1/8 in. Framed: 21 x 23 x 1 3/8 in. Signed lower left: Clark
Canvas, Oil
$1,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 18 in W 22 in D 7 in
Rota, Spanish Landscape -- Pobre Casa Cadiz
By John Sackas
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderful Spanish landscape of a humble farm in Rota, Cadiz, Spain with horses, a cow with two herons, one of which is on cow's back by San Francisco artist John Sackas (American, 19...
Oil, Canvas, Illustration Board
1900's Horses at the Trough
By William Lemos
Located in Soquel, CA
Charming mid century oil painting of two horses at watering trough by William M. Lemos, Santa Cruz and San Francisco artist (American, 1861-1942), circa 1900. Writing on verso is in ...
Oil, Cardboard
$460Sale Price|20% Off
H 19 in W 24 in D 1 in
Along the Path - Figurative Landscape
By Carol H. Kelly
Located in Soquel, CA
Along the path on a walk, a vivid impressionist oil painting by Carol H. Kelly (American, 20th Century). Signed "C.H. Kelly" and dated "70" lower right. Unframed. Image size, 18.5"H ...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
$1,120Sale Price|36% Off
H 13 in W 15.5 in
"The Green Parasol, " Henry Hannig, American Impressionist, Woman in Beach Scene
By Henry Hannig
Located in New York, NY
Henry Charles Hannig (1883 - 1948) The Green Parasol Oil on canvas mounted on board 6 x 7 3/4 inches Provenance: R.H. Love Galleries, Chicago, Illinois Private Collection, Lake Orio...
Canvas, Oil, Board
$1,150
H 18 in W 30 in D 2 in
"Days End" - Volcano, California 1970's Horizontal Landscape
By Frederick Colbus
Located in Soquel, CA
A charming scene of a man leading his horse down a country lane near a red barn in Volcano, CA by listed artist Frederick Colbus (American, 1917-1986). Signed and dated "F. Colbus...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
$760Sale Price|20% Off
H 16 in W 20 in D 1 in
Mid Century Figurative Landscape -- Aptos Village Apple Shed and Market
By Jon Blanchette
Located in Soquel, CA
Charming mid century figurative landscape of Aptos Village Apple Shed and Market by listed California artist Jon Blanchette (American, 1908-1987). Aptos is just south of Santa Cruz,...
Oil, Cardboard, Canvas
"A Day on the Beach"
By Martha Walter
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Jim's of Lambertville Fine Art Gallery is proud to present this piece by Martha Walter (1875-1976). Born in Philadelphia in 1875, Martha Walter attended Girls’ High School followed ...
Oil, Board
Mid Century Boat Docks Pacific Grove Landscape
Located in Soquel, CA
Painterly scene of boats and boats being built at the docks in old Pacific Grove, California by an unknown artist (American, 20th Century). Signed"WHM" lower left. Presented in a fau...
Canvas, Oil, Illustration Board
Sunset, Rockport Harbor
By Emile Albert Gruppe
Located in Milford, NH
A colorful Cape Ann, Massachusetts marine harbor scene with boats docked by American artist Emile Albert Gruppé (1896-1978). Gruppé was born in Rochester, NY, and is renowned for his...
Canvas, Oil
$14,088
H 9.45 in W 13 in
"Les Roulottes", 20th Century Oil on Wood Panel by Spanish Artist Celso Lagar
By Celso Lagar
Located in Madrid, ES
CELSO LAGAR Spanish, 1891 - 1966 LES ROULOTTES signed "Lagar" (lower left) oil on wood panel 9-1/2 x 13 inches (24 x 33 cm.) framed: 17-1/8 x 21-1/2 inches (43.5 x 54.5 cm.) PROVEN...
Oil, Wood Panel
$985,000
H 31.5 in W 37.88 in D 1.5 in
The Garden Near Cailhau By Achille Laugé
By Achille Laugé
Located in New Orleans, LA
Achille Laugé 1861-1944 French The Garden Near Cailhau Signed "A. Laugé 96" (lower left) Oil on canvas “Laugé’s art is one of great sensitivity and controlled reason; he is a mas...
Canvas, Oil
Carlos Nadal, Pont de Ville
By Carlos Nadal
Located in Madrid, ES
CARLOS NADAL Spanish, 1917 - 1998 PONT DE VILLE signed "Nadal" (lower right) titled, signed and dated "PONT DE VILLE / Nadal / 1981" (on the reverse) with the atelier stamp (on the r...
Oil, Canvas
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.