Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
PHOTOREALISM
A direct challenge to Abstract Expressionism’s subjectivity and gestural vigor, Photorealism was informed by the Pop predilection for representational imagery, popular iconography and tools, like projectors and airbrushes, borrowed from the worlds of commercial art and design.
Whether gritty or gleaming, the subject matter favored by Photorealists is instantly, if vaguely, familiar. It’s the stuff of yellowing snapshots and fugitive memories. The bland and the garish alike flicker between crystal-clear reality and dreamy illusion, inviting the viewer to contemplate a single moment rather than igniting a story.
The virtues of the “photo” in Photorealist art — infused as they are with dazzling qualities that are easily blurred in reproduction — are as elusive as they are allusive. “Much Photorealist painting has the vacuity of proportion and intent of an idiot-savant, long on look and short on personal timbre,” John Arthur wrote (rather admiringly) in the catalogue essay for Realism/Photorealism, a 1980 exhibition at the Philbrook Museum of Art, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At its best, Photorealism is a perpetually paused tug-of-war between the sacred and the profane, the general and the specific, the record and the object.
“Robert Bechtle invented Photorealism, in 1963,” says veteran art dealer Louis Meisel. “He took a picture of himself in the mirror with the car outside and then painted it. That was the first one.”
The meaning of the term, which began for Meisel as “a superficial way of defining and promoting a group of painters,” evolved with time, and the core group of Photorealists slowly expanded to include younger artists who traded Rolleiflexes for 60-megapixel cameras, using advanced digital technology to create paintings that transcend the detail of conventional photographs.
On 1stDibs, the collection of Photorealist art includes work by Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, Chuck Close, Audrey Flack, Charles Bell and others.
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Style: Photorealist
(Male Nude) Untitled, 1973, Original Drawing—Lowell Nesbitt
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Lowell Nesbitt (1933-1993)
Title: (Male Nude) Untitled, 1973
Year: 1973
Medium: Graphite on Artist's Board
Size: 40 x 30.25 inches
Condition: Excellent
Inscription: Signed & ...
Category
1970s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Graphite
Sur l'ile, Charcoal, Black & White figurative Drawing, Contemporary Drawing
Located in AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FR
Work : Original Drawing, Handmade Artwork, Unique Work.
Medium : Charcoal on Archival paper 300Gsm.
Artist : Aurélie Sicas
Subject : Sur l'ile VIII (series - French Title)
Signature...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal, Archival Paper
(Male Nude) Untitled, 1977, Original Drawing—Lowell Nesbitt
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Lowell Nesbitt (1933-1993)
Title: (Male Nude) Untitled
Year: 1977
Medium: Graphite on Artist's Board
Size: 48.5 x 38.75 inches
Condition: Excellent
Inscription: Signed & date...
Category
1970s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Graphite
Joseph Piccillo Dancer Hyperrealism Black and White (Dancer with Chick) Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original graphite, oil paint and collage on canvas by American contemporary artist Joseph Piccillo.
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Mixed Media, Oil, Graphite
Renaissance Male Hand Figure Study, 1964, Ian Hornak — Drawing
By Ian Hornak
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002)
Title: Renaissance Male Hand Figure Study
Year: circa 1964
Medium: Charcoal on vélin paper
Size: 18 x 23 inches
Condition: Good
Provenance: Estate of I...
Category
1960s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal
Don't Walk unique trial proof signed and inscribed by famed photorealist artist
Located in New York, NY
Robert Cottingham
Don't Walk, 1985
Three color Linoleum Cut on Paper
Pencil signed, inscribed to Bryan and annotated TP
Published by Chip Elwell Fine Prints
Trial Proof (unique)
This is a Trial Proof that Robert Cottingham inscribed, annotated and gifted to Bryan Konefsky, his longtime studio assistant in both Newtown, CT and Santa Fe New Mexico. Only one other example - a variant - of this early print, exists and is in the collection of the Smithsonian. Due to the untimely death of printer Chip Elwell in October of 1986, only two proofs in the woodcut medium were pulled: the present work, which Cottingham gifted to his longtime studio assistant, and the one at the Smithsonian. Furthermore and in another interesting turn of events, Elwell's studio was burglarized shortly after his death and among the items stolen were the original wood blocks for DON'T WALK. This is an historic work; and the only one available on the market.
