Fantastical painting for Sale
Fantasy painting is a style of art which explores the supernatural, depicting fantastical elements such as legends, ancient myths and divine figures. Mythical creatures are also prevalent in this genre where elves, fairies, dragons and wizards are often depicted alongside deities, angels and demons.
Fantasy painting grew in popularity after the invention of photography replaced the demand for Realism in the 19th century. The 20th century saw the introduction of new idealistic movements such as Expressionism, Cubism, Abstraction and Surrealism, where artists abandoned portraying subjects truthfully and embraced the implausible and supernatural. Although Fantasy Painting can technically be traced back to antiquity, it wasn't until the 20th century that it became an accepted art form. Artists of the Italian Renaissance were equally inspired by mythological characters in Greek and Roman culture. However, religious mythology was a highly sophisticated and incredibly important topic during the Renaissance, and is therefore not an example of fantasy painting.
Contemporary fantasy art has certainly been influenced by a surge in demand for science fiction and whimsical literary plots. This pushed artists to explore the darker corners of fantasy art, employing vampires and werewolves into their artwork. In 1923 the first all-fantasy fiction magazine was created called “Weird Tales", which helped bring fantasy painting onto a contemporary platform. As a result, fantasy painting became a powerful tool in the marketing of fantasy literature and film. Robert E. Howard's comic book hero “Conan the Barbarian" was a prominent feature in Weird Tales magazine. However, when the stories were re-released in 1960 with cover art by notable fantasy painter, Frank Frazetta, over 10 million copies were sold. This success lead to the creation of other fantasy art magazines. French magazine, “Métal Hurlant" (howling metal) was created in 1974. Due to its huge readership and demand, it was translated and republished in the United States as “Heavy Metal" in 1977. The late 70s also saw a boom in computer games and blockbuster films, which only furthered the popularity of fantasy painting. Hugely successful films like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Hobbit and Twilight were paramount in fantasy painting's not only rise to prominence, but also increasing acceptance as an art form.
Despite the skill of artists that produce fantasy paintings, it is still not considered canonical. Since it is not an example of “high art", the genre is generally not exhibited in galleries or taught in art schools, which many claim is due to the popularity of fantasy literature and film. However, as fantasy painting's reputation grows, so does the acceptance for a wider variety of art forms. Therefore, we can't eliminate the possibility that this massively prominent genre won't be considered highbrow one day.
Discover our selection of original paintings by contemporary artists and painters who have been inspired by all things supernatural, mythical and divine.
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Je suis un super héros - Personnages et Héros
Violeta Mouysset dite Mvili
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,375
La mort en fete dans le forêt profonde
Anne-Marie Vesco
Painting - 33 x 25 x 3 cm Painting - 13 x 9.8 x 1.2 inch
€1,500
La clé des songes
Anne-Marie Vesco
Painting - 34 x 26 x 3 cm Painting - 13.4 x 10.2 x 1.2 inch
€1,500
Un teatime extrêmement renversant
Philippe Loubat
Painting - 81 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.9 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,900
Enlightenment - Series Golden Statues
Andriy Klishyn
Painting - 90 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€835
Femme oiseaux et gravité
Gris De Garance
Painting - 30 x 15 x 1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inch
€150
Photo Before Robbery
Areg Vahramyan
Painting - 80 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
€1,700
Imagined destinations, Signpost in Compiegne forest (Poteau indicateur en forêt de Compiègne)
Taisia Korotkova
Painting - 76 x 56 x 0.2 cm Painting - 29.9 x 22 x 0.1 inch
€2,000
The Loch Ness Monster – cover illustration of a book from the ECO series
Tekla Aleksieva
Painting - 25 x 38 x 0.2 cm Painting - 9.8 x 15 x 0.1 inch
€1,855
Bon appetit !
Rakhmet Redzhepov (Ramzi)
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
€390
Violinist
Rakhmet Redzhepov (Ramzi)
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
€390
Happy New Year 2 !
Rakhmet Redzhepov (Ramzi)
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
€390
Happy new year !
