Figurative paintings and artworks for sale

What does figurative mean in art?

The primitive hunt scenes, images of bulls, horses and dogs, and the crudely expressive sculptures have been preserved to this day. Century after century humanity improved in a realistic, figurative representation of the world in all its details, and to the XIX century reached the greatest skill. But at the beginning of the 20th century figurativeness suddenly … collapsed. An era of non-figurative art followed, and abstraction is considered to be the antagonist of figuration. Artists believed that figurative art was discredited, but it is just as popular today as it was before the ‘abstract revolution’. You could say that the craving for the figurative lies in the very nature of man and language – we enjoy seeing recognisable objects in pictures, we can describe in words a work of art that depicts a beautiful woman, a sea view, a city, a still life, an animal… This world is real, stable and reliable.

Famous figurative style artists

Figurative art in the last century has brought together different artistic movements. The Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí, for example, has ‘invented’ a world that is strongly figurative but also completely unreal. The British artist Lucian Freud found new expressiveness in portraits and nudes. His compatriot Francis Bacon was a master of expressive figuration. In general, the United States and Britain in the second half of XX century became an outpost of modern figurative art, which was a reaction to the ‘weariness’ of the avant-garde. In the 1950s and 1960s there was a powerful art movement in San Francisco, the Bay Area Figurative Painting (Richard Diebenkorn, Nathan Oliveira, Bruce McGaw and others). Towards the end of the century British artists turned against conceptualism – the ‘new figuration’ was developed by Guy Denning and Billy Childish, founder of the Stuckism movement. In Germany, the New Leipzig School emerged, whose members created a “new realism. One of its main representatives was Neo Rauch who combined figurativeness and surrealism. Very effective is the postmodernist line of the Norwegian artist Odd Nerdrum and his followers Shaun Berke and Jeremy Caniglia – their figurative language refers to medieval, gothic motifs.

Contemporary figurative artworks

So, the term figurative artist refers to those in painting, drawing, sculpture, photography and other art forms who work with concrete objects. Often in figurative artworks there are elements of conceptualism, abstraction, surrealism… In short, figurative art or figurativism is an extremely free field of creativity. Today this trend is particularly rich in hyper-realistic painting, photography, illustrations, as well as in murals: huge figurative compositions in urban space.

Figurative artworks in Eastern Europe

Figure painting is firmly connected to realist art, and this trend has been very strong in Eastern Europe over the last century. Not surprisingly, the region has produced many fine figurative art examples, preserved in museums and private collections. Today, original figurative art makes use of all possible media: traditional painting in acrylics, oil on canvas, photography, art prints, contemporary art technologies… In addition to global trends, artists from 24 Eastern European countries fruitfully interpret national cultural traditions.

Figurative artworks on G.ART Gallery

Art Platform G.ART gallery brings to the attention of art buyers a large selection of works by Eastern European artists in different genres and styles:

figurative portrait (Eduard Belsky)

nude figure artworks (Anton Kovach)

figurative landscape (Yaroslav Leonets, Barbara Hubert)

animalistic figurative (Viktoria Adkozalova, Levon Aslanyan)

figurative figurative photography (Anastasiia Krutota)

abstract figure painting (Andriiy Bludov)

figurative surrealism (Emin Asgerov)

figurative pop art (Hajdana Kostić – Hajdi)

This section is constantly being expanded, with works by new professional artists for whom figurative art is the best way to express themselves.

How to choose figurative artwork on G.ART?

The viewer’s perception of this trend is usually uncomplicated, as the figurative is clear and relies on recognisable images from the real world – even if it modifies them. Art pieces for living rooms, bedrooms or children’s rooms? Landscape or nude? Still life or portrait? Usually, a customer has a preference for a certain genre, knows the intended use of the work, and makes a conscious choice. If in doubt then G.ART consultants can offer advice and help with colour selection. The “figurative art for sale” section includes both small works of art and large, horizontally and vertically oriented works of art. Once purchased, the work can be framed in a suitable frame and will take its rightful place in the home.

How to buy figurative painting on G.ART?

G.ART Gallery creates the best conditions for people all over the world to buy figural paintings online. Working directly with professional artists guarantees the originality and quality of the artworks, as well as a reasonable price. Buyers are offered:

certificate of authenticity for each artwork

several options for payment

delivery by reliable transport companies

the opportunity to return the work for free within 14 days

customer support at every stage

Buy figurative artworks