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Realist Art

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
Fall's Complement, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Fall is such a wonderful time with its bright sunshine, puffy clouds and the smells, oh the smells.  The crisp breeze brings different fragrances to me as I brush by the fallen leav...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Oxford cityscape #1
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "Oxford Cityscape #1" 1972 is a watercolor by noted architectural British artist, Ken Messer 1931-2017. It is signed and dated at the lower right corner by the artist. The artwork size is 20 x 11.25 inches, framed is 26,85 x 17.75 inches. It is custom framed in his original wooden gold and green frame. Artwork and frame are in very good condition. About the artist. After attending City of Oxford High School for Boys, where he excelled at rugby and cricket, he started work as an accountant in the city. He then moved on to become a steward for the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). In the 1960’s Mr Messer was involved in a car accident which would end his sporting career and change his working life. When he left his job with BOAC he became a graphic designer at Pergamon Press, owned by Robert Maxwell, which allowed him time to pursue his real passion which was painting watercolours. He rose through the ranks at Pergamon to become studio manager and when he could progress no further he decided to become a full time artist, a role from which he never retired. He quickly became well-known for his paintings of Oxford...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

Britt Ekland, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Film star Britt Ekland (Britt-Marie Eklund) in Porto Ercole, Italy. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stampe...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Caesar on his way to Pompeii. 1999, canvas, oil, 40x50 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Caesar on his way to Pompeii. 1999, canvas, oil, 40x50 cm
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

One to Three, colorful super real candy oil painting
Located in Brooklyn, NY
One of a series of paintings of candy, or actually of the wrappers. The cellophane provides transparency, reflections and brilliant color which is a treat and a challenge to paint. I...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Lido Life, Slim Aarons Estate Photograph in Venice, Italy
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lido Life: A group of friends squeeze onto an inflatable raft at the Venice Lido, Venice, Italy, 1957. This vibrant photograph by Slim Aarons, taken in 1957 at the Venice Lido, enca...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Country yard in spring. Oil on canvas, 74x96 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Country yard in spring. Oil on canvas, 74x96 cm Oto Pladers (1897.8.III – 1970.2.V) Oto Pladers learned in Riga city school of art (1913 – 15). He was called into the army in 1916 a...
Category

1930s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Slim Aarons 'Venice Gondolas', Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Gondolas moored in Venice, 1957. In the background is the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, on San Giorgio Maggiore island. Captured with the exquisite clarity and charm that epitomiz...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Slim Aarons 'Venice Gondolas', Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Gondolas moored in Venice, 1957. In the background is the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, on San Giorgio Maggiore island. Captured with the exquisite clarity and charm that epitomiz...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Slim Aarons 'Venice Gondolas', Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Gondolas moored in Venice, 1957. In the background is the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, on San Giorgio Maggiore island. Captured with the exquisite clarity and charm that epitomiz...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Y Bugail Unig (The Lonely Shepherd), Llangattock, Brecon Beacons. Welsh Folklore
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Elin Siân Blake. Welsh ( b.1981). Y Bugail Unig (The Lonely Shepherd), Llangattock, Brecon Beacons Oil on artist’s canvas board. Signed lower left. Image size 9.7 inches x 11.4 inch...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sea. Sunset., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Sea. Sunset. Summer landscape: sunset, warm water, ocean, sea, small waves, sun reflection, sky, beach, create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. Made in the style of realism....
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Lido Life, Slim Aarons Estate Photograph in Venice, Italy
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lido Life: A group of friends squeeze onto an inflatable raft at the Venice Lido, Venice, Italy, 1957. This vibrant photograph by Slim Aarons, taken in 1957 at the Venice Lido, enca...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Contemporary portrait "Entomological Collection"
Located in Zofingen, AG
"In winter, we will go to the Natural History Museum," my husband said. Winter has passed, but we never went to the museum.In this painting, I've interwoven the essence of nature's i...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Glare on blue water, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Glare on blue water. The shining of the ocean, small waves, the glare of the sun on the water create an atmosphere of relaxation, romance. Made in the style of realism. Part of a per...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Worm’s Head (Pen Pyrrod), Gower Peninsula. Rhossili. Swansea Bay. South Wales.
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Elin Siân Blake. Welsh ( b.1981). Worm’s Head (Pen Pyrrod), Gower Peninsula. Oil on canvas. Signed lower left. Image size 9.5 inches x 11.4 inches ( 24cm x 29cm ). Frame size 14.2 i...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Anguish #8, Drawing, Pen & Ink on Other
Located in Yardley, PA
Part of my Anguish series Ink Wash painting on Illustration Board. My work is more about emotion than it is the actual subject. :: Drawing :: Realism :: This piece comes with an o...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Pen

