Doug Whitfield
Late 20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
People Also Browsed
Mid-20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Board, Oil
Antique Early 1900s Belgian Other Paintings
Paint, Wood
Mid-20th Century Paintings
Paint
Vintage 1950s American Folk Art Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Paint
Vintage 1920s Paintings
Canvas
Mid-20th Century American Paintings
Paint
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
20th Century Portrait Paintings
Oil
20th Century Portrait Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Oil, Board
Mid-20th Century Paintings
Vintage 1980s English Paintings
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Latex, Oil
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media, Paper
20th Century Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint
Recent Sales
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
1970s Modern Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
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.