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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
Pocket Greenish Blackbird's Egg, Original Painting, Egg, Nature, Still life
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Greenish Blackbird's Egg 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 bar...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

In the botanical garden, Oil Landscape painting, Plein Air Artwork, Framed
Located in Zofingen, AG
Artwork description Original oil painting on cardboard by the artist Simon Kozhin. Wooden framing with the artist's name. Simon Kozhin is committed to th...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel, Cardboard

Cadaques Spain oil on canvas painting seascape
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Josep Maria Vayreda Canadell (Gerona 1932-2001) - Cadaques - Oil on canvas Oil measures 50x61 cm. Frame measures 61x72 cm. Josep Maria Vayreda Canadell Year of birth: 1932 Biography...
Category

1990s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Blue Jay" Original Oil Painting by Susan McDonnell, Avian Art
Located in Denver, CO
Susan McDonnell's "Blue Jay," created in 2021, is a masterful oil on panel that captures the vibrant essence and lively demeanor of its avian subject. Measuri...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Cadaques view Spain seascape oil on canvas painting
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Frame size 54x46 cm. Josep Maria Vayreda Canadell Year of birth: 1932 Biography: Member of a family spanish saga of artists, which highlighted Joaquim Vayreda, founder of the so-cal...
Category

1990s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

The Cold Winter River - winter landscape painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Professional realistic winter painting with a river is wonderful part of collection, looks great in the interior. Winter is one of the most challenging seasons of the year in terms o...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

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

Honfleur fishing port oil on canvas painting french mediterranean seascape
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Josep Maria Vayreda Canadell (1932-2001) - Honfleur fishing port - Oil on canvas Oil measures 46x38 cm. Frame measures 66x58 cm. Josep Maria Vayreda Canadell Year of birth: 1932 Bio...
Category

1990s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Landscape with a willow. 1964, oil on cardboard, 48x67 cm
Located in Riga, LV
A. Zviedris was a member of the Latvian Artists’ Union since 1945 and had more than 50 solo exhibitions in Latvia. He travelled extensively by yacht around Scandinavia and Western Eu...
Category

1960s Realist Paintings

Materials

Cardboard, Oil

Piazza San Marco Venezia Italy oil on canvas painting
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Frameless. Josep Maria Vayreda Canadell Year of birth: 1932 Biography: Member of a family spanish saga of artists, which highlighted Joaquim Vayreda, founder of the so-called School...
Category

1990s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

'A Young Parisienne', Royal Academy of Arts, Academie Colarossi, Jeu-de-Paume
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed center left, 'Christine Sundberg' (Swedish, 1837-1892) and dated 1888. Displayed in a period golden maple frame; Framed dimensions: 25.5 x 1...
Category

1880s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Restaurant La Cascade Paris oil on canvas painting
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Frame size 85x85 cm. Josep Maria Vayreda Canadell Year of birth: 1932 Biography: Member of a family spanish saga of artists, which highlighted Joaquim Vayreda, founder of the so-cal...
Category

1990s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pocket Gooseberry (Hairy) 2, Orig. Oil Painting, Still Life, Gooseberry, Frui
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Green Gooseberry (Hairy) 2 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 b...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Small fragments of light" cm. 30 x 40 2024
Located in Torino, IT
Bright interior of ancient house with fireplace and white cat Luisa Albert was born in Turin, Italy where she currently lives and works. In 1989 she enrolled at the Istituto Europeo...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'The Old Antiques Dealer', Berlin Royal Academy, Thieme-Becker, Exhibited Oil
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Wilh. A. Wrage' for Wilhelm August Wrage (German, 1861-1941) and dated 1920. Titled, verso, on canvas, 'Der Althandler', additionally signed with monogram and da...
Category

1920s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'Une Consultation de Sigmund Freud' by Hubert - Denis Etcheverry (1867 – 1950)
Located in Bruges, BE
Hubert-Denis Etcheverry Bayonne 1867 – 1950 Paris French Painter 'Une Consultation de Sigmund Freud' Signature: signed lower right and dated ‘D. Etcheverry / Paris 1900’ Medium: oi...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Erabadu Flower" Oil Painting D 39" inch by Sasha Sokolova
Located in Culver City, CA
"Erabadu Flower" Oil Painting D 39" inch by Sasha Sokolova Bio Born in Moscow into a family of artists, Sasha Sokolova is an award winning contemporary realist painter, working acr...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Hurry up" Blue teapot Oil cm. 90 x 55
Located in Torino, IT
Bright work with blue teapot, egg, white and blue Luisa Albert was born in Turin, Italy where she currently lives and works. In 1989 she enrolled at the Istituto Europeo di Design i...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Mystique n.1" Oil Painting 28" x 28 "inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Mystique n.1" Oil Painting 28" x 28 "inch by Dmitriy Krestniy ATTENTION: Painting ships rolled in a tube. A look through Dmitriy’s designs reveals a glamorous, feminine, provocat...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Dust Storm" by Morgan Cameron, Oil painting Featuring Galloping Horse
Located in Denver, CO
Morgan Cameron’s (US based) “Dust Storm” is an oil painting on panel that depicts a red and white horse galloping with it's mane flowing. This painting is framed and ready to hang. ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Horse with Gazzuolo Eye" Oil cm. 80 x 80
Located in Torino, IT
Beautiful and realistic Horse with clear eye Luisa Albert was born in Turin, Italy where she currently lives and works. In 1989 she enrolled at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Mi...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Regina dei Fiori - 19th Century Oil Painting Portrait of Italian Society Beauty
Located in Gerrards Cross, GB
‘Regina dei Fiori’ by Frédéric Soulacroix (1858-1933). The painting – which depicts an aristocratic Italian beauty sitting beside a porcelain vase full of peonies – is signed by th...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