Contemporary portrait "In the Center of the Metropolis"
Located in Zofingen, AG
I love walking the streets of the private sector when the weather is nice. It feels like being in a small town rather than in the center of a metropolis. I've aimed to capture the co...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Making Ripples. The Wanderlust Women Organisation. Tribute to Amira Patel.
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Elin Siân Blake. Welsh ( b.1981). Making Ripples. Oil on artist’s canvas board. Signed lower right. Image size 19.5 inches x 15.6 inches ( 49.5cm x 39.5cm ). Frame size 22.8 inches ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Marlon Brando Oil on Canvas by Christina Major
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Quotes within painting: "All I want to be is normally insane. Never surrender to the momentum of mediocrity. Only the one who walks his own way can’t be over taken. I watched a snail...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Pocket Snowdrop 4, Original painting, Baroque Still Life, Floral art, Flower
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Snowdrop 4 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 lif...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sea. Rocks. The stones., Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Painting Sea. Rocks. Stones: Nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Seascape. Realism. The painting has good spatial quality and the colors make children happy. Oil painti...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Antique Dog Painting of a Terrier- "The Shah" George Earl (England, 1824-1908)
By George Earl
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Dog Painting of a Terrier: “The Shah” George Earl (England, 1824-1908) Circa 1870 Oil on canvas. 12 ¾ x 12 ¾ (21 x 21 frame) inches. Orig...
Category

1860s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Waves of the ocean 3., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Waves of the ocean 3. The work is written with inspiration, positively. Nature: seascape, clear sky over the ocean, light reflected by oncoming waves, sun glare on the water, sea foa...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

House by the water, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Painting. House by the water. English house by the river, water lilies, grass, trees, sky with clouds, summer landscape. Realism. A rich palette of green, white, blue emphasizes the ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Mid august, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Painting Mid-August. Nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. A saturated palette of greenery, a quiet river, water, a blue sky with clouds, water lilies on the water, the r...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Willow by the water, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Willow by the water. A rich palette of greenery, lakes, forests, willows, grass, the reflection of the sky in the water, clouds evoke a feeling of love and gratitude to nature. Part ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Youth" Oil Painting 39" x 39 "inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Youth" Oil Painting 39" x 39 "inch by Dmitriy Krestniy 2023 ATTENTION: Painting ships rolled in a tube. A look through Dmitriy’s designs reveals a glamorous, feminine, provocativ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Summer landscape, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Summer landscape. The saturated palette of greenery, the lake, the forest, the pines, the reflection of the sky in the water, the clouds evoke a feeling of love and gratitude to natu...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Fresh breeze, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Wall mural Fresh wind. Seascape with a yacht. The sailboat cruises on the waves of the ocean, floating clouds, a serene view. Quality materials are used. Oil painting on linen canvas...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Evening, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Painting Evening. A rich palette of greenery, water, a reflection of the sky in the water, a boat, houses in the distance, a beautiful summer evening evoke a feeling of love and appr...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Broadway Costume Design Illustration
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Fabulous illustration depicts a costume for Broadway production. Gouache on illustration board, image measures 10.5 x 16.5 inches; 15 x 22 inches framed. Excellent condition in ori...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Gouache, Illustration Board

Sea bliss, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Sea bliss. The sea, clear sky, waves, sea foam, sun glare on the water create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. Made in the style of realism. Part of a permanent series of sea...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Summer landscape, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Painting Summer landscape. Nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. The saturated palette of greenery, bushes, trees, grass, water, the reflection of the sky in the water ca...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Quiet river, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Picture Quiet River. Realism. Summer landscape: a rich palette of greenery, water, the reflection of the sky in the water evoke a feeling of love and appreciation for nature. The pic...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Ocean sunset., Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Ocean sunset. When traveling, I study a lot of the sea and the ocean. Then in the workshop I again plunge into a state of admiration for the sea element and paint with oil on a large...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Morning on the river, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Painting. Morning on the river. Impressionism. A saturated palette of greenery, water, a boat on the shore, the reflection of the sky in the water cause a feeling of love and gratitu...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

August., Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Summer landscape: forest, trees, pines, birches, river, grass, sky, road. Impressionism. A rich palette of summer colors, a premonition of the coming golden autumn evoke a feeling of...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Sea.Sailboats. Waves., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Artwork Sea.Sailboats. Waves. written with inspiration, positively. Nature: seascape, clear sky above the water, light reflected from the incoming waves, glare of the sun on the wate...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

triptych of Pocket Speckled Green Pear, Bright Clementine, Crimson Strawberry 2c
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Bright Clementine 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 st...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

New York City Flags Original Winter Cityscape Urban Painting by Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Glory Above the Crowd An oil painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases the bustling life and the beautiful flags on a wintry afterno...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

