Realist Paintings
REALIST STYLE
Realist art attempts to portray its subject matter without artifice. Similar to naturalism, authentic realist paintings and prints see an integration of true-to-life colors, meticulous detail and linear perspectives for accurate portrayals of the world.
Work that involves illusionistic techniques of realism dates back to the classical world, such as the deceptive trompe l’oeil used since ancient Greece. Art like this became especially popular in the 17th century when Dutch artists like Evert Collier painted objects that appeared real enough to touch. Realism as an artistic movement, however, usually refers to 19th-century French realist artists such as Honoré Daumier exploring social and political issues in biting lithographic prints, while the likes of Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet painting people — particularly the working class — with all their imperfections, navigating everyday urban life. This was a response to the dominant academic art tradition that favored grand paintings of myth and history.
By the turn of the 20th century, European artists, such as the Pre-Raphaelites, were experimenting with nearly photographic realism in their work, as seen in the attention to every botanical attribute of the flowers surrounding the drowned Ophelia painted by English artist John Everett Millais.
Although abstraction was the guiding style of 20th-century art, the realism trend in American modern art endured in Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth and other artists’ depictions of the complexities of the human experience. In the late 1960s, Photorealism emerged with artists like Chuck Close and Richard Estes giving their paintings the precision of a frame of film.
Contemporary artists such as Jordan Casteel, LaToya Ruby Frazier and Aliza Nisenbaum are now using the unvarnished realist approach for honest representations of people and their worlds. Alongside traditional mediums, technology such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence and immersive installations are helping artists create new sensations of realism in art.
Find authentic realist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.
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Style: Realist
Waltz of glare on the water., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Waltz of glare on the water. Warm water, waves, ocean shine, evening glare on the water create an atmosphere of relaxation, romance, fairy tale and mystery. Made in the style of real...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Antique American School 19th Century Horse Landscape Portrait Framed Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
19th century horse portrait in a fall landscape. Oil on board. Nicely framed.
Category
1870s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Strong Seas
Located in Wiscasett, ME
Signed lower left. (Born in Yorkshire, England in 1927; died in 2008). Dinsdale painted the sea and great ships of the era when “Britannia ruled the waves” with her fleets of clipper and fighting ships...
Category
1980s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Purple irises. 1998, canvas, oil, 35x25 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Purple irises. 1998, canvas, oil, 35x25 cm
Juris Jurjans (1944-2023) - Painter
Juris Jurjāns graduated from J. Rozentals School of Art in Riga (1962), and Painting Department of La...
Category
1990s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Sea. Waves. Glare., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Sea. Waves. Glare. Summer seascape: blue water, ocean, small waves, sun glare on the water, clear sky create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. Made in the style of realism, t...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Ocean. Palm trees. Beach., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Sunny beach, ocean, beach, palm trees, sky with clouds, sand, atmosphere of relaxation, romance. A rich palette of blues, greens, yellows, pinks and whites enhances the energy of the...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Botanical Studies, Watercolours on Silk on Handmade Paper, Set of Three Tulips.
Located in Cotignac, FR
A set of three fine hand painted botanical watercolour studies on silk of tulips by La Roche Laffitte. The works are signed bottom right. Some are titled and numbered (see photos) Th...
Category
Late 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Silk, Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Gouache
Sea. Glare. Beach., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Sea. Glare. Beach. Summer seascape: blue water, ocean, small waves, sun glare on the water, clear sky, sand, beach create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. The blue and white...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Shadow of a Tree on Facade, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Two modern buildings, one raw sienna, and the other white, stand side by side against a deep blue sky. The daylight in the background contrasts with the structu...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Blue water. Glare., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Blue water. Glare. The ocean, sparks of the sun on the water, clear skies, non-lash waves create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. Made in the style of realism, light blue, wh...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Pocket Bumble Bee 3, Baroque Still Life, Insect, Animals, Affordable art, Spring
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Bumble Bee 3 is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque still l...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Blue ocean. Glare., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Blue ocean. Glare. Summer seascape: blue water, blue ocean, small waves, sun glare on the water, clear skies create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. The blue and white palett...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Hans Baluschek Sommer an der Havel ( Summer On The River Havel ), 1934
Located in Berlin, DE
Hans Baluschek ( 1870-1935 ), Germany. "New Objectivity" Style. Mixed media on paper, 1934. Signed and dated lower right: HBaluschek.34. Framed. Height: 26.18 in ( 66,5 cm ), Width:...
