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Realist Color Photography

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
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
View looking down the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Italy, 1960. Opened in 1890, the covered arcade is on the northern side of ...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sailboats on the waters of the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, Italy, in September 1978. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included ...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Pope Paul VI, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pope Paul VI (1897-1978) delivering a sermon during his visit to Venice, Italy, in October 1972. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity in...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Nino Cerruti, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
September 1968: Nino Cerruti, fashion designer and perfumer with a model in Capri. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Donna Fabrizia Lanza Di Mazzarino, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Donna Fabrizia Lanza di Mazzarino at the Villa Tasca, Sicily, Italy, 1984. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons ...
Category

1980s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Donna Fabrizia Lanza Di Mazzarino, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Donna Fabrizia Lanza di Mazzarino at the Villa Tasca, Sicily, Italy, 1984. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons ...
Category

1980s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Harbour Area, Portofino, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
General view of the harbour area, crowded with small and large boats, in Portofino, Italy, 1977. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stampe...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Castello Di Paraggi, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Castello di Paraggi near Portofino, Italy, August 1977. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate Collecto...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Britt Ekland, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1969, Swedish actress Britt Ekland in Porto Ercole, Italy. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the ...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Franco Zeffirelli, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1985, Film director Franco Zeffirelli at his home, Tre Ville, in Positano, Italy. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included ...
Category

1980s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Beach In Positano, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Aerial view looking down on sunbathers and parasols on the beach at Positano, Italy, 1979. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by ...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Windsors In Portofino, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor walking their dog in Portofino. Picture Post - 5599 - Portofino - unpub. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered a...
Category

1950s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Yachting Trip, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Selvaggia Borromeo wades ashore from her yacht during a holiday on the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, August 1967. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Num...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Prince Filippo Corsini, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Prince Filippo Corsini sits in the gardens of the Palazzo Corsini sul Prato in Florence, 1983. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped...
Category

1980s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Caprice On Capri, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1958: Singer and actress Caprice Chantal (right) on the Italian island of Capri. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aa...
Category

1950s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

A Roman Prince, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
circa 1982: Prince Raimondo Orsini d'Aragona stands in the ancient Roman forum wearing an elegant suit by tailor Savini-Brioni. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authentic...
Category

1980s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Conca dei Marini, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A busy bay in Conca dei Marini, on the Amalfi coast in Italy, August 1984. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered...
Category

1980s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Crespi And Mastroianni, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian countess Consuelo Crespi (left, 1928-2010) and Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni (right, 1924 - 1996) in conversation with a third woman in Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Italy, ...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Crespi And Mastroianni, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian countess Consuelo Crespi (left, 1928-2010) and Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni (right, 1924 - 1996) in conversation with a third woman in Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Italy, ...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Earl Of Lichfield, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Photographer Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield (1939-2005) holding a Hasselblad camera while posing with Ines Torlonia, Marina Lante della Rovere and Signor...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Home Waters, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
June 1983: Dress designer Gianni Versace (1946 - 1997) and Lalla Spagnol on a motor launch in front of his 17th century villa on Lake Como. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate ...
Category

1980s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Positano, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A little boy carries a basket of groceries home in Positano, 1958. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate C...
Category

1950s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Poolside Bar, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests seen from a poolside bar at the Hotel Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole, Italy, August 1980. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped ...
Category

1980s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Borneo 1: stilt house architecture in water landscape at sunrise, Southeast Asia
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
This photograph is from among Vincent Dixon's series created in Borneo, Myanmar, Paris, Pushkar, Los Angeles, New York, London, Miami, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid,...
Category

