Figure painting
A figure painting is a work of fine art in any of the painting media with the primary subject being the human figure, whether clothed or nude. Figure painting may also refer to the activity of creating such a work. The human figure has been one of the constant subjects of art since the first stone age cave paintings, and has been reinterpreted in various styles throughout history.
Depicting figures
Unlike figure drawings which are usually nudes, figure paintings are often historical, mythological, allegorical or imaginary depictions that may have figures in appropriate costumes. A portrait painting is a figure painting that focuses on the creation of a likeness of a particular individual or group.
The nude has been a theme in Western art since classical antiquity[1] and again in the Renaissance, after being largely absent during the Middle Ages.[2] Oil paint historically has been the ideal media for depicting the figure. By blending and layering paint, the surface can become more like skin. "Its slow drying time and various degrees of viscosity enable the artist to achieve rich and subtle blends of color and texture, which can suggest transformations from one human substance to another."[3] Although working from live models is preferred, the length of time needed to complete a painting has led most modern painters to use photographs as references at least part of the time if not for the entire work.
Figure painting is not synonymous with figurative art, which may depict real objects of any kind (including humans and animals).
History and styles
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Thebes ca 1400 BCE -
5th-century mural painting from the Ajanta Caves, India -
Winged genius, fragment. Second-style mural painting, Roman artwork, late 1st century BC.
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Reclining Nymph by Lucas Cranach the Elder -
Adam and Eve (1507) by Albrecht Dürer -
Venus and the Lute Player (1565-1570) by Titian -
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Olympia (1863) by Édouard Manet -
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Young Spartans Exercising, c. 1860 by Edgar Degas
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The Wave (1896) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau -
Winged Figure (1889) by Abbot Handerson Thayer -
_-_The_Wave_(1896).jpg)
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Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 (1912) by Marcel Duchamp. Oil on canvas. Philadelphia Museum of Art. -
Sitzender weiblicher Akt mit aufgestützen Ellbogen (1914) by Egon Schiele -
Red Nude (1917) by Amedeo Modigliani
Notes
- ^ Sorabella, Jean (January 2008). "The Nude in Western Art and its Beginnings in Antiquity, In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History". New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- ^ Sorabella, Jean (January 2008). "The Nude in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History". New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- ^ Scala, p.1
See also
References
Books
- Clark, Kenneth (1956). The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01788-3.
- Hughes,Robert (1997). Lucian Freud Paintings. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0500275351.
- Rosenblum, Robert (2003). John Currin. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 0810991888.
- Scala, Mark, ed. (2009). Paint Made Flesh. Vanderbilt University Press. ISBN 978-0826516220.
- Steiner, Wendy (2001). Venus in Exile: The Rejection of Beauty in Twentieth-century Art. The Free Press. ISBN 0-684-85781-2.
Web
- Ryder, Edmund C (January 2008). "Nudity and Classical Themes in Byzantine Art, In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History". New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
External links
Contemporary artists
- Jenny Saville at Gagosian Gallery [1]
- Jenny Saville at Saatchi Gallery [2]
- Francis Bacon [3]
- Lucien Freud [4]
Museum exhibits