Category
1930s Realist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Mixed Media
Ocean. Summer evening., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Ocean. Summer evening. A gentle sunset over the ocean, a sunny road on the water, warm water, sea, waves, sun glare on the water and sand, clear warm sky, warm sand, the beach create...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Maritime Seascape Oil Painting entitled Galleons at Sea by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Maritime Seascape Oil Painting entitled Galleons at Sea by British Artist Keith English (1935-2016)
Art measures 36 x 24 inches
Unframed (framing by a...
Category
Early 2000s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Sea. Summer., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Sea. Summer. Blue water, ocean, shimmering glare of the sun on the water, sea foam, clear sky, sand, beach, small waves create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. Made in the st...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Dance of glare at sunset., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Dance of glare at sunset. Warm water, waves, serene views, ocean shine, glare of the evening sun on the water create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. Made in the style of rea...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
C19 Grouse Shoot Gun with Hunting Dogs and grouse in hilly landscape, Oil
Located in ludlow, GB
The Grouse Shoot, 19th century Gun shooting Grouse with Gun dogs and hilly landscape
Oil on Canvas on original stretchers, housed in its original bronzed frame.
This is a very speci...
Category
19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Firing. Setting & Detonation of Explosive Charges Underground Welsh Coalminers
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Valerie Ganz.
Welsh ( b.1936 - d.2015 ).
Firing.
Oil on Artist’s Board.
Signed lower right.
Image size 15.4 inches x 19.3 inches ( 39cm x 49cm ).
Frame size 20.9 inches x 24.6 inches...
Category
Late 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Orange mood 18 x 24 cm., Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original oil painting on canvas. Figurative. The sides are always spotless white. This provides a good view of any environment and this makes it possible not to use an additional fra...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Verdant Marsh, a tranquil landscape view of the wetlands and grassy terrain
Located in Edgartown, MA
Art and design in varied forms have always been a driving interest in my life.
Living in Madison, Connecticut, I began my career as a muralist and trompe l’oeil painter doing signif...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Pocket Pinky Red Pomegranate, Baroque Still Life, fruit
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Pinky Red Pomegranate is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroqu...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Impressionistic Moonlight Seascape Oil Painting Michael Budden Beach
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Moonrise
oil/canvas
12 x 16 image size
18.5 x 22.5 framed.
An oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a romantic moonlit seascape cr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Contemporary portrait "New Look for an Old Jacket"
Located in Zofingen, AG
Sometimes you dig into the closet, find a long-forgotten item, and start trying it on in different ways. You try it on, and it seems pretty cool, but then you think: Where am I going...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Fresh Light, an oil on aluminum with a vivid landscape
Located in Edgartown, MA
Art and design in varied forms have always been a driving interest in my life.
Living in Madison, Connecticut, I began my career as a muralist and trompe l’oeil painter doing signif...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Impressionistic Moonlight Seascape Oil Painting Michael Budden Beach Jetty
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Moonlight Serenade
oil/canvas
20 x 30 image size
26 x 36 framed.
An oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a romantic moonlit seasc...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Japanese cup with limes, still life painting by Tim Snowdon
Located in BUNGENDORE, AU
Original artwork on linen by established Australian painter Tim Snowdon. Japanese cup with limes is one of three original paintings featuring the same Japa...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Linen
Pocket Pink Rose with Leaf, Original Painting, Pink, Flower, Black, Single rose
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Pink Rose with Leaf is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Sailboats and Sailing Ship in Seascape early 20th Century Oil Painting Framed
Located in Stockholm, SE
This artwork showcases the beauty of sailing boats and ships sailing gracefully on the sea waters. The artist's attention to detail is evident in the intricate depiction of the ships...
Category
Early 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil, Cardboard
Luna II, Oil Painting
By Robin Cole
Located in Denver, CO
Robin Cole's "Luna II" is an oil painting featuring a white moth.
About the artist:
My work represents an exploration of an inner wilderness by way of an outer one; it hinges on my...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Truth-Soul
Located in Oslo, NO
This poetic work of art was painted on canvas with watercolors and impregnated with a special composition - “liquid watercolor paper”.
