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Realist Animal 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
"A Generous Offering" by Nathan Durfee, Original Acrylic on Vintage Postcard
Located in Denver, CO
Nathan Durfee's (USA) "A Generous Offering" is an original, mixed media painting with acrylic and vintage postcard that depicts a snow scene with a woman, a dog with a blue scarf an...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Postcard

"Break From Flight, " Oil painting Featuring a bird
Located in Denver, CO
Morgan Cameron’s (US based) “Break From Flight” is an oil painting on panel that depicts a bird perched on a branch with fruit. This painting is unframed, but ready to hang. Abou...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Mountain Lake in Spring Oil Painting of the Scottish Highlands by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Mountain Lake in Spring Oil Painting of the Scottish Highlands by British Artist by British Artist, Andrew Grant Kurtis M.A.(Lon) B.Des.(Hons) L.S.I.A.D. Art measures 30 x 20 inche...
Category

20th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Rural landscape, church, cottages, winding road, soft light, timeless charm
Located in Preston, GB
Rural landscape, church, cottages, winding road, soft light, timeless charm in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Michael Morris (1938-2010) Art measures 10 x 8...
Category

20th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

English Farm scene with a Shire horse, chickens, ducks and thatched cottage
Located in Woodbury, CT
Glynn Williams is a British painter of animal, landscape and other subjects. His work is of the highest quality and his dedication to well observed co...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Animal 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 Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Rural Scene with Horses, Farm Workers & Thatched Cottage in English Countryside
Located in Preston, GB
Rural Scene with Horses, Farm Workers & Thatched Cottage in the English Countryside by British Artist, Chris Howells (1947-2013) Art measures 24 x 16 inches Rural Landscape showin...
Category

1980s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

Portrait of an English Bagger in a Landscape.
Located in Woodbury, CT
Portrait of an English Bagger in an extensive landscape. Very Pretty English Otter, in an extensive landscape, painted circa 1970. The painting is an amazing display of an artist, ...
Category

1970s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

Winter Evening Ducks Flying over Water - English Countryside Vintage British Art
Located in Preston, GB
Winter Evening Ducks Flying over Water - English Countryside - Vintage British Art by 20th Century Artist, Walter Robin Jennings (1927-2005). W R Jennings...
Category

1970s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

The shepherd's friend
Located in London, GB
​Attributed to Edwin Douglas (1848-1914) The shepherd's friend unsigned oil on canvas 12 ¼ x 16 ⅛ in. (31 x 41 cm.) with frame 18 ½ x 22 ½ in. (47 x 57...
Category

19th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

William Huggins - 19th Century British Oil painting of Hens and Cockerel
Located in London, GB
WILLIAM HUGGINS (1820-1884) Cockerel and Hens Signed and dated l.r.: W Huggins 1880 Oil on board Framed 31 by 46 cm., 12 ¼ by 18 in. (frame size 44.5 by 59.5 cm., 17 ½ by 23 ½ in...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Snarling Fox"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Charles Verlat (1824–1890) "Snarling Fox" This dramatic oil painting by Charles Verlat, a prominent 19th-century Belgian artist, captures a striking and emotionally charged depictio...
Category

19th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Robert Kenneth White "Old Ram" California Hillside Flock, Signed Oil on Canvas
Located in Miami, FL
ROBERT KENNETH WHITE – "OLD RAM" Oil on Canvas ⚜ Hand Signed Lower Right ⚜ Frameless Display A MOUNTAIN KING IN DAPPLED LIGHT A majestic and earthy depiction by Robert Kenneth Whit...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage Lakeland Landscape Painting with Sheep by 20th Century British Artist
By Peter McKay
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage Lakeland Landscape Painting with Sheep by 20th Century British Artist, Peter McKay Art measures 20 x 16 inches Frame measures ...
Category

20th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Vincent" Realist Cat Portrait in the Outdoors Oil Painting on Carved Wood Panel
Located in New York, NY
With the medium of traditional oil paint, this charming piece by Chaval is exceptionally detailed and thought-provoking. Following a realist approach, yet depicting some playful impe...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Wolf Guardian Peering From the Shadows in a Woodland Landscape
Located in Charleston, US
Valarie Wolf's animal painting "From the Shadows" unveils a majestic wolf, piercingly gazing out from the depths of the forest underbrush, inviting you into a world of enchantment ...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

