10 ‘Must Watch’ Figurative Paintings: From 1434 to 2020

Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one – Stella Adler

Have you ever gazed through a starry night and been completely immersed in the cocoon of constellations, lost somewhere in the depth of the cosmos? Or, have you ever experienced the bliss of a marvelous landscape that you have captured while on a leisurely walk to a countryside with the sun escaping into the horizon? Have you ever felt that everything we see, we gather, we experience is painted just like keeping a diary of the world around us? The portrayal of external objects like human figures, landscapes and other natural elements make great stories and objects of inspiration for the painters and figurative artists from ages. 

Figurative art in that sense is an art of story-telling through the objects that are drawn from natural themes and human figures. It reflects the captured moment as interpreted by the inner eye, seen by an artist.

Here in this blog, let’s find out the 10 most striking figurative art pieces that will help you read the minds of the artists, of the era and the impulses that compelled such master creations, and to unearth some strange facts surrounding the fate of the contemporary canvas. 

1.        Jan Van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434

This piece of work is an example of illusionist realism, the height of mastery of the strokes, light & shadow to emulate the real-life characters, like the meeting of wealthy merchant Arnolfini and his fiancée or would-be wife as proposed by twentieth century art historians. This is one of the most extraordinary portrayals of the growing affluence and control of the middle class in Flemish society, back in the time of the Northern Renaissance. The oil painting done on oak panels has full length double portraits with an illusion of a space. This was for the first time in figurative painting to create a sense of perspective that looked almost real.

 2.      Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer, 1665

An accurate figurative study, Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring,’ spells a magic with the yearning looks of the girl. This is a Dutch styled artwork focused on the head or bust of the sitter. Here, facial expression is the key element. The girl in this Vermeer painting is a young woman with a real-life appeal, sometimes resembling a photograph with her exaggerated look and expressions. It is almost like a photograph painting. In fact, there had been a debate whether Vermeer employed a pre-photographic device ‘camera obscura’ to create the girl’s image! It was speculated that the girl was none other than Vermeer’s maid. The intense and intimate look in her eyes was created as if to bridge the gap between the viewers and the figure of the girl, for centuries.

3.      The Naked Maja, Francisco de Goya, 1797–1800

‘The Naked Maja,’ by Francisco Goya created a stir among the critics and the viewers as the most controversial oil painting of a nude Madrid woman. The lady can be seen reclining comfortably with poise as if looking straight into the eyes of the viewers, making them embarrassed and unsettled. Even the renowned painter Goya had to face criticism of the Spanish people for such an outward, indecent portrayal. The nude Maja, or the fashionable lower-class woman was replicated by a custom-made version of the clothed Maja (la Maja Vestida), to have a permanent space in the private collection of the Spanish Prime Minister, Manuel de Godoy. Still, mystery shrouds the ‘much talked of’ figurative painting, as to the identity of the lady, and whether she was a mistress of the Prime Minister! It is still an enigma!

4.  ‘Whistler’s Mother’, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1871

When James Abbott McNeill Whistler, the American painter created the ‘Whistler’s Mother’ or ‘Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1,’ he hardly knew it would be acclaimed widely! Whatever be the name of the figurative oil painting, it is till date a remarkable figurative work of a portrayal of a mother, seated in a rigid posture, locked in right angles. Though the astute and severe rigidness of the figurative composition shows less emotions, it is the most celebrated portrayal of motherhood painted mostly in grey and black shades, as Whistler was fond of neutral colors.

5.      The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, 1907–1908

“The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt, the renowned painter from Austria is an oil on canvas painting, celebrated for its unique style of mixing symbolism and myths. ‘The Kiss’ created an everlasting impact on the viewers and admirers with its intimate portrayal & usage of gold leaves to heighten the appeal. This painting mixes a touch of symbolism and the Austrian art movement style, depicting the figures in a mythological form, with modern day graphic elements. His source of inspiration was the Byzantine mosaic and motifs that fascinated him during his visit to a Church in Italy. This is the painting from a period of his prime years of work and revered till date.

