Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
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.
Late 20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Handmade Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel
Early 20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
Artist Comments
A fallen tree stretches along a tranquil, icy riverbank, its gnarled branches reaching toward the pale winter sky. Patches of snow cling to the rugged bark, c...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Artist Comments
A weathered country home seamlessly blends into its surroundings. Dry, golden grass adds warmth to the scene, contrasting the dark foliage and overcast sky. ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
A fallen tree stretches across a winding river, its bare branches creating a tangled web against the sky. The water flows gently, reflecting soft light as it ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1990s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
Mid-20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 2000s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk, Pastel, Pencil, Cardboard
1930s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Graphite
Mid-20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1870s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1980s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
1930s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mirror, Oil
Early 20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-19th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Paper, Gouache
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1890s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Engraving
Early 20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1980s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1940s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal, Gouache
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
1990s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Graphite
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1970s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 19th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mahogany, Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 19th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Handmade Paper, Graphite
Mid-20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache
Early 1900s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal, Pencil
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Carbon Pencil
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Carbon Pencil
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1920s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1970s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Paper
Mid-20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Paper
Mid-20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink