Subversive Figures: A Fresh Look at Figurative Art
What can a figure tell us beyond what a person looks like? At Great Big Canvas, our Subversive Figures spotlight explores that question using the work of Studio IMO, Ida Alvarsson and Egon Schiele.
What Are Subversive Figures?
Subversive Figures is the theme connecting this selection. It brings together artists who challenge familiar expectations about how people are portrayed.
A colorful face or an elongated arm isn’t automatically subversive. What matters is how those choices change our experience of the person depicted. An exaggerated embrace can give physical closeness more importance than accurate proportions. A face pressed toward the edges of a painting can feel unexpectedly confrontational.
Viewing the artwork through the lens of identity, relationships, and emotional expression gives us more to consider than whether a portrait looks like a realistic subject.
An Established Subject, New Perspectives
Egon Schiele was exploring his own identity through portraiture more than a century ago. His work reminds us that artists have long used the figure to examine something beyond the outward appearance. The artist behind Studio IMO began painting in 2024, while Ida Alvarsson creates with digital illustration tools. The differences are easy to see when you compare their work with Schiele’s.
Three Artists, Three Ways of Seeing People
Studio IMO: Connection Through the Figure
Ibi Meier-Oruitemeka, the UK-based, self-taught painter behind Studio IMO, draws on her British Nigerian identity. Her work centers Black figures and explores both companionship and time alone.
In With A Friend, two people sit beside a small green table. Bent knees, loose hand positions and the space between their stools suggest an easy familiarity. The Hug makes closeness more explicit: long, striped sleeves form a broad loop around the figure in front. The exaggerated arms give the embrace more room than a realistic rendering would.
Read our interview with Studio IMO for more about her approach to painting.
Ida Alvarsson: Expression Through Simplified Forms
Based in Malmö, Sweden, Ida Alvarsson brings a background in graphic design and visual communication to her digital illustrations.
In United Women Serene, closed eyes and tipped-back heads suggest a shared pause. Flat areas of red and ochre separate the overlapping figures, so you can pick out individuals within the group.
In Serene Floral Portrait, the woman looks outward instead. Blue leaves cross her white clothing and extend into the background. The flowers are large enough to compete with her face for your attention, bringing the figure and botanical shapes into one continuous design.
Egon Schiele: A Historical Challenge to the Expected
Austrian Expressionist Egon Schiele offers a more unsettled encounter. In his 1912 Self-Portrait With Chinese Lantern Plant, the picture’s edges cut into his hair and torso. His head turns to one side, while his eyes look back toward the viewer.
The close framing leaves little distance between us and the face. The pose feels uneasy, as though you’ve met someone’s gaze before they’ve quite turned to face you.
Find the Figure That Holds Your Attention
As you browse, notice which gesture or expression you remember after you’ve moved on to another piece. Perhaps it’s the closeness of a pair of figures, or a face you haven’t quite worked out. Consider that response alongside color and size.
Explore figurative artwork by Studio IMO, Ida Alvarsson and Egon Schiele, and discover a perspective that feels at home in your space.
We believe art wields the power to inspire, energize, and transform people and places. Our team of curators and craftspeople are passionate about providing art that meets your unique vision and style.