Hunting Dogs, Landscape by 19th Century French painter, period frame
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Hunting Dogs" is a 26 x 21.5 inches, oil on canvas landscape of two dogs on the trail by the river. The canvas is signed "G Boucher" in the lower left. G. Boucher is a listed artis...
Category

19th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Waiting for mistress
Located in London, GB
​​​H.S. Phillip, circa 1855 Waiting for mistress signed and dated 'H.S. Phillip June 1855' (lower left) oil on canvas 22 x 16 in. (56 x 40.6 cm.) frame 27 ¾ x 21 ⅝ in. (70.5 x 55 c...
Category

19th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

A tranquil mountain lake scene with vivid light, colour and natural beauty
Located in Preston, GB
A tranquil mountain lake scene with vivid light, colour and natural beauty, by 20th Century Artist, William Yeaman. Art measures 30 x 20 inches Frame...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Tranquil Lake Scene with Boats & Swan in the Mountains of the Scottish Highlands
Located in Preston, GB
Tranquil Lake Scene with Boats & Swan in the Mountains of the Scottish Highlands by 20th Century British Landscape Artist, Howard Shingler. Art measur...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Oil

"King of the Barn"-Farmyard Rooster 19th century France
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"King of the Barn"-Farmyard Rooster 19th century France Oil on board Signature to be read 18 x 15 (19 3/4 x 23 3/4 frame) inches A very finely painted and expressive rendition of a...
Category

1890s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Nesting, " French 19th c Realist, Louvre Museum, Charming Small Oil of Chickens
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Born in 1813 in Paris, Charles Emile Jacque began his training in etching as an apprentice to a map engraver. By 1833 he was painting and debuted at the Paris Salon and contributed r...
Category

19th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Serenity at Dawn - beautiful misty morning at a River in the English Countryside
Located in Preston, GB
Serenity at Dawn - a beautiful misty morning at a River in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Spencer Coleman. Unique Vintage Original, Oil on Canvas, Signed. A...
Category

1990s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

"Purple Rose of Cujo" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Pug with purple flowers
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of Italian Greyhound Midfield Role - British sport art dog oil painting
Located in London, GB
This lovely dog portrait oil painting is attributed to an artist from the English School. It is an oil on board portrait oil painting and depicts a brown and white Italian greyhound with a black collar called Midfield Role in a landscape. Lower left is a ribbon with the dogs name on it. The accomplished animal artist has perfectly captured the Italian greyhound...
Category

20th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

A Mountain River Scene, original oil on canvas, 19thC German artist
Located in Naples, Florida
Julius Lange (17 August 1817, Darmstadt – 25 June 1878, Munich) was a German landscape painter. In 1834, inspired by his older brother, the architect Ludw...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Detail of the Young Horsewoman
Located in Columbia, MO
Herman Richir Detail of the Young Horsewoman c. 1980s Fine color facsimile 28 x 22 inches, 32 x 26 (framed)
Category

1980s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Archival Pigment

Highland Cattle by a Mountain Stream
Located in Naples, Florida
Robert Watson was an accomplished painter of Highland scenes depicting sheep or cattle. There was much demand for Watson’s work as Scottish scenes were extremely fashionable in late nineteenth century Europe, partly due to Queen Victoria’s extended summer visits to Balmoral Castle...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

"The Sumatran Tiger" - Original Oil Painting of an Endangered Big Cat
Located in Denver, CO
Lindsey Kustusch's "The Sumatran Tiger" is a stunning handmade original oil on wood panel artwork, with dimensions of 30 x 30 x 1.50 inches. Created in 2023, this piece stands as a p...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Robert Kenneth White "Island Goats" Oil on Canvas, 2018, Sunlit Rocky Grove
Located in Miami, FL
ROBERT KENNETH WHITE – "ISLAND GOATS" Oil on Canvas ⚜ Hand Signed Lower Right ⚜ Frameless Display A SUNLIT HERD IN A ROCKY GROVE This compelling 2018 composition by Robert Kenneth ...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Quirky Dogsled Scene featuring Downtown Detroit in 1853
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Frederick E. Cohen (American, born England, c. 1818-1858) Boy in a Dog Sled, 1853 Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 inches Framed: 35 x 40 inches (approx.) Signed and inscribed: (on side of sle...
Category

