figurativepainting Archives - Page 10 of 11

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“I blur things to make everything equally important and equally unimportant. I blur things so that they do not look artistic or craftsmanlike but technological, smooth and perfect. I blur things to make all the parts a closer fit. Perhaps I also blur out the excess of unimportant information.”

Gerhard Richter (b. 1932)
Zwei Liebespaare
signed, titled and dated ’“Zwei Liebespaare” Richter 66’ (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
45¼ x 63in. (115 x 160cm.)
Painted in 1966
Price realised
GBP 7,300,500

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Paintings from thrift stores.

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“You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light … Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won.” — John Lewis

John Lewis
2020
Watercolor on paper
12 x 9 in
Price: Not for Sale

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Many artists do start with realism because it helps build foundational skills like observation, proportion, and technique. Over time, some move toward abstraction as they become more interested in expressing ideas, emotions, or experimenting with form and color beyond literal representation.

However, not all artists follow this trajectory. Some dive straight into abstraction, while others stick with realism their entire lives. It really depends on the artist’s interests, influences, and creative journey.

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What Makes “Bad” Art Good?

“Unlike the artists behind many of Shaw’s thrift-store paintings, the “bad painters” of art history were often technically skilled. They made a conscious decision to ignore the standards of good taste and good style, which wasn’t always intuitive.”

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“What a funny thing painting is. The abstract painters always insist on their connection with the visible reality, while the so called figurative artists insist that what they really care about, is the abstract qualities of life.”

Marlene Dumas (b. 1953)
The White Disease
signed, titled and dated ‘The White disease Marlene Dumas 1985’ (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
51 3/8 x 43½ in. (130.5 x 110.5 cm.)
Painted in 1985.
Price realised
USD 998,500

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“You really need faith in yourself to make art and to stand up for what you believe in.”

Elizabeth Peyton (b. 1965)
Annette Greenwich St.
signed with the artist’s initials, titled and dated ‘Annette Greenwich St. EP 2004’ (on the reverse)
oil on panel
14 x 11 in. (35.5 x 27.9 cm.)
Painted in 2004.
Price realised
USD 365,000

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“Painting is a means of translating what is intangible into something that can be grasped visually.”

Elmer Nelson Bischoff (American, 1916-1991)
Girls, Ocean, Mirror
signed, titled and dated ‘Elmer Bischoff/ Girls, Ocean, Mirror/ 10/61’ (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
53 ¾ x 72 in. (136.5 x 182.9 cm.)
Price realised
USD 100,000

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“From my rotting body, flowers shall grow, and I am in them, and that is eternity.”

Edvard Munch
Madonna (Schiefler 33; Woll 39)
lithograph with woodcut in black, rust red, blue and pale grey-green, 1895-1902, on tissue-thin Japon, a superb, strongly printed impression, the colors rich, Woll’s fourth state (of seven) before the additional strands of hair across the torso, signed in pencil, with wide margins, deckle along the upper and right sheet edges, the lower and left sheet edges trimmed at time of printing, in excellent condition, framed
L. 21 7/8 x 13¾ in. (556 x 349 mm.)
S. 25¾ x 17¾ in. (654 x 451 mm.)
Price realised
USD 650,500

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“You meet rich people and you hang around with them, and one night they’ve had a few drinks and they say ‘I’ll buy it!’ Then they tell their friends, ‘You must have this person’s work, darling,’ and that’s all you need. That’s all it takes. Get it?”

Andy Warhol
Uncle Sam, from Myths
screenprint in colors with diamond dust, on Lenox Museum Board, 1981, signed in pencil, numbered 135/200 (there were also 30 artist’s proofs), published by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Inc., New York, with the artist’s copyright ink stamp on the reverse, the full sheet, in very good condition, framed
Sheet: 38 x 38 in. (965 x 965 mm.)
Estimate
USD 30,000 – USD 50,000

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