Figurative

Explore Figurative Art: Masterful portrayals of the human form, emotion, and identity. Discover classical and contemporary works that challenge realism and reflect the human experience. Download high-resolution images for study and inspiration.

  • Fragment de la maquette pour la décoration du théâtre des auteurs gais, exposition universelle de 1900 (1900)

    Fragment de la maquette pour la décoration du théâtre des auteurs gais, exposition universelle de 1900 (1900)

    Henri Bellery-Desfontaines (French, 1867–1909)

    A theatrical fragment frozen in time—elaborate costumes swirl against an ornate backdrop, hinting at some grand, forgotten performance. The scene pulses with symbolic energy, where every flourish whispers of a spectacle meant to dazzle the 1900 crowds. What drama unfolded here? The stage remains tantalizingly silent.

  • La lecture

    La lecture

    Georges d'Espagnat (French, 1870–1950)

    A woman sits absorbed in a book, bathed in warm light. The room around her hums with quiet energy—loose brushstrokes suggest a world just beyond the page. The scene feels intimate yet alive, as if the act of reading might dissolve into motion at any moment.

  • Un mardi, soirée chez Madeleine Lemaire (1910)

    Un mardi, soirée chez Madeleine Lemaire (1910)

    Henri Gervex (French, 1852–1929)

    Candlelight flickers across silk gowns and polished wood. Glasses clink amid murmured conversations, the air thick with perfume and cigar smoke. A woman leans in, her laughter lost in the hum of the soirée—just another Tuesday night in Madeleine’s glittering salon.

  • Girl and Laurel (1879)

    Girl and Laurel (1879)

    Winslow Homer (American, 1836–1910)

    A young girl stands in dappled sunlight, fingers brushing the leaves of a laurel branch. Her gaze is distant, caught between childhood and something older. The greens around her hum with quiet life, but her stillness holds the center—unreadable, poised on the edge of a thought she won’t share.

  • The Yellow Jacket (1879)

    The Yellow Jacket (1879)

    Winslow Homer (American, 1836–1910)

    A girl in a yellow jacket stands against a muted background, her gaze direct and unflinching. The bold color of her coat contrasts with the earthy tones around her, drawing attention to her quiet confidence. There’s a story in her steady eyes, but she isn’t telling—not yet.

  • Le joueur de banjo (1914)

    Le joueur de banjo (1914)

    Luc-Albert Moreau (French, 1882–1948)

    A lone figure hunches over his banjo, fingers poised above the strings. The muted palette suggests dim lamplight, the hush before the first note. His shadow stretches long across the floor—an audience of one, waiting.

  • Playing a ish (1875)

    Playing a ish (1875)

    Winslow Homer (American, 1836–1910)

    A lone figure stands knee-deep in rushing water, rod bent under the weight of a catch. The river’s current swirls around worn boots, sunlight glinting off the surface. Every taut line in the scene hums with tension—the fisherman’s quiet struggle against the pull of something unseen beneath.

  • A Seaside Romance

    A Seaside Romance

    Charles Wynne Nicholls (Irish, unknown)

    Waves whisper against the shore as two figures stroll, their shadows stretching long on wet sand. The breeze carries laughter, salt, and something unspoken between them. A parasol tilts, shielding secrets from the sun.

  • Sitting fisherman with a pipe (1924)

    Sitting fisherman with a pipe (1924)

    Tadeusz Makowski (Polish, 1882–1932)

    A weathered fisherman sits hunched, pipe clenched between his teeth. His rough hands rest idle, eyes fixed on some distant point beyond the frame. The air smells of salt and tobacco. He’s waiting—for a bite, for dusk, for nothing at all.