1850s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Stardust" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Shelli Langdale's "Stardust" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a horse grazing on yellow dandelions as the night sky fills with stars. Artist Bio: Shelli Langdale is an oil painter living and painting in Chattanooga, TN. U.S.A. She has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

After a successful hunt 1858 Kitchen Genre Scene Swedish Animalist J. Arsenius
Located in Stockholm, SE
Signed lower right: Johan Arsenius and dated 1858 or 1853, attributed Johan Georg Arsenius (1818 - 1903), was a Swedish military man, painter and draftsman. Up for sale is important ...
Category

1850s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Wood, Oil, Wood Panel

Dog Waiting Patiently - British Victorian art loyal dog portrait oil painting
Located in London, GB
This lovely Victorian oil painting is by British artist E Stott. The painting, painted circa 1880 is a portrait of a large dog. The artist is clearly a very talented dog artist and k...
Category

19th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

Hummingbird in Flight, Colorful Miniaturist Realist Painting on Parchment
Located in New York, NY
A captivating miniature painting by renowned artist Dina Brodsky, known for her masterful technique in gouache and watercolor. This exquisite work, painted on authentic animal parchm...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Parchment Paper, Watercolor, Gouache

Horses with carriage. Oil on panel. 16.1 x 24.2 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Horses with carriage. Oil on panel. 16.1 x 24.2 cm
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Christian Haug, 1862 – 1953, Norwegian Painter, Oil on Canvas, Signed and Placed
Located in Knokke, BE
Haug Christian Soleur, Norway 1862 – 1953 Munich, Germany Norwegian Painter Deer in a Winter Landscape Signature: Signed bottom right and placed Mu...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Surefooted Team" (2019) By Lindsey Bittner Graham, Original Oil Animal Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Surefooted Team" (2019) by Lindsey Bittner Graham is an original handmade oil painting that depicts a horse drawn carriage walking through a snowy forest. This Painting measures at ...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"White eagle. A keen eye." Original Oil Painting by Lilya Volskaya
Located in Zofingen, AG
The paintings are drawn with acrylic on the hardboard (back side made of the double cardboard). Acrylic paints are used to create the painting on canvas animals and ecology. A cruci...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Lacquer, Acrylic

Portrait of Dodo - Pekingese Dog - Scottish 1920's art dog portrait oil painting
By Samuel Fulton
Located in London, GB
This absolutely charming portrait of a Pekingese dog called Dodo is attributed to much loved Scottish artist Samuel Fulton. Famous as an animal artist and chiefly a painter of dogs, this has got to be one of his best if you are a Pekingese fan. Painted circa 1920, Dodo, a lovely little black and tan dog is sat profile but is turning to look at the artist/viewer. Beneath him is a beautiful orange and brown Persian rug...
Category

1920s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

Study of a Butterfly, Watercolour on Silk Applied to Handmade Paper.
Located in Cotignac, FR
One from a set of four watercolours of butterflies on silk, applied to handmade paper, with hand cut edges, by French artist La Roche Laffitte. Signed bottom right. (The other 3 items are available separately) A beautifully observed and detailed study of a butterfly painted...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Silk, Watercolor, Gouache, Handmade Paper, Carbon Pencil

Oil landscape with Horse in old master realist style by Hans Guerin, framed
Located in Charleston, US
The horse portrait, "Trot", is an oil landscape with a beautiful white horse painted by Hans Guerin, a descendent of the founder of the respected Schuler ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Baciami" Olio su tela cm. 60 x 120
Located in Torino, IT
Divertente interno con tavolo ,oggetti e rospo, il titolo -Baciami- è riferito al rospo..... magari diventa un principe...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

Terrier Dog Proudly Splashing Through the Water with a Stick in His Mouth
Located in Charleston, US
"Rads with Stick" is a charming dog painting of a Terrier swimming along proudly holding his stick in the air. Kait Ballantyne's dog paintings often explore the interaction of Bord...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

