Famous figurative artworks

First of all, we need to find a definition of figurative art. This will help us understand the features of this style. So, what is figurative art? As we have already said, the main task of figurative artwork is to make the depicted object similar to the real object. That is, when an artist makes a copy of a real object, this copied object should remind the public of its original.

To define figurative art, it is necessary to understand that the very term “figurative art” arises as a desire of art critics and artists to find the antipode of abstractionism. Later, when the authors talked about figurative art meaning, they meant, first of all, a return to the “classics”, to non-abstract images. It was a kind of criticism of avant-garde art.

At the end of the XXth century, modern figurative art is seen as the opposite of conceptualism. There is also a narrower understanding of the term “figurativism”. In this context, figurative art is a type of image of people or animals, which are considered “figures”. However, regardless of how this concept is understood and interpreted, the message of the style remains the same: the desire to depict objects that are similar to real ones.

Figurative artists

Famous figurative artists include the following names: Guy Denning, Frank Auerbach, Leon Kossoff, Lucien Freud, Billy Childlish, Odd Nerdrum, Sean Burke, as well as Jeremy Caniglia. During the popularity of figures art, several schools to which figurative art artists belonged arose and developed:

London School;
a group of Young British Artists;
New Leipzig School.

By the way, the New Leipzig School includes a constellation of contemporary figurative artists who popularized this style already in the XXIst century. These artists sought to reinterpret existing traditions. It is also worth noting that these schools were founded by the masters of representational art themselves. It must be emphasized that famous figure art is a rather heterogeneous phenomenon. Within this style, substyles are distinguished, for example, the so-called remodernism or stucism, photorealism, which is also often considered within figurative art paintings.

Buy figurative artworks

Today many figurative art galleries place special emphasis on this style. If you like to see clear outlines, and recognizable images in painting, photography, and graphics, then you will like figurative art examples — guaranteed. This style is for those who value art as a look at reality. Even though such art should reflect this reality in such a way that we can recognize it. It is this recognition that brings pleasure to everyone who appreciates figurative works of art. So, visit our gallery to find the best examples of figurative art for sale.

Figurative Artworks for Sale