Loading Spinner

Figural Paintings

Figural, or figurative painting has been around since the days of Paleolithic cave painting. Egyptian artists later represented figures by combining a side profile of the face with front-facing eye with front-facing torso and the legs back in profile. The Greeks and Romans celebrated idealized human form in sculpture.

In the Gothic period, religious figures such as the holy family were represented in art. The figures were flattened and solemn. In the Northern and Italian Renaissance, artists celebrated humanity. They showed the holy family as deeply emotive beings grounded in this world, wearing Renaissance fashions. These artists found inspiration in the ancient Romans.

In the 19th century, artists sought to paint the reality of life, but styles also became flatter and more abstracted. In the 20th century, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque made finding the represented person among geometry a game. The Constructivists and later the Abstract Expressionists celebrated geometry, form, color, and gesture.


Quick Facts

  • Leonard Lauder assembled a first-rate collection of cubist paintings by Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Juan Gris, and Fernand Léger; He donated the collection, an essential primer on cubism, to the MET
  • In the 1980s, Lower East Side artist Martin Wong painted in a figurative style. Wong responded to the Tianmen Square tragedy with "Liberty Mourning the Death of Her Sister - Beijing," 1989, which sold for $161,000 at Doyle New York on May 12, 2015
  • Contemporary artist John Currin has brought figurative painting fully into the present with his sexy images imbued with contemporary themes and smart art historical references. His "The Collaborator," 2010, sold for $3.5 million at Christie’s New York on May 11, 2015

