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Realist Figurative 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
Venetian painter - 19th century Venetian lagoon scene - Bathers on boat
Venetian painter - 19th century Venetian lagoon scene - Bathers on boat

Venetian painter - 19th century Venetian lagoon scene - Bathers on boat

Located in Varmo, IT

Venetian painter (19th century) - Bathers on the Lagoon. 65 x 83 cm (without frame) - 76 x 93.5 cm (with frame). Oil on canvas, in carved and gilded wooden frame (not signed). The...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

India Madras Painting on board Portrait of Serving Girl with Pot c 1910
India Madras Painting on board Portrait of Serving Girl with Pot c 1910

India Madras Painting on board Portrait of Serving Girl with Pot c 1910

Located in Norfolk, GB

Madras School C 1910 Acrylic on board 11.5" x 8" Address on verso This painting dating to the early 20th century, c 1910, shows a young woman, possibly from Madras (see info on reverse), The colours follow the conventions of a genre of art called Company School painting...

Category

1910s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Board

An Artist Working in the Studio 1930
An Artist Working in the Studio 1930

An Artist Working in the Studio 1930

Located in Stockholm, SE

This intimate studio interior from 1930 belongs to the more psychologically engaging side of Carlo Hornung Jensen’s oeuvre. A seated woman has paused beside her easel and turned towa...

Category

1930s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Horse Patiently Waiting at The Wooden Fence
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Horse Patiently Waiting at The Wooden Fence

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Horse Patiently Waiting at The Wooden Fence

By John Rabone Harvey

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 5.5 x 7 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Ha...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

19th C Victorian Romantic Summer Landscape Old River Bridge Oil Canvas Signed
19th C Victorian Romantic Summer Landscape Old River Bridge Oil Canvas Signed

19th C Victorian Romantic Summer Landscape Old River Bridge Oil Canvas Signed

Located in Stockholm, SE

This charming oil painting on canvas, created in the second half of the 19th century and bearing a partially preserved signature 'W????ce', represents a fine example of a European ro...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Oil

Oriental Figure Study in Red and White
Oriental Figure Study in Red and White

Oriental Figure Study in Red and White

Located in Stockholm, SE

Attributed to John Arsenius (1818–1903) Sweden Oriental Figure monogrammed lower left JA oil on panel unframed 26.5 × 15.5 cm (10.4 × 6.1 in) framed 34 × 23 cm (13.4 × 9.1 in) Pro...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Crime Romance Noir Pulp Fiction Cover Illustration for If Hate Could Kill
Crime Romance Noir Pulp Fiction Cover Illustration for If Hate Could Kill

Crime Romance Noir Pulp Fiction Cover Illustration for If Hate Could Kill

By Raymond Johnson

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Raymond Johnson (1915-1997). Cover Illustration for If Hate Could Kill, 1960. Gouache on illustration board, image measures 13 x 21 inches. Illustration board measuring 19.5 x 26 ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gouache, Illustration Board

"Paris Rainy Cafe" by Christopher Clark, Original Oil Painting, French Cityscape
"Paris Rainy Cafe" by Christopher Clark, Original Oil Painting, French Cityscape

"Paris Rainy Cafe" by Christopher Clark, Original Oil Painting, French Cityscape

By Christopher Clark

Located in Denver, CO

Christopher Clark's "Paris Rainy Cafe" is an original, hand made oil and acrylic painting that depicts a night scene of a bustling cityscape in France. Christopher has been an artist since early childhood, when he would watch Bob Ross on PBS and mimic the famed oil painter’s art with crayons. He considers himself a self-educated artist, with his studies ranging from personal training with contemporary masters, to classical academic art technique, with much inspiration from 19th Century art and the Impressionist Movement. Christopher lived in Italy for a time, immersing himself in Italian culture and art, which continues to influence his painting. His fan base has grown considerably since his return to the US, gaining the attention of Lucasfilm and Marvel Fine Art, which both signed him as an officially licensed artist in 2016. Other clients include George Lucas, Major League Baseball, Louisville Slugger, and Fender Guitars. Christopher’s painting skills are not his only talent in the arts. He has won several national swing dance championship competitions, and also studies tango and blues dancing. He has played guitar since the age of 12, and during his time as lead guitarist for a rock band, he opened for Blue Oyster Cult and Eddie Money...

Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Reading In the Gold Chair 2.0, Oil Painting
Reading In the Gold Chair 2.0, Oil Painting

Reading In the Gold Chair 2.0, Oil Painting

By Jesse Aldana

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A figure study in natural light finds a woman settled in a comfortable chair, posed in a triangle of strength. As she reads on her phone, vibrant light bounces ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Late 19th Century Romantic Victorian Portrait Young Woman Violinist Oil Canvas
Late 19th Century Romantic Victorian Portrait Young Woman Violinist Oil Canvas

Late 19th Century Romantic Victorian Portrait Young Woman Violinist Oil Canvas

Located in Stockholm, SE

This magnificent intimate portrait, painted by an unknown yet undoubtedly gifted artist of the late 19th century, captures with incredible grace the captivating image of a young viol...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Oil

Gentleman Caller Southern Belle
Gentleman Caller Southern Belle

Gentleman Caller Southern Belle

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Beautiful illustration art painting depicts a gentleman calling on a Southern belle. Oil on canvas measures 16 x 20 inches; 18 x 22 inches framed. Signed lower left.

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Horse and Farmers Preparing The Hay Cart
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Horse and Farmers Preparing The Hay Cart

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Horse and Farmers Preparing The Hay Cart

By John Rabone Harvey

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 5.5 x 7 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Dou...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

Matthew (male portrait)
Matthew (male portrait)

Matthew (male portrait)

By Randall Exon

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Randall Exon (b.1956). Matthew, 1990. Oil on wood panel. Measures 24 x 36 inches. Unframed. Excellent condition with no damage or conservation. Signed and dated lower right. Gallery stamp on verso. Plastic wall mount taped down on verso. Provenance: The More Gallery INC, Philadelphia; Aramark Corporate Collection. Randall Exon (b. 1956) was born in Vermillion, South Dakota. Exon earned his