6.     Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by  Pablo Picasso, 1907

Pablo Picasso, the great Spanish painter & artist’s ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon’ is a striking portrayal of the prostitutes of Barcelona as seen by the eyes of an expressionist. He drew from African and Iberian art & motifs, shifting from the representational form of drawing. This work has allusions to African masks he had seen in the Museum Palais du Trocadro. His modern and multi-dimensional perspective and love for unusual art forms, fragmented shapes steered his way from realism to abstract expressionism, challenging the conventions of representation, space, and the portrayal of nudes.

7.   The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali, 1931

When Salvador Dali, the great surrealistic painter and artist created his psychological figurative study of ‘The Persistence of Memory’ (1931), he wanted to break away from the conventional myth of landscape painting. He was deeply intrigued to stabilize confusion with his dreamscape where the deserted landscape challenged the concept of time with the soft melting clocks. The illusion was desperately created to focus on the impermanence and fluidity of time, to make room for the subconscious to surface. The ants resembled degeneration and decay, challenging the realistic perceptions of life and death. 

8.     Lemon by Kent Williams, 2006, Oil on Canvas

Kent Williams, the draftsman, painter, graphic novel artist is known for his strong figurative forms, gestural moods, and depiction of unique human experience from queer perspectives. The ‘Lemon’ is one of his finest paintings & modern figurative art, where drawing plays a very pivotal role, as he is a draftsman painter, with a strong power of observation and representational style that is quite one-of-a-kind. His figures often comprise of his favorite models, friends, and himself. Lemon is a depiction of intense personal emotions shared with real world objects.  

9.     The Longest Winter, George Nick, 2011, Oil on Linen

‘The Longest Winter’ by George Nick, the American painter, is a showcase of modern realistic portrayal of Boston’s urban landscape. Nick is fascinated with the physical surroundings and city landscapes, ideal for human interactions, but strangely leaving the humans in most of his paintings. He deeply relies on observational drawings and is not much interested in imitation or reproduction. As he is obsessed with the preservation of his immediate observations, he tries to finish his work as fast as can manage to capture the minute details and accurate moments with rampant colors and wide brushstrokes.

10.  Brooms with a View by Emily Mae Smith, Oil on Linen, 2019

From the time of Renaissance to this day, there’s been a sea of change in the contemporary tendency of figurative art. According to critic Dean Kissick it has been characterized by crazy, crass, and lewd portrayals that are keen on grabbing the viewer’s attention like the insane craving for Facebook or Instagram punches. The impactful & weird oil painting of Emily Mae Smith, one of the contemporary figurative artists is like mocking the observational reality, where people are replaced with broomsticks, placing the image among the most whimsical portrayals, often termed as Kitsch. The landscapes and interior used in the painting are also overused and blatant. It poses a serious question mark as to where the trend is actually heading to.

Changing Narrative of Figurative: From Absolute Reality to Altering Images

Since millennia these expressions have been dominating the art scene with awe-inspiring creations like the wild bison or calves on the stone walls of the pre-historic caves to the illuminating ‘Landscape from Saint-Remy’ by Van Gogh, ‘Guernica’ by Pablo Picasso, ‘Echo Lake’ by Peter Doig, and more such path-breaking figurative paintings that you just cannot pass by unnoticed. Countless stories and myths got captured in those rare compositions, stimulating conversations with viewers. If you are an avid art-seeker searching for substantial figurative art for sale, explore artworks that have endured the test of time.

With the rapidly changing visual language, contemporary paintings have shifted their focus from pure abstraction to a mixture of artistic genres and styles. The form, figure, imagery, everything has been greatly replaced by the urbane motifs & pulsations. New age artists are gravitating towards this contemporary realism blending figurative with conceptual painting, with a wider scope for experimenting with spaces, recreating dimensions, and including people of lesser-known backgrounds. It's the compelling urgency of the painters to recreate the moments as immediately lived in, to be honest with their creations. 

Let’s step in this lurid world of figurative canvases with time, composition and perspectives turned upside down by the artists to create something that echoes the changing ethos & human experience. 

And, breathe with a different kind of happiness.