Realist More Art
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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Artist Comments
"This piece captures the essence of nature in its most serene and magical state," says artist Jose Luis Bermudez. The calmly flowing water reflects the colors o...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Jose Luis Bermudez presents a mesmerizing sunset amidst a verdant hilly landscape. As the sun begins to fade on the horizon, the scene transforms into a visual symphony, vibrant in the remnants of the earth's warmth. The skies glow with golden hues as a lush ecosystem of plants and trees stands tall, bathed in the last glimmers of daylight. "In this ephemeral moment, nature gives us a magical and captivating spectacle," says Jose Luis.The painting arrives with a thin white floating frame.
About the Artist
Artist Jose Luis Bermudez brings to life natural sceneries with breathtaking detail. His realistic oil paintings invite the viewer into a captivating, serene world of golden sunsets and peaceful wetlands. “I offer a fragment of my existence, where you can escape from daily life, visit beautiful scenes and moments, or simply recall a fond memory,†says Jose Luis. Graduating in 2008 with a BA from the San Alejandro School of Fine Arts in Havana, Cuba, he later shared his expertise as a painting teacher at his alma mater. In 2014, he took the leap and moved to Miami, Florida, seeking better opportunities. The decision did not come easy for Jose Luis to leave his home country. Yet, he encountered career obstacles that made him feel artists lacked the resources and opportunities for broader impact, access to more information, and improved working conditions. These challenges became the catalyst for his bold decision to make the move. Today, he paints in a spacious, well-lit studio, which he keeps clean and organized, always accompanied by piano or instrumental music. When he is not painting, he loves connecting with nature. He travels outside the city to places removed from everyday life, breathing fresh air and listening to self-improvement audio books to charge him with energy and continue.
Words that describe this painting: landscape, sunset, realism, oilpaint, foliage, woods, evening, sun, path, hill, trees, sky, trail, shadow, landscape, realism, oil painting, green
Magic Sunset: The Golden Symphony...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Elizabeth Garat paints a realistic vision of twilight in a dramatic skyscape. Clouds glazed in rich tones of plum, white, and deep orange dominate the lu...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Oil
Mid-20th Century Realist More Art
Ink, Newsprint, Lithograph, Offset, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Artist Dwight Smith presents a still life of plump red pears painted in the realist tradition. The three fruits rest in white bowls with a little yellow bird ta...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Artist Shela Goodman presents a soothing early morning scene of a tranquil pond. Her impressionist approach emphasizes the soft rays of the rising sun beautiful...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Oil
Early 2000s Realist More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Dwight Smith depicts a realistic still life of a green jar brimming with apples. He creates a representation of our origin–our roots as the driving for...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Artist Mandy Main presents a light-filled atmospheric landscape that combines old-world realism with a modern aesthetic. A brimming reservoir stretches off into...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Oil
1970s Realist More Art
Paper, Watercolor
Artist Comments
Artist Nancy Hughes Miller features one of her favorite views—a tranquil marsh. She pictures the scene from a kayak along the wetlands of her North Carolina...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Oil
1980s Realist More Art
Paper, Ink, Gouache
Artist Comments
Artist Emil Morhardt paints a swooping hawk he observed circling the sky and then landing on a tall nearby tree. The bird inspects the many gopher holes nearby. Emil captures it just as it launches a successful attack—painting the plumage with fine detailed brushwork and intense colors against a pure white background. The piece embodies the essence of this powerful raptor.
About the Artist
Emil Morhardt is an acrylic painter from Santa Barbara, California who expresses his passion for birds through realistic acrylic paintings. He paints at home in a studio room that has large windows and a north-facing view of the mountains. He observes the animals from this window, watching roadrunners, foxes, bobcats, deer, and coyote run by. Surrounded by this wildlife, Emil paints bird portraits reminiscent of those by artist John James Audubon. He bases his paintings off hundreds of photographs he takes of birds in the wild and at wildlife recovery centers. Emil captures the freedom and inquisitiveness that birds display...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Mandy Main presents an uplifting, light-filled landscape of vast green fields and limitless skies. The breathtaking vista combines old-world realism with...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Oil
1970s Realist More Art
Bronze
Artist Comments
Artist John Jaster shares a relaxing summer scene of blue skies over a turquoise sea lapping onto a white sandy beach. Two empty red chairs await to be filled. ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Acrylic
20th Century Realist More Art
Offset
Artist Comments
Artist Shela Goodman presents a tranquil view of a river brimming with lush vegetation. Clouds and trees line up and reflect in the water in front, while the fo...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
In artist Jo Galang's quiet piece, a clear river stream flows through mossy rocks. She draws inspiration from the amazingly peaceful and soothing Kanaka Creek. ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Oil
20th Century Realist More Art
Color, Offset
19th Century Realist More Art
Oil
19th Century Realist More Art
Oil
1980s Realist More Art
Rag Paper, Etching
1870s Realist More Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Realist More Art
Fiberglass
1990s Realist More Art
Fiberglass
20th Century Realist More Art
Offset
20th Century Realist More Art
Offset
20th Century Realist More Art
Offset
1990s Realist More Art
Oil, Masonite
Mid-19th Century Realist More Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Realist More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist More Art
Ceramic
2010s Realist More Art
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Linen, Oil
1960s Realist More Art
Silver Gelatin
2010s Realist More Art
Ceramic
2010s Realist More Art
Ceramic
2010s Realist More Art
Ceramic
20th Century Realist More Art
Offset
1610s Realist More Art
Ink, Laid Paper, Engraving
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Photographic Paper
Artist Comments
Artist Kristine Kainer depicts a colorful display of lobster buoys—a common sight found in a quaint New England fishing village near one of her childhood home...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Oil
Mid-20th Century Realist More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Paper, Color
20th Century Realist More Art
Charcoal, Handmade Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Photographic Paper
20th Century Realist More Art
Offset
2010s Realist More Art
Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Oil, Board
20th Century Realist More Art
Paper, Lithograph
19th Century Realist More Art
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Photographic Paper
Late 19th Century Realist More Art
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Realist More Art
Paper
1980s Realist More Art
Oil, Cardboard
2010s Realist More Art
Canvas, Oil