Measurements:
Framed:
15 inches x 13.5 inches x .3 inches
Artwork
12 inches x 10.5 inches
Robert Cottingham Biography
Robert Cottingham (b.1935, Brooklyn, NY) is recognised for his Photorealist paintings of American urban landscapes, particularly his depictions of painted and neon shop signs...
Category
1980s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pencil, Linocut
"Things are Looking Up" Charcoal Drawing
Located in Denver, CO
Tammy Liu-Haller's "Things are Looking Up" is an original, handmade charcoal and graphite drawing that depicts a fox in profile looking upwards towards the s...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal, Archival Paper, Graphite
Untitled
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Claudio Bravo (1936-2011) is a renowned Chilean artist, best known for his meticulous hyperrealist artworks. Bravo is celebrated for his intricate precision which captures his distin...
Category
1970s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pencil
"Washington DC" By Ed Fairburn, Original Pigment Ink on Antique Map Illustration
Located in Denver, CO
Washington DC is a beautiful original pigment ink illustration, created by Ed Fairburn on a medium of an antique 1800s map, depicting a woman drawn through the streets and topography gazing to the east.
Artist Biography:
Born 15th November 1989 in Southampton, UK.
Ed Fairburn is an English artist whose ability to combine the geography of our facial features with the geography of the earth leads to a startling and compelling synthesis of the two. Fairburn has become known in Europe for his evocative portraits, which produce complex human features from the apparently random patterns found in mundane topographical and astrological maps...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Archival Paper, Pigment
‘Cowboy, 1968’
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Richard McLean
‘Cowboy, 1968’
Framed 30 x 27 inches
Pencil on paper 27½” x 22½ inches
Richard McLean is one of the most highly regarded American photo-realists. His paintings l...
Category
1960s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Graphite
"Bison" Original Buffalo Painting by Tammy Liu-Haller
Located in Denver, CO
Tammy Liu-Haller's "Bison" is an original, handmade graphite on clayboard, gold leaf and acrylic that depicts a buffalo in profile.
About the artist:
Tammy was born in 1975 in Kingston, NY. She is a realism artist, working primarily in graphite and charcoal. After spending 15 years away from the field, she began drawing again in 2011 and went full-time by 2015.
She is an avid supporter of organizations that rescue, conserve, and protect domestic and wild animals, and she often donates artwork to these causes each year. Tammy has also created a small niche of golf drawings...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gold Leaf
"Joyful Cruise With Luke" (2022) By Irene Georgopoulou, Original Pastel Drawing
Located in Denver, CO
Irene Georgopoulou's "Joyful Cruise With Luke" is an original, handmade pastel drawing that depicts a items from childhood such as: jelly beans, letter blocks, marbles, game pieces a...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pastel, Paper
European City Scene
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "European City Scene" c.1970 is a watercolor on paper by American artist Stan Beckman, born 1933. It is signed at the lower right corner by t...
Category
Late 20th Century Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
"Stand Down" Graphite Drawing
Located in Denver, CO
Tammy Liu-Haller's "Stand Down" is an original, handmade charcoal and graphite drawing that depicts a dark cow looking directly at the viewer.
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Graphite
"Beloved" Graphite Drawing
Located in Denver, CO
Tammy Liu-Haller's "Beloved" is an original, handmade charcoal and graphite drawing that depicts two cows nuzzling their faces together.
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Graphite
Warm Embrace
By Iban Navarro
Located in Atlanta, GA
This is an original watercolor on paper in excellent condition. It has only been shown in a gallery setting.
The son of master hyperrealist artist Jesus Navarro, it was precisely ...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Egg Tempera, Archival Paper
"Cougar" Original Painting by Tammy Liu-Haller
Located in Denver, CO
Tammy Liu-Haller's "Cougar" is an original, handmade graphite on clayboard, gold leaf and acrylic that depicts a cougar.