light. Water., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
light. Water. The shine of the ocean, small waves, the glare of the sun on the water create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. Made in the style of realism. Part of a permanent...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Waves. Waves., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Waves. Waves. The ocean breathes with free wind, and beyond it - amazing countries. Like eternity, the ocean is huge and the wave is calm. A rich palette of turquoise, blue, white sh...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Ocean waves 2., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Ocean waves 2. Sunset over the ocean, light is reflected from the incoming waves, sea foam. A rich palette of blue, green, white colors emphasizes the energy of the water. Realism. A...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Magic sparks., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Magic sparks. Warm water, waves, serene views, shine of the ocean, evening glare of the sun on the water create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. Made in the style of realism....
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Breath of the ocean., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Breath of the ocean. Power of nature. The ocean ... deep, mysterious. He beckons you to unravel his secrets. ... Blue water, ocean, reflections on the water, clear skies create an ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Sunset. Ocean., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Sunset. Ocean. The deep, mysterious ocean beckons you to unravel its secrets. Warm water, waves, serene views, shine of the ocean, evening glare of the sun on the water create an atm...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Slim Aarons 'Family Pool' (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
circa 1960: Mrs A Watson Armour III (Jean Schweppe) with friends and family enjoying the pool on their estate at Lake Forest, Illinois. A Wonderful Time - Slim Aarons Slim Aarons Family Pool Chromogenic Lambda print Printed Later Slim Aarons Estate Edition Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide. Stamped and hand numbered by the Slim Aarons Estate. Certificate of Authenticity included. Collector will get the next number in the edition 60 x 60 inches $5100 48 x 48 inches $4500 40 x 40 inches $3950 30 x 30 inches $3350 20 x 20 inches $2500 16 x 16 inches $2150 Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide. Over the course of a career lasting half a century, Slim Aarons (1916-2006) portrayed high society, aristocracy, authors, artists, business icons, the celebrated and their milieu. In doing so, he captured a golden age of wealth, privilege, beauty and leisure that occurred alongside—but quite separate from—the cultural and political backdrop of the second half of the Twentieth Century. Photograph is unframed Slide show includes a close-up of the Slim Aarons estate's stamp. Collector will get the next number in the edition * We are pleased to offer the entire archive of the Slim Aarons Estate, offering the official Slim Aarons Estate Edition (only offered in this edition of 150). * Undercurrent Projects, New York, is proud to represent Aarons' full collection of negatives and transparencies. Housed at Getty Images Hulton Archive in London, The Slim Aarons Estate has released the limited Estate edition as a Lambda print, which is a modern c-type prints. They have chosen Lambda prints for their sharpness, clarity, colour saturation and quality, compared to archival inkjet prints. Lambda printing gives true continuous tone. Internal: Slim Aarons Lake Forest, Vintage Poolside Glamour, Vintage Sport, Swimming, Vintage Holiday, 60s, vintage Illinois...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

YOUNG WOMAN COMBING HER HAIR Hand Drawn Signed Lithograph, Interior Portrait
Located in Union City, NJ
YOUNG WOMAN COMBING HER HAIR is an original hand drawn (not digitally or photo reproduced) limited edition lithograph by the artist Raphael Soyer - Russian/American Social Realism Painter, 1899-1987. Printed using traditional hand lithography techniques from a hand drawn and etched lithographic stone in black ink on archival Rives BFK printmaking paper 100% acid-free rag. YOUNG WOMAN COMBING HER HAIR is a sensitive, realistically drawn portrait of a young woman combing her long dark hair while seated on a bed, her facial expression appearing somewhat melancholic and pensive, a glimpse of her reflection appearing in the wall mirror behind her. Print size - 14.75 x 11 inches Image size - 10.5 x 8 inches Year printed c.1976 by Master printer Joseph Kleineman in NYC Print is in excellent condition, deckled paper edges, hand signed in pencil and signed in the printing stone on lower right corner, printers chop mark embossed on lower left. From the master printers private collection. Raphael Soyer was a Russian-born painter. He was the twin to the artist Moses Soyer (1899-1974) and the older brother of the painter Isaac...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

American Redstart, Bird, Watercolor on Paper, Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
315 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2024 Style: Classic Art Title: American Redstart Size: 12 x...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Exotic Bird, watercolor on Paper, Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
312 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2024 Style: Classic Art Title: Exotic Bird Size: 12 x 16 in...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Affectionate glare on the waves., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Affectionate glare on the waves. 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, ligh...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Affectionate sunset over the ocean., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Affectionate sunset over the ocean. Warm turquoise water, sea, ocean, waves, sun glare on the water, clear warm sky, warm sand, beach create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Mahatma Gandhi
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Lladró launched this special commemorative piece coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948). The sculpture is an excellent likeness of the great ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Porcelain

Sifaka Lemur -original modern wildlife bronze sculpture - contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
Bronze , Limited edition of 12 Enter the enchanting world of Madagascar with "Sifaka Lemur" by the talented artist Andrzej Szymczyk, a captivating bronze sculpture that celebrates t...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Evening sparks on the water., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Evening sparks on the water. Golden glare of the sun on the water, ocean, sunset, small waves, serene view create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. Nature is the best source o...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Awakening. Glare on the water., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Awakening. Glare on the water. The shine of the ocean, small waves, blue water, the glare of the sun on the water create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. Realism. Impressioni...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Sailing regatta., Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Sailing regatta. Sailboats sail under the midday sun, the light is reflected from the canvas of the sail and passing clouds, the ocean, a serene view, creates an atmosphere of relaxa...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Realist art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Realist art 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 art 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 Slim Aarons, Michael Budden, Daniel Pollera, and Su Yu. 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 art, so small editions measuring 0.1 inches across are also available.

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