I wrote a poem (in Russian) that encodes the m...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Watercolor
"Untitled" - Oil Painting of Nude Reclining Female Figure
By Rebecca Venn
Located in Denver, CO
Rebecca Venn's (US based) "Untitled" is an original, handmade oil painting on canvas paper that depicts a nude female model laying on her back.
This is ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Summer Landscape with Birches by Austrian Master Gollob Early 20th century Oil
Located in Stockholm, SE
Heinrich Gollob (1886 - 1917) - Austrian painter. Gollob's attention to detail demonstrates his talent for bringing landscapes to life through vibrant colors, textures and the play o...
Category
Early 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Sapphire Evening, an eerie and mysterious view of a marsh with heavy clouds
Located in Edgartown, MA
Art and design in varied forms have always been a driving interest in my life.
Living in Madison, Connecticut, I began my career as a muralist and trompe l’oeil painter doing signif...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Black Hamlet (Momento Mori) Cityscape
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful painting depicts a young black man holding skull and flip phone. Gouache on illustration board, image measuring 8 x 10 inches; 16 x 20 inches framed. Signed lower left.
Category
Early 2000s Realist Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Illustration Board
Chinese Contemporary Art by Su Yu - $1
By Su Yu
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas
Su Yu is a Chinese artist born in 1987 who lives & works in Beijing in China. He was an old student of prestigious art teachers as Shi Liang & Chen Danqing at Oil Pain...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
On Clouds, a vivid oil on aluminum painting with clouds overlooking water
Located in Edgartown, MA
Art and design in varied forms have always been a driving interest in my life.
Living in Madison, Connecticut, I began my career as a muralist and trompe l’oeil painter doing signifi...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Two Turquoise, Silver, White and Gold Cups Stacked"
Located in Wellesley, MA
Olga Antonova
"Two Turquoise, White and Silver Cups Stacked"
Oil on Canvas
12 x 12 Inches
Olga Antonova’s subject is compositions of extraordinarily elegant, beautiful and whimsical cups, plates, teapots, vases and dishes, but there is something playful about these paintings. Stacked teacups are also amusing, having a kind of jaunty and upbeat personality of their own. Polka dots are as endearing to adults as to children, and everyone responds to the bling and sparkle of gold and silver while marveling at Antonova’s seemingly effortless ability to paint these radiant details...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Resolute, an oil on aluminum painting depicting a strong wave in greens
Located in Edgartown, MA
Art and design in varied forms have always been a driving interest in my life.
Living in Madison, Connecticut, I began my career as a muralist and trompe l’oeil painter doing signifi...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Chinese Contemporary Art by Su Yu - 5 Beautification
By Su Yu
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas
Su Yu is a Chinese artist born in 1987 who lives & works in Beijing in China. He was an old student of prestigious art teachers as Shi Liang & Chen Danqing at Oil Pain...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
HUMMINGBIRD, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Welcome to my Gallery and thanks for your visit! This one of a kind painting is an original piece of artwork, created by hand in my studio in Greece. ----------------- Hummingbi...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Creekside Poppies
By Ray Roberts
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist
UNFRAMED: 30" x 40" FRAMED: 37" x 47" x 2.25"
Artist Statement
"California poppies are our springtime treasures in the coastal ran...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil, Panel
California Light, San Juan Creek
By Ray Roberts
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist
UNFRAMED: 30" x 40" FRAMED: 36.5" x 46.5" x .5"
Artist Statement
"The watershed for Mission San Juan Capistrano remains mainly und...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil, Panel
Ventura River Channel; Santa Ana Road, Ojai Valley
By Ray Roberts
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist
UNFRAMED: 24" x 30" FRAMED: 30.75" x 36.625" x 1.5"
Artist Statement
"The dramatic Scenery surrounding Ojai and the coastal range ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil, Panel
NO WAR, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
A terrible war is raging in Ukraine, our thoughts and our hearts are with the Ukrainians. In these difficult times, we are all praying for peace, seeking it, fighting for it. I rea...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Poppies; Tejon Ranch, California
By Ray Roberts
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist
UNFRAMED: 18" x 24" FRAMED: 24.5" x 30.5" x 1"
Artist Statement
"This scene was inspired by a trip to Tejon Ranch nearly 10 years...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil, Panel
Historical Wells Fargo Stage Coach Western Shotgun Still Life Framed Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nicely painted early 20th century historical still life. Oil on canvas. Nicely framed. Signed.