About the artist:
Tammy was born in 1975 in Kingston, NY. She is a realism artist, working primarily in graphite and charcoal. After spending 15 years away from the field, she began drawing again in 2011 and went full-time by 2015.
She is an avid supporter of organizations that rescue, conserve, and protect domestic and wild animals, and she often donates artwork to these causes each year. Tammy has also created a small niche of golf drawings...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gold Leaf
"Rose Sunset" Original Painting by Tammy Liu-Haller - Buffalo Silhouette
Located in Denver, CO
Tammy Liu-Haller presents "Rose Sunset," an original mixed media painting on encaustic panel created in 2023. This intimate artwork measures 5 x 5 x 0.87 inches (12.70 x 12.70 x 2.21...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gold Leaf
Vegetable Still Life No. 7, Contemporary watercolor by Ohio trompe l'oeil artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
George Mauersberger (American, 20th Century)
Veg 7, 2004
Watercolor on paper
9 x 12 inches
13 x 16 inches, framed
George Mauersberger completed th...
Category
Early 2000s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Vegetable Still Life No. 3, Contemporary watercolor by Ohio trompe l'oeil artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
George Mauersberger (American, 20th Century)
Veg 3, 2004
Watercolor on paper
9 x 12 inches
13 x 16 inches, framed
George Mauersberger completed th...
Category
Early 2000s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
"Jersey Girl" Graphite Drawing
Located in Denver, CO
Tammy Liu-Haller's "Jersey Girl" is an original, handmade charcoal and graphite drawing that depicts a cow in profile.
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Graphite
Vegetable Still Life No. 4, Contemporary watercolor by Ohio trompe l'oeil artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
George Mauersberger (American, 20th Century)
Veg 4, 2004
Watercolor on paper
9 x 12 inches
13 x 16 inches, framed
George Mauersberger completed th...
Category
Early 2000s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Portrait of a Woman in a Pink Vest - Pastel on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
Delicate drawing of a woman by Palo Alto artist Marilyn Thompson (American, 1927-2015). A woman wearing a pink vest and her hair pulled back sits looking to the viewer's right. She is rendered in loving detail, with smooth shading and glowing highlights. Of particular note are the details in her hair, jewelry, and folds of her skirt.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Acquired with a collection of her work.
Presented in a new white mat with foam-core backing.
Mat size: 26"H x 24"W
Paper size: 23.75"Hx 19.75"W
Marilyn Thompson (American, 1927-2015) was born in Santa Paula. California. She received an art degree from San Jose State in 1950, after which she worked for H. M. Gousha, for whom she drew many illustrations of missions and other California sites. From the mid-1970s on, she did freelance drawing and painting, with lots of commercial work (pamphlet illustrations, posters, custom birthday cards...
Category
1990s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pastel
Vegetable Still Life No. 2, Contemporary watercolor by Ohio trompe l'oeil artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
George Mauersberger (American, 20th Century)
Veg 2, 2004
Watercolor on paper
9 x 12 inches
13 x 16 inches, framed
George Mauersberger completed th...
Category
Early 2000s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Pastel Portrait of a Shakespearean Woman with Pearls
Located in Soquel, CA
Intricately detailed realist figurative pastel drawing of a woman in Shakespearean clothing by Palo Alto artist Marilyn Thompson (American, 1927-2015), 1989. The woman's pearl necklace and puffy sleeved garment, as well as each individual strand of her graying hair, are depicted in hyper-realist pastel on half tone paper.
Signed and dated "Marylin Thompson 1989" in the lower right corner.
Presented in a new cream mat with foam-core backing.
Paper size: 24.75"H x 19.75"W
Marilyn Thompson (American, 1927-2015) was born in Santa Paula. California. She received an art degree from San Jose State in 1950, after which she worked for H. M. Gousha, for whom she drew many illustrations of missions and other California sites. From the mid-1970s on, she did freelance drawing and painting, with lots of commercial work (pamphlet illustrations, posters, custom birthday cards...