Recommended Items at Auction

See all items

DAVID BOYD, (1924 - 2011), Judge Approaching, 1971, oil on canvas, 60 x 75 cm (frame: 77 x 92 x 5 cm)
Feb 12, 8:00 PM AEDT
DAVID BOYD, (1924 - 2011), Judge Approaching, 1971, oil on canvas, 60 x 75 cm (frame: 77 x 92 x 5 cm)
by Lawsons
Est: AUD20,000- AUD30,000
AUD8,00020 Bids
Al Skaw, 1951-, Resting Girl, oil on canvas, signed lower right
Feb 16, 7:00 PM AEDT
Al Skaw, 1951-, Resting Girl, oil on canvas, signed lower right
by Lawsons
Est: AUD800- AUD1,200
AUD37518 Bids
KEVIN BEST, (1932 - 2012), Showers at Sunset, oil on board, 50 x 61 cm (frame: 67 x 77 x 5 cm)
Feb 12, 8:00 PM AEDT
KEVIN BEST, (1932 - 2012), Showers at Sunset, oil on board, 50 x 61 cm (frame: 67 x 77 x 5 cm)
by Lawsons
Est: AUD2,000- AUD3,000
AUD1,50017 Bids
bp parity badge
Lucy Boyd Beck (1916-2009) Australia - Two Dreamers II
Feb 11, 6:30 PM AEDT
Lucy Boyd Beck (1916-2009) Australia - Two Dreamers II
by Colville Auctions
Est: AUD1,800- AUD2,500
AUD1,80011 Bids
Banksy (Born 1974) England
Feb 16, 1:00 PM EST
Banksy (Born 1974) England
by Coral Gables Auction
Est: $100- $10,000
$55011 Bids
Jean-Michel Basquiat, acrylic painting on canvas signed
Mar 02, 10:15 PM CET
Jean-Michel Basquiat, acrylic painting on canvas signed
by Novartia
Est: €2,200- €2,800
€55011 Bids
JAMES GLEESON, (1915 - 2008), Figure in Pyschoscape, oil on board, 15 x 13 cm (frame: 28 x 25 x 3 cm)
Feb 12, 8:00 PM AEDT
JAMES GLEESON, (1915 - 2008), Figure in Pyschoscape, oil on board, 15 x 13 cm (frame: 28 x 25 x 3 cm)
by Lawsons
Est: AUD8,000- AUD12,000
AUD4,25010 Bids
DAVID BOYD, (1924 - 2011), Dreaming Priest, 1974, oil on canvas, 88 x 115 cm (frame: 92 x 119 x 4 cm)
Feb 12, 8:00 PM AEDT
DAVID BOYD, (1924 - 2011), Dreaming Priest, 1974, oil on canvas, 88 x 115 cm (frame: 92 x 119 x 4 cm)
by Lawsons
Est: AUD15,000- AUD20,000
AUD5,75010 Bids
Constantine Popov, Australia (1965, untitled, Acrylic on ply board., 40 x 60cm
Feb 11, 7:00 PM AEDT
Constantine Popov, Australia (1965, untitled, Acrylic on ply board., 40 x 60cm
by Bargain Hunt Auctions
Est: AUD0- AUD0
AUD14010 Bids
Banksy (Born 1974) England
Feb 16, 1:00 PM EST
Banksy (Born 1974) England
by Coral Gables Auction
Est: $100- $10,000
$50010 Bids
DAVID BOYD, (1924 - 2011), Mother and Child, sfumato on board, 49.5 x 39 cm (frame: 74 x 64 x 5 cm)
Feb 12, 8:00 PM AEDT
DAVID BOYD, (1924 - 2011), Mother and Child, sfumato on board, 49.5 x 39 cm (frame: 74 x 64 x 5 cm)
by Lawsons
Est: AUD3,000- AUD5,000
AUD32510 Bids
HUGH SAWREY, (1919 - 1999), Stockman, 1963, oil on board, 50.5 x 38 cm (frame: 71 x 58 x 4 cm)
Feb 12, 8:00 PM AEDT
HUGH SAWREY, (1919 - 1999), Stockman, 1963, oil on board, 50.5 x 38 cm (frame: 71 x 58 x 4 cm)
by Lawsons
Est: AUD8,000- AUD12,000
AUD2,2009 Bids
Joseph VERDEGEM (1897-1957), watercolor Mother and child, signed and dated 1926
Feb 15, 11:00 AM CET
Joseph VERDEGEM (1897-1957), watercolor Mother and child, signed and dated 1926
by Maison Jules Veilinghuis
Est: €200- €300
€4008 Bids
Constantine Popov, Australia (1965-), untitled, Acrylic on ply board, 61 x 31cm
Feb 11, 7:00 PM AEDT
Constantine Popov, Australia (1965-), untitled, Acrylic on ply board, 61 x 31cm
by Bargain Hunt Auctions
Est: AUD0- AUD0
AUD1308 Bids
Constantine Popov, Russian/ Austarlian (1965-), "Lady With Blue Cat"., Acrylic on Canvas., 36cm H, 26cm W.
Feb 16, 7:00 PM AEDT
Constantine Popov, Russian/ Austarlian (1965-), "Lady With Blue Cat"., Acrylic on Canvas., 36cm H, 26cm W.
by Bargain Hunt Auctions
Est: AUD0- AUD0
AUD1306 Bids
Constantine Popov, Russian/Australian (1965-), "Red Girl", Acrylic on Card, 30cm H, 14cm W.
Feb 16, 7:00 PM AEDT
Constantine Popov, Russian/Australian (1965-), "Red Girl", Acrylic on Card, 30cm H, 14cm W.
by Bargain Hunt Auctions
Est: AUD0- AUD0
AUD1306 Bids
Magritte, oil on canvas
Mar 02, 10:15 PM CET
Magritte, oil on canvas
by Novartia
Est: €1,800- €2,000
€506 Bids
bp parity badge
Tom Samek (1950-2021) Europe, Australia - Illegally Euphemistic Duet
Feb 11, 6:30 PM AEDT
Tom Samek (1950-2021) Europe, Australia - Illegally Euphemistic Duet
by Colville Auctions
Est: AUD500- AUD600
AUD8005 Bids

Sellers Who Sell Figural Paintings


Robinhood Auctions

Robinhood Auctions

Broward Auction Gallery LLC

Broward Auction Gallery LLC

De Vuyst

De Vuyst

Art in House

Art in House