Rakhmet Redzhepov (Ramzi)
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
€390
Mille feuilles
Jean-Louis Mendrisse
Painting - 50 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
€4,200
Vibrations of time v.6
Dariusz Witold Mierzwa
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,050
Vibrations of time v.5
Dariusz Witold Mierzwa
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,050
Vibrations of time v.4
Dariusz Witold Mierzwa
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,350
Vibrations of time v.3
Dariusz Witold Mierzwa
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,350
Vibrations of time v.2
Dariusz Witold Mierzwa
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,350
Vibrations of time v.1
Dariusz Witold Mierzwa
Painting - 60 x 80 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 inch
€1,350
Inocence lost
Dariusz Witold Mierzwa
Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€950
Birth of Worlds
Dariusz Witold Mierzwa
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,250
Carroussel Cosaques
Catherine Clare
Painting - 55 x 145 x 1 cm Painting - 21.7 x 57.1 x 0.4 inch
€1,450 €1,305
Le moulin enchanté d'après Franz Marc
Catherine Clare
Painting - 61 x 46 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 18.1 x 1 inch
€1,800 €1,620
Autorretrato dentro de Alegría
Mari Ito
Painting - 46 x 38 x 4 cm Painting - 18.1 x 15 x 1.6 inch
€3,270
L'énigme de l'attachement Ghost Town Part I & II
Kevin-Ademola Sangosanya
Painting - 60 x 42.5 x 4 cm Painting - 23.6 x 16.7 x 1.6 inch
€1,800
Escaliers tentaculaires
André Guillarmain
Painting - 93 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.6 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,400
Io sono un genio
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 34 x 24 x 0.1 cm Painting - 13.4 x 9.4 x 0 inch
€170 €153
Ninna nanna per Napoleone
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 28 x 20 x 0.1 cm Painting - 11 x 7.9 x 0 inch
€156
Bacco e pirati
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
€260
Chateau Bleu
Graciela Castellano-Saavedra
Painting - 61 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 24 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
€900
Chimère n°5 (le Lémurien Maki Vari roux)
Louis Vairel
Painting - 80 x 116 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 45.7 x 0.8 inch
€2,300
Capricorno, serie Segni zodiacali
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 19 x 19 x 0.2 cm Painting - 7.5 x 7.5 x 0.1 inch
€78
Disaster fantastic!
Katrina Avotina
Painting - 51.1 x 76.5 x 4.1 cm Painting - 20.1 x 30.1 x 1.6 inch
€1,789
Fragole per tartaruga
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 30 x 21 x 0.1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 8.3 x 0 inch
€156
Leone serie Segni Zodiacali
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 30 x 45 x 0.1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 17.7 x 0 inch
€280
Urbichromie
Paule Bernard Roussel
Painting - 100 x 100 x 5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 2 inch
€2,000
Quitter la route
Paule Bernard Roussel
Painting - 60 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
€1,000
Comme un poisson dans l'air
Paule Bernard Roussel
Painting - 80 x 120 x 5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 47.2 x 2 inch
€2,200
Tour d'horizon
Paule Bernard Roussel
Painting - 60 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
€1,000
Poissons chats
Paule Bernard Roussel
Painting - 50 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
€1,500
Mouton migrateur
Paule Bernard Roussel
Painting - 100 x 100 x 5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 2 inch
€2,000
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
Le Chef-d'Oeuvre ou les Mystères de l'Horizon
René Magritte
Print - 45 x 60 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch
€780
La forêt intérieure
Clémence Dupuch
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,600
Femme au bord de l'eau, 1910 | Woman at the Shoreline, 1910
Léon Spilliaert
Print - 59 x 72 cm Print - 23.2 x 28.3 inch
€750
Need help with Fantastical painting ?
What is a fantasy painting?
A fantasy painting depicts imaginary, supernatural, or unreal scenes, often inspired by myths, dreams, or fantasy. It invites the viewer to explore worlds where imagination takes precedence over reality.
What is dreamlike and fantastic painting?
Dreamlike and fantastical painting explores imaginary worlds, blending dreams with the unreal. It is characterized by surreal scenes, invented creatures, and mysterious landscapes, inviting escape and personal interpretation.
What characterizes the fantasy genre?
The fantasy genre is distinguished by the eruption of supernatural or inexplicable elements into a realistic universe, arousing doubt and confusion in both the characters and the viewer. It invites us to question the boundary between reality and imagination, a theme often explored in contemporary art.
What is the prettiest painting in the world?
The notion of "the most beautiful painting in the world" is subjective and varies according to taste. Among the most admired works, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa fascinates with its mystery, but every contemporary art lover will find their own favorite on Artsper.