What Lies Beneath, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist John Jaster presents a solitary crimson waterlily surrounded by a thick carpet of lush green leaves. "The frog patiently si...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

"Confetti of Life" Original Oil Painting, Two Blue Birds with Patterned Leaves
Located in Denver, CO
Andrada Trapnell's "Confetti of Life" is a captivating original artwork created in 2024. This piece measures 20 x 16 inches and is ready to hang. The painting depicts a blue harmony ...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

Beth Parcell, "Frozen in Time", 18x24 Autumn Horse Hound Fox Hunt Oil Painting
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This colorful piece, "Frozen in Time", is a 18x24 oil painting on canvas featuring two riders atop their horses in a green field during a fox hunt. A group of hounds eagerly run alo...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"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 Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Woodpeckers on Tree, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A pair of little woodpeckers perch on opposite sides of a branch, busy probing the small holes they've made for fresh tree sap. The intricate features of their plumage and the textured bark create a striking contrast against the stark white background. Rendered in vibrant colors and fine detail, artist Emil Morhardt brings this charming scene to life.


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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

"Luna" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Kierstin Young's (US based) "Luna" is an oil painting that depicts a battered white moth and a black background with the phases of the moon overhead Artist Statement/Bio: (b. The Ye...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Rural Mountain Scene with Sheep in Ireland by Post War Modern Irish Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Rural Mountain Scene with Sheep in Ireland by Post War Modern Irish Artist, David Overend. Art measures 16 x 12 inches Frame measures 25 x 21 inches ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Little Girls and Their New Friends Genre Scene 19th century Oil Painting on Wood
Located in Stockholm, SE
Very touching scene with two little girls. Two sisters are thrilled to meet their new pets that their parents have bought. The sincerity and immediacy of children's feelings depicted...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

David De Noter Still Life with Curious Cat
By David Emile Joseph de Noter
Located in San Francisco, CA
David De Noter: 1818-1892. Well listed Belgian painter with auction results as high as $142,000. Most famous for his still lifes. This fantastic little gem of a curious cat skipping...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

Gulf Evening
By Mathew Hillier
Located in Naples, Florida
Wildlife artist Matthew Hillier was born in England. Married to fellow artist Julia Rogers, he now lives in the United States on the Eastern shore of Maryland. Hillier’s father was a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

Orientalist cavalry scene Decamps Gabriel - oil on canvas - initials DC
Located in PARIS, FR
Conditions : Excellent overall Condition. Great Master of Orientalism: Decamps revealed Orientalism at the 1831 Salon, establishing himself as an essential reference. The 1831 Salon...
Category

19th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

Cottage Scene With Swans, oil on canvas, signed lower right
Located in PARIS, FR
Conditions : Excellent overall with a genuine canvas stamped by DEFORGES PARIS. The unique little restoration on the tree by the house (as seen on picture under UV light). The signa...
Category

19th Century Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

A white and tan terrier; and A white and light brown terrier
Located in London, GB
Both pictures unsigned. Presented in period water-gilded Watts-style frames, these two works are highly decorative and full of character, and excellent examples of Edward Aistrop's ...
Category

Early 1900s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Shepherd and his Flock, original 19thC oil on canvas, Belgian realist genre
Located in Naples, Florida
This is an original and unique oil on canvas painting by the Belgian 19th century artist Julien Jos, who was active from 1890 -1910. He specialised in rustic genre scenes featuri...
Category

1890s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Dynamic Sporting Outdoor Landscape with Expressive Setters on Point, framed
Located in Charleston, US
This dynamic sporting landscape in earth tones with English Setters flushing quail, "Setters on Point", by Beth Carlson is an example of her exciting paintings. In this special sport...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

Cactus Queen
Located in Park City, UT
Brad Overton creates large scale paintings of toy figurines; he brings these objects to life by placing them in unique and fantastical settings. "I have...
Category

2010s Realist Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

Realist animal paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Realist animal 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 animal 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, red, orange, purple and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Beth Carlson, Marie Channer, Shelli Langdale, and Beth de Loiselle. 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 animal paintings, so small editions measuring 1.38 inches across are also available. Prices for animal paintings 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 $150 and tops out at $257,060, while the average work sells for $3,213.

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