Term: Figures

Figures are a form of visual art in which the human body is the primary subject, more so than the person being depicted. Figures can be drawn in various shapes and postures but the subject is normally in a stationary position. The body can be nude or clothed with most of the body showing (as opposed to portraits where a person's face dominates the view). People are often critical of problems with the placement and proportion in figures as their eye can easily detect the slightest error. Some artists that are well known for figure painting are Peter Paul Rubens, Edgar Degas, and Édouard Manet.

Figures can be created using a variety of approaches. A common approach focuses on the shapes created by the interplay of light and dark values on the surfaces of the body. Others take an anatomical approach, beginning with an approximation of the internal skeleton of the figure, overlaying the internal organs and musculature, and finally covering those shapes with skin and clothing (if desired). Another approach is to loosely construct the body out of geometric shapes and refining those shapes to more closely resemble the human form.