2010s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment

Amalfi Coast, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Windsurfing on the waters off the Amalfi Coast, Italy, in September 1978. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons E...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Port Life, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A man stops to watch a young woman tie her sandals on the pavement in Portofino marina, August 1977. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and s...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Port Life, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A man stops to watch a young woman tie her sandals on the pavement in Portofino marina, August 1977. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and s...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Beach In Positano, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Aerial view looking down on sunbathers and parasols on the beach at Positano, Italy, 1979. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by ...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Beach In Positano, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Aerial view looking down on sunbathers and parasols on the beach at Positano, Italy, 1979. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by ...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Beach At Positano, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Aerial view looking down on sunbathers and parasols on the beach at Positano, Italy, 1979. The view looks north along the coastline. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Auth...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Beach At Positano, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Aerial view looking down on sunbathers and parasols on the beach at Positano, Italy, 1979. The view looks north along the coastline. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Auth...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Harbour Area, Portofino, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
General view of the harbour area, crowded with small and large boats, in Portofino, Italy, 1977. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stampe...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Fontana di Trevi, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Trevi Fountain in Rome, September 1978. The Roman god Nepture stands in the central niche, framed by the facade of the Palazzo Poli. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of ...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sailboats on the waters of the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, Italy, in September 1978. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included ...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Castello Di Paraggi, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Castello di Paraggi near Portofino, Italy, August 1977. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate Collecto...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Hotel Punta Tragara, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Hotel Punta Tragara on Capri, Italy, August 1974. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Hotel Punta Tragara, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Hotel Punta Tragara on Capri, Italy, August 1974. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Porto Ercole Harbour, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Boats in the harbour of Porto Ercole (Port'Ercole), Tuscany, September 1966. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Porto Ercole Harbour, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Boats in the harbour of Porto Ercole (Port'Ercole), Tuscany, September 1966. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Porto Ercole Harbour, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Boats in the harbour of Porto Ercole (Port'Ercole), Tuscany, September 1966. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Casa Montefino, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests by the pool at Klaus Pudel's villa, the Casa Montefino, overlooking Portofino harbour, Portofino, Italy, August 1977. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Casa Montefino, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests by the pool at Klaus Pudel's villa, the Casa Montefino, overlooking Portofino harbour, Portofino, Italy, August 1977. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Casa Montefino, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests by the pool at Klaus Pudel's villa, the Casa Montefino, overlooking Portofino harbour, Portofino, Italy, August 1977. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Capri Bay, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1958: Faraglioni Rocks on the Italian island of Capri. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate Collector wil...
Category

1950s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Capri Bay, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1958: Faraglioni Rocks on the Italian island of Capri. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate Collector wil...
Category

1950s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Porto Ercole, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A balcony overlooking the harbour of Porto Ercole (Port'Ercole), Tuscany, August 1969. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the S...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Porto Ercole, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A balcony overlooking the harbour of Porto Ercole (Port'Ercole), Tuscany, August 1969. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the S...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Porto Ercole, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A balcony overlooking the harbour of Porto Ercole (Port'Ercole), Tuscany, August 1969. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the S...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Slim Aarons, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Photographer Slim Aarons (right) on board a yacht off Capri, Italy, September 1968. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Slim Aarons, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Photographer Slim Aarons (right) on board a yacht off Capri, Italy, September 1968. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Britt Ekland, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1969, Swedish actress Britt Ekland in Porto Ercole, Italy. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the ...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Positano Beach, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Elevated view looking down on sunbathers and parasols on the beach at La Scogliera beach in Positano, Italy, 1979. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included ...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Laudomia Pucci, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian fashion designer and daughter of Emilio Pucci, Laudomia Pucci, Florence, Italy, 1983. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped ...
Category

1980s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Lunch At La Pigna, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
US restaurateurs Gilda Cioffi, owner of Mama Gilda in Palm Beach, Guy Avventuiero and his wife, of Gino's in New York, Gus and Geraldine Pucillo, of the Petite Marmite in Palm Beach,...
Category

1980s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Porto Ercole, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The waterfront at Porto Ercole, Italy, August 1967. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aa...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Monte Mano, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A swimmer in the seaside-style pool at architect Jacques Couëlle's home 'Monte Mano', on the Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Italy, August 1973. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of...
Category

1970s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Olimpia Hruska, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Swedish model Olimpia Hruska, wearing a bikini, poses against a rock on the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, Italy, 1964. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity include...
Category

1960s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Conca dei Marini, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A busy bay in Conca dei Marini, on the Amalfi coast in Italy, August 1984. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered...
Category

1980s Realist Color Photography

Materials

Lambda

Realist color photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Realist color photography 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 color photography 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, pink, orange and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Slim Aarons, Massimo Listri, Sean Scully, and John Conn. Frequently made by artists working with Digital Print, and Lambda Print 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 color photography, so small editions measuring 8.5 inches across are also available. Prices for color photography made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $200 and tops out at $28,500, while the average work sells for $3,350.

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