19th Century Neoclassical Oil Painting of Ancient Greek Goddess Hera Olympian
Located in Gerrards Cross, GB
‘Hera’ by Eduard Niczky (1850-1919). The painting - which depicts the Greek queen of the gods in golden diadem and yellow robe - is signed by the artist and hangs in a newly commis...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Rebirth" Original oil painting on maple burl with custom base
Located in Denver, CO
"Rebirth" is a masterful collaboration between the artistic duo, Oda and Kit King, who together form a harmonious creative partnership both in life and on can...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Wood, 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 Paintings

Materials

Oil

Antique Dog Painting: "Hunting Dogs at the Kennel, 1901" Jules-Bertrand Gélibert
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Dog Painting: "Hunting Dogs at the Kennel, 1901" Jules-Bertrand Gélibert (France, 1834-1916 Oil on canvas Signed lower left 24 x 19 inc...
Category

Early 1900s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Dolly Oil on Canvas by Christina Major
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Quotes within painting: "I'm optimistic about whatever is going to happen. We all have a childhood dream that when there is love, everything goes like silk, but the reality is that m...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Grace Oil on Canvas by Christina Major
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Quotes within painting: " As an undergraduate Christina Major developed into a portrait painter. Major has been interested in the ways the identity of both artist and subject can c...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Elvis Oil on Canvas by Christina Major 66 x 88
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Elvis 66 x 88 writing Whatever I will become will be what God has chosen for me. I ain't no saint, but I've tried never to do anything that would hurt my family or offend God. I figu...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Ava Gardner Oil on Canvas by Christina Major 66 x 88
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Quotes within painting: "I'm optimistic about whatever is going to happen. We all have a childhood dream that when there is love, everything goes like silk, but the reality is that m...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Afternoon Repose By Gustave Léonard De Jonghe
Located in New Orleans, LA
Gustave Léonard de Jonghe 1829-1893 | Flemish Afternoon Repose (The Artist's Studio — Antibes) Signed “Gustave De Jonghe” (lower right) Oil on canv...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Small Room" Oil Painting 47" x 39" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Small Room" Oil Painting 47" x 39" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy ATTENTION: Painting ships rolled in a tube. A look through Dmitriy’s designs reveals a glamorous, feminine, provocative...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Karnak by Eleanor Parke Custis
Located in New Orleans, LA
Eleanor Parke Custis 1897-1983 American Karnak Signed 'Eleanor Parke Custis -' (lower right) Gouache and charcoal on paper American painter Eleanor Parke Custis demonstrates her mastery of the gouache medium in Karnak. A celebration of color and a relic of the artist’s travels abroad, the composition is well-balanced, exuding photojournalistic and documentarian qualities. In Karnak, Custis paints a compelling and dynamic image of a great ancient Egyptian ruin. Seven distant men, likely Bedouins dressed...
Category

20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Gouache

Traditional English Landscape Countryside Scene by 20th Century British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Traditional English Landscape Countryside Scene by 20th Century Modern British Artist Art measure 18 x 12 inches Frame measures 24 x 18 inches Peter Coulthard was brought up in the Pennine...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

Aqua Bailer Shell - Single Bailer Sea Shell on Brown Table w/ Watered Backdrop
Located in Chicago, IL
The simplicity of "Aqua Bailer Shell" is deceptive. The upturned pale yellow shell has a beautiful light emanating from its center revealing the delicacy of the shell. It sits upon a deep, rich brown table with its reflection seen in the highly polished surface. The background is delicate aqua colored moiré pattern to give an even more opulent feel while adding to the meditative quality of the painting. The bailer shell can be found in Southeast Asia, from Burma, Thailand and Malaysia, to the South China Sea and the Philippines. This large, prehistoric sea snail shell could traditionally be used by native fishermen to bail out their leaking fishing vessels. This artwork is framed in a simple walnut frame measuring 25 x 25 inches. Helen Oh...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Panel, Oil

Romanee Conti - rustic, vivid detail, realist, food, still-life oil on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Wine connoisseurs treasure this wine - a 1960 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole, cote de Nuits, France. This still life of the bottle celebrates a wine that is ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Pocket Autumn Collection Autumn leaf #3 [2024], Baroque Still Life, Small art
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Autumn Leaf Collection (Pinky Ochre) is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pocket Ripe Red Pomegranate, Baroque Still Life, fruit
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Ripe 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 baroque...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Boris in Bomber Jacket
Located in New York, NY
Oil on canvas Signed in red, u.l. 12 x 9 inches, canvas size 15.75 x 12.75 inches in distressed silver leaf frame This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “B...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Pocket Blackbird's Egg (c), Original Painting, Bird, Nature, Egg, Blue
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Blackbird's Egg (c) 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

Oil, Canvas

Racing Horses
Located in Clinton Township, MI
Kentucky Derby lovers---this is for you! Horse racing whether it the the Belmont or the Preakness--decorate for your home party with this moving oil painting rendition of racing ho...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"First Steps" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Austin Howlett's "First Steps" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a tall female figure walking through a snow covered landscape. Artis...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Panel, Oil

Pocket Blue Tit's Egg, Original Painting, Egg , Nature, Still life
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Blue Tit's Egg 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...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Pocket Bluer Blackbird's Egg (c), Original Painting, Bird, Nature, Egg, Blue
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Bluer Blackbird's Egg (c) 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 ba...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Idyllic Cottage by River with Sheep in the English Countryside by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Idyllic Cottage by River with Sheep in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Jason Threlfall Art measures 14 x 10 inches Frame measures 22 x 18 inches Signed Vint...
Category

1970s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

River Meadow with Cattle & Cottage in the English Countryside by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
River Meadow with Cattle & Cottage in the English Countryside by British Artist, Tony Mercier (Born 1945) Art measures 16 x 12 inches Frame measures 20 x 16 inches Signed Vintag...
Category

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

Lions
By Geza Vastagh
Located in Houston, TX
Vastagh, Geza (1866-1919) Well listed Hungarian artist. Unsigned 22 x 28. Oil on canvas, depicting a lion and lioness, one of his favourite subjects. Expert's report on hand, circa ...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Afternoon by the Shore, American School, circa 1870s, Sailboats, Landscape, Oil
Located in Wiscasset, ME
"Afternoon by the Shore" is an oil painted in the classic realist style by a nineteenth century American School artist. The painting features people on the rocky shoreline looking ou...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Farm Lane at Winter in Suffolk in the English Countryside by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Farm Lane at Winter in Suffolk in the English Countryside by British Artist, Kevin Curtis (1958-2009) Art measures 30 x 20 inches Frame measures 35 x 25 inches Vintage Original Pai...
Category

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Chaton 51" by Marina Dieul, Original Oil Painting, Kitten with Blue Eyes
Located in Denver, CO
Marina Dieul's "Chaton 51, 2024" is an exquisite handmade original oil on panel artwork, measuring 4 x 4 x 1 inches, that comes directly from the artist's studio. This piece is a pri...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Oil on canvas painting of a honey bee, called 'Creature of Importance'
Located in Oostende, BE
Oil on canvas painting of a honey bee. The work is called 'Creature of Importance'.
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Oil on canvas painting 'Mirror, blue hour (2023)'
Located in Oostende, BE
Oil on canvas painting. Was put in a new walnut frame.
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Portrait painting of Diana Spencer
Located in Oostende, BE
Oil on canvas portrait painting of Diana Spencer as a child (Lady Di, ex of King Charles of England).
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas

'Fluffy Yellow Quince' Pocket, Original Painting, Still Life, Food Art
Located in Deddington, GB
'Fluffy Yellow Quince' Pocket 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 baroq...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Contemporary portrait "Remove Before Flight"
Located in Zofingen, AG
The central figure, clad in a NASA bomber jacket, embodies ambition and the courageous pursuit of dreams. Her confident and poised stance contrasts with the dynamic movement of fight...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Toby Rosenthal (German Jewish painter) - 19th century figure painting - Portrait
Located in Varmo, IT
Tobias Edward Rosenthal, known as Toby (Strasbourg 1848 - Munich 1917) - Portrait of a gentleman from San Francisco. 123 x 92 cm. Antique oil painting on canvas, without frame. - ...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mountain Lake Oil Painting of a Loch in the Scottish Highlands by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Mountain Lake Oil Painting of a Loch in the Scottish Highlands by British Artist, Andrew Grant Kurtis M.A.(Lon) B.Des.(Hons) L.S.I.A.D. Art measures 16 x 12 inches Frame measures ...
Category

20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Still Life with Grapes and Plums, Oil on Board, 1866, Realist Art
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Still Life with Grapes and Plums" is a 10" x 12", oil on board still life by British painter Edward Ladell. The painting is framed and signed "EL 1866" in the lower left. Provenance...
Category

1860s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

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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