Category
1980s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pastel
Great Western Staircase, New York State Capitol Building, Albany
By Richard Haas
Located in New York, NY
Richard Haas
Great Western Staircase, New York State Capitol Building, Albany, 1980
Pastel on paper drawing
Hand-signed by artist, Signed and dated 1980; bears RDA (Readers Digest...
Category
1980s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pastel
Tired Feet for a Tired Soul, Charcoal Drawing by Nathaniel Tatum
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Nathaniel Tatum, American (1964 - )
Title: Tired feet for a tired soul
Year: 2001
Medium: Charcoal on Paper, signed and dated
Paper Size: 24 x 18 inches
Category
Early 2000s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal
Untitled (My Mother and Her Sister as Children), State I
By Ian Hornak
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002)
Title: Untitled (My Mother and Her Sister as Children), State I
Year: 1973
Medium: Pencil on heavy archival pap...
Category
1970s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pencil
Untitled (My Mother and Her Sister as Children), State II
By Ian Hornak
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002)
Title: Untitled (My Mother and Her Sister as Children), State II
Year: 1973
Medium: Pencil on heavy archival pa...
Category
1970s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pencil
Forest in Lucien - Contemporary Watercolor Painting, Sunny landscape, Realistic
Located in Warsaw, PL
LUDOMIR SŁUPECZAŃSKI (b. 1934, d. 2012)
graduated from the Faculty of Architecture after studies accomplished at the atelier of professor Jan Bogusławski in 1959. Since 1955, he has ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Portrait of a Woman in a Blue Shirt
Located in Soquel, CA
Delicate drawing of a woman by Palo Alto artist Marilyn Thompson (American, 1927-2015). Signed and dated in the lower right corner. Acquired with a collection of her work. Presented in a new cream mat with foam-core backing. Paper size: 24.5"H x 19.75"W. A Northern California Artists and Musician.
Marilyn Thompson (American, 1927-2015) was born in Santa Paula. California. She received an art degree from San Jose State in 1950, after which she worked for H. M. Gousha, for whom she drew many illustrations of missions and other California sites. From the mid-1970s on, she did freelance drawing and painting, with lots of commercial work (pamphlet illustrations, posters, custom birthday cards...
Category
1990s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pastel
"Blue Sunset" Original Painting by Tammy Liu-Haller - Buffalo Silhouette
Located in Denver, CO
Tammy Liu-Haller presents "Blue Sunset," an original mixed media painting on encaustic panel created in 2023. This intimate artwork measures 5 x 5 x 0.87 inches (12.70 x 12.70 x 2.21...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gold Leaf
"Green Sunset" Original Painting by Tammy Liu-Haller - Buffalo Silhouette
Located in Denver, CO
Tammy Liu-Haller presents "Green Sunset," an original mixed media painting on encaustic panel created in 2023. This intimate artwork measures 5 x 5 x 0.87 inches (12.70 x 12.70 x 2.2...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gold Leaf
(Abstract Landscape) Untitled, 1965, Ian Hornak — Drawing
By Ian Hornak
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002)
Title: (Abstract Landscape) Untitled
Year: circa 1965
Medium: Charcoal on archival paper
Size: 11 x 14 inches
Condition: Good
Provenance: Estate of Ian...
Category
1960s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal, Archival Paper
(Abstract Mythological Landscape) Untitled, 1965, Ian Hornak — Drawing
By Ian Hornak
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002)
Title: (Abstract Mythological Landscape) Untitled
Year: circa 1965
Medium: Charcoal on archival paper
Size: 11 x 14 inches
Condition: Good
Provenance: ...
Category
1960s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal, Archival Paper
"Ram" Original Painting by Tammy Liu-Haller
Located in Denver, CO
Tammy Liu-Haller's "Ram" is an original, handmade graphite on clayboard, gold leaf and acrylic that depicts a ram with majestic horns.
About the artist:
Tammy was born in 1975 in Kingston, NY. She is a realism artist, working primarily in graphite and charcoal. After spending 15 years away from the field, she began drawing again in 2011 and went full-time by 2015.
