The Human Figure is one of the most important, pervasive and enduring subjects for artists through time and across cultures. In these pages we will explore some images, ideas and issues about the human figure in art. Please choose one or more of the following to explore and respond in words and in your work.

 

Check out these images of figure paintings as they progress. Man/Woman

Mary Cassatt
1844-1926

Mary Cassatt was born in Allegheny City (now part of Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania in 1844. Her innovative compositions exploring the lives of women - attending the opera, drinking tea, writing letters, caring for children - rank among her most popular images. Learn more

The Swing

 This work is an example of a pastel painting based on sketches from life. Take a closer look and analyze the evolution of this work.
Andrew Wyeth
(1917-)

"Andrew Newell Wyeth's meticulously imagined art conveys a tragic vision. Considered together, his paintings comprise a lifelong meditation upon the frailty of life and the imminence of death. The artist celebrates the bleak landscape of late autumn and winter, the weathered barns and farmhouses of Maine and Pennsylvania, and the people who endure a hard scrabble existence on the margins of society."

North Carolina Museum of Art

 
Troika Project  
   
Other Figure Resources Check out Artchive and other resources for more figure images.