The Faces We Missed

The return of Figurative Art and the longing for emotion

Many years ago, when I was much younger, before I realized that collecting real art can come at various price points, I purchased a Henri Matisse print online and made it fancy by having it professionally framed in an over the top, vintage-style gold frame. The whole thing probably cost me $700. I now realize I could have bought an actual piece of art from a local artist for this price, but something about this print, although mass produced from a commercial retailer, moved me. I was so proud to hang it right on the prime wall space in my home at the time. I have since moved and I’m not ready (and may never be ready) to part with it. Although room has been made in my current home for the spotlight to be on actual artworks I’ve collected, this “Nu Bleu” print is still one of my favorite things in the house. It now hangs in my dining room, not as a main piece, but off to the side, as a reminder of my younger, more independent days. What I love about this item is not just my personal nostalgia, but the beautiful figure Matisse created. It captures the power, strength and suppleness of the female body. Although it falls in both the figurative and abstract categories, this piece by Matisse is essential to the figurative art movement, proving that emotion and presence can live within simplicity. It shows a human form reduced to pure shape and emotion without losing its presence. So chic.

Anna Weyant, The Sweet Escape, 2022

Figurative Art is gaining strong popularity right now. After years of Instagram creating more and more of a distracted, isolated and divided society, people are craving connection again, a real connection. The tireless amounts of beige walls and