Category
1930s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Beautiful Oil On Canvas, Female Nude By V Tsvetkov Sold without frame
Located in Gavere, BE
"Realistic Oil On Canvas, Female Nude By V Tsvetkov "
Original contemporary painting by Bulgarian artist V Tsvetkov, depicting a beautiful female nude
Signed lower left V Tsvenkov
E...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Large Japanese Wood Board Ema Namban Depicting a Portuguese Ship Edo period
Located in Stockholm, SE
An Ema is a votive plaque people hang in a "dedication area", at a Shinto shrine, with their wish to the gods. Wishes usually would revolve around health, love, career, prosperity, a...
Category
Mid-19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Wood, Tempera, Egg Tempera, Wood Panel
Spring Collection: Pocket Daffodil [2024], Baroque Still Life, flower
Located in Deddington, GB
Spring Collection: Pocket Daffodil is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
![Spring Collection: Pocket Daffodil [2024], Baroque Still Life, flower](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/dani-humberstone-paintings-spring-collection-pocket-daffodil-2024-baroque-still-life-flower-for-sale/a_6323/a_139170321707305716006/b3d04612f84834a4899db29046bff32a_1_master.jpg?width=240 "Dani Humberstone - Spring Collection: Pocket Daffodil [2024], Baroque Still Life, flower")
War Horse. Lest We Forget. Great War WW1 Remembrance Tribute. Black Bay Horse.
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Elin Siân Blake.
Welsh ( b.1981).
War Horse. Lest we forget.
Oil on artist’s canvas board.
Signed lower left.
Image size 23.4 inches x 19.5 inches ( 59.5cm x 49.5cm ).
Frame size 28...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Hosts of Rebecca. Inspired by Alexander Cordell. Riots 19th Century Wales.
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Elin Siân Blake.
Welsh ( b.1981).
The Hosts of Rebecca.
Oil on artist’s canvas board.
Signed lower right.
Image size 17.5 inches x 23.6 inches ( 44.5cm x 60cm ).
Frame size 20.3 inc...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Almazan Realistic Still-Life Acrylic Painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Almazan Realistic Still Life Acrylic Painting. framed
of the Spanish artist ALMAZAN MIQUEL.
Category
Late 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
First Light. Mother & Baby. Welsh Blanket. Love Spoon. Maternal Love.
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Elin Siân Blake.
Welsh ( b.1981).
First Light.
Oil on canvas.
Signed lower left.
Image size 23.4 inches x 17.3 inches ( 59.5cm x 44cm ).
Frame size 28.5 inches x 22.4 inches ( 72.5c...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
John Cole - 20th Century British Oil Painting of a London Shop Front
By John Cole
Located in London, GB
JOHN COLE
(1903-1975)
A Shop Front in Moor Street, Cambridge Circus
Signed l.r.; signed, inscribed with title and the artist’s address on a label on the reverse, oil on panel
30 b...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Italian Grotto in Ruins Street Scene with Resting Family 18 Century Oil Painting
Located in Stockholm, SE
Very well executed mid-18th century artwork, rather oil study, depicts resting family sheltering from the scorching midday sun in grotto shape arch in ruined part of town. Mother fee...
Category
Mid-18th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil, Wood Panel
Contemporary portrait "Between You and Me"
Located in Zofingen, AG
When some crap happens - in response, I draw. I draw something visually appealing and positive. It's so hard, really hard to draw some blah-blah-blah crap in response to a missile at...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Gold Leaf
Sunny Italian Amalfi Terrace View 1899 Oil Painting on Canvas Framed Signed
Located in Stockholm, SE
Late 19th early 20th century marked a period of great artistic expression and innovation, particularly in the realm of painting. During this time, artists sought to capture the beaut...
Category
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Realist paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Realist paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Michael Budden, Su Yu, Olga Antonova, and Mark Hunter. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Realist paintings, so small editions measuring 0.5 inches across are also available.
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