John Ratner Painting
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1990s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
John Ratner Painting For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a John Ratner Painting?
A Close Look at Contemporary Art
Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.
Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.
The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.
Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.
Find a collection of Contemporary prints, photography, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right Figurative-paintings for You
Figurative art, as opposed to abstract art, retains features from the observable world in its representational depictions of subject matter. Most commonly, figurative paintings reference and explore the human body, but they can also include landscapes, architecture, plants and animals — all portrayed with realism.
While the oldest figurative art dates back tens of thousands of years to cave wall paintings, figurative works made from observation became especially prominent in the early Renaissance. Artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and other Renaissance masters created naturalistic representations of their subjects.
Pablo Picasso is lauded for laying the foundation for modern figurative art in the 1920s. Although abstracted, this work held a strong connection to representing people and other subjects. Other famous figurative artists include Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. Figurative art in the 20th century would span such diverse genres as Expressionism, Pop art and Surrealism.
Today, a number of figural artists — such as Sedrick Huckaby, Daisy Patton and Eileen Cooper — are making art that uses the human body as its subject.
Because figurative art represents subjects from the real world, natural colors are common in these paintings. A piece of figurative art can be an exciting starting point for setting a tone and creating a color palette in a room.
Browse an extensive collection of figurative paintings on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022John Singer Sargent painted a number of notable people during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of his most famous subjects include the writer Robert Louis Stevenson and U.S. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. You'll find a range of John Singer Sargent art on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertAugust 20, 2024How much a John Piper painting is worth depends on its condition, history and other factors. In November 2013, his 1935 work Abstract Painting sold for more than $617,000, setting an auction record for the British artist. Piper is best known for his extensive studies of British architecture and landscapes in oil, watercolor and prints. In the mid-1930s, after a visit to Paris, he turned to abstraction, and his record-setting work reflects this shift in his style. If you own a Piper painting, a certified appraiser or knowledgeable art dealer can give you an estimate of its value. On 1stDibs, explore a selection of John Piper art.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Yes, American artist John Sloan painted and etched many depictions of ordinary life, particularly in New York. He is considered a major figure in the so-called “Ashcan School” of art, although Sloan himself disliked the term. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of expertly-vetted John Sloan pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 24, 2024How much John Piper paintings are worth varies based on their size, historical significance, condition and other factors. In 2013, his 1935 piece Painting sold for £482,500 at an auction in London. Piper is best known for his extensive studies of British architecture and landscape in oil, watercolor and print, and his photography, stained glass, ceramics, fabric design, murals, stage sets and costume design. His work is held in the collections of many major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate in London. If you are the owner of a Piper, a certified appraiser or experienced art dealer can assist you with the valuation process. On 1stDibs, shop a range of John Piper art.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 27, 2024You can see John Singer Sargent paintings at a number of museums. The largest collection of the American artist's work is in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. Other institutions that have Sargent's work in their collections include the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston; the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois; the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas; and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas. On 1stDibs, shop an assortment of John Singer Sargent art.
- 1stDibs ExpertSeptember 9, 2024How much Jasper Johns paintings are worth depends on various factors, such as condition, history and size. In 2022, an encaustic, acrylic and paper collage painting by Johns entitled Small False Start sold for a record-setting $55.35 million at auction. Johns's name is most often associated with pictorial images of flags and numbers, as well as Pop art subjects that he depicted in a Minimalist style with an emphasis on linearity, repetition and symmetry. He is one of America's best-known post-Abstract Expressionists and Minimalists. If you're the owner of a Johns painting, a certified appraiser or experienced art dealer can assist you with the valuation process. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of Jasper Johns art.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 24, 2024Whether John Corcoran paintings are worth anything depends on their size, condition and other factors. In 2021, one of his paintings entitled Trees sold for $100 at an auction in Carmel, Indiana. The work depicts a serene woodland landscape representative of the British artist's traditional style. A certified appraiser or experienced art dealer can help you determine how much a particular Corcoran painting in your collection may be worth. Find a large selection of landscape paintings on 1stDibs.
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