She is an avid supporter of organizations that rescue, conserve, and protect domestic and wild animals, and she often donates artwork to these causes each year. Tammy has also created a small niche of golf drawings...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gold Leaf
Large Photo Realist Pop Art Watercolor Painting Children's Toys Teddy Bear Block
By Michael Beck
Located in Surfside, FL
Michael Beck (American, b. 1943)
Watercolor painting on paper, 1986
"First Fruits",
Hand signed, dated and titled along lower margins
Gallery label verso,
Matted and framed under plexiglass,
Dimensions: 38"h x 58"w (sight), 48"h x 67"w (frame)
Provenance: Property from a Major Corporate Art Collection; Corporate Art Directions, NYC
Michael Beck (b. 1943) ( American Photo Realist artist) was born in San Diego California. In 1971, he attended the California College of Arts and Crafts and was awarded the James D. Phelan Award in the Visual Arts, juried by artists Wayne Thiebaud and June Livingston. In June of 2014, he was awarded a Jackson Pollock- Lee Krasner Foundation award.
Michael Beck was part of the early Photo Realist Movement in California among other contemporaries like Robert Bechtle, Charles Bell, Chuck Close, Robert Cottingham and Richard Estes and Audrey Flack. Choosing vintage childrens toys as his subject matter. Michael Beck’s artwork stands out for its distinct subjects of toys and objects from a previous era. These unique items include vintage rocking horses...
Category
1980s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Nebulous
Located in Buffalo, NY
Through drawings rendered in charcoal and ink, my recent work examines issues related to memory by exploring its limitations and aestheticizing the instability inherent in portraitur...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal, Paper
Ferrari Berlinetta 563, circa 1964, Gouache Illustration by Jack Leynnwood
By Jack Leynnwood
Located in Long Island City, NY
This gouache painting on illustration board was created by American artist Jack Leynnwood. Fascinated by aviation from a young age, Leynnwood did kit illustrations of everything from military aircraft to rigged ships, Rat Finks, Flash Gordon, space ships and Ed “Big Daddy...
Category
1960s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gouache, Illustration Board
"Sleepyhead" Graphite Drawing
Located in Denver, CO
Tammy Liu-Haller's "Sleepyhead" is an original, handmade charcoal and graphite drawing that depicts a cow sleeping on the ground.
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Graphite
Eclipse
Located in Buffalo, NY
hrough drawings rendered in charcoal and ink, my recent work examines issues related to memory by exploring its limitations and aestheticizing the instability inherent in portraiture...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal, Paper
Vegetable Still Life No. 10 Contemporary watercolor by Ohio trompe l'oeil artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
George Mauersberger (American, 20th Century)
Veg 10, 2004
Watercolor on paper
9 x 12 inches
13 x 16 inches, framed
George Mauersberger completed t...
Category
Early 2000s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Boy with Bow Tie, photorealist graphite graffiti drawing, 2014
By Mary Reilly
Located in New York, NY
Mary Reilly works with both powdered graphite and graphite pencil on paper. The artist memorializes tree carvings or “graffiti” found within the woods of Alley Pond Park, Queens. The...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Graphite
David Morrison, Stick Series No. 11, Photorealist colored pencil drawing, 2015
Located in New York, NY
Artist David Morrison creates hyperrealistic, yet abstracted, finely detailed pencil drawings of found natural objects, both by observing the object itself under magnification, and a...
Category
2010s Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Color Pencil
River Narew - Contemporary Watercolor Painting, Blue and Green, Water Landscape
Located in Warsaw, PL
LUDOMIR SŁUPECZAŃSKI (b. 1934, d. 2012)
graduated from the Faculty of Architecture after studies accomplished at the atelier of professor Jan Bogusławski in 1959. Since 1955, he has ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Paper
Photorealist figurative drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Photorealist figurative drawings and watercolors 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 figurative drawings and watercolors created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Irene Georgopoulou, Lowell Nesbitt, Aleksandra Kalisz, and Ian Hornak. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and Pencil and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Photorealist figurative drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 2 inches across are also available. Prices for figurative drawings and watercolors 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 $279 and tops out at $87,000, while the average work sells for $1,400.