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.
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2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Panel
1940s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Carbon Pencil
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Carbon Pencil
20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-18th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Carbon Pencil
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1980s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Carbon Pencil
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Carbon Pencil
1990s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal, Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Pastel
Artist Comments
A weathered can rests beside a Bible atop a wooden stool. Golden wheat stalks rise from a small tin cup, adding a touch of nature and warmth to the scene. The a...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pencil
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel, Archival Paper
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 1900s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pencil
20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal, Handmade Paper
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1890s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pencil
Early 1900s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
Early 20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Carbon Pencil
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1970s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Conté, Charcoal
Artist Comments
The teapot's handle and spout mirror the stems of the plums. The interplay of the sturdy, metallic exterior of the container with the vibrant and soft flesh a...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 1800s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Ink, Graphite
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Carbon Pencil
Early 20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
1940s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
India Ink, Watercolor
Artist Comments
A leafless tree stands amid a serene country landscape. Dark branches stretch upward against an overcast sky, creating a striking silhouette. Beside it, a calm...
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
1990s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
Artist Comments
A towering tree stretches toward the sky, its twisting branches creating a striking silhouette. The soft mist in the background contrasts sharply with the dar...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Monotype
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1980s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Photographic Film, Watercolor
1990s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel, Watercolor
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1940s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Archival Paper, Graphite
2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Artist Comments
A narrow, half-frozen stream winds through a snow-covered field, reflecting the soft light of a pale winter sky. Bare trees frame the scene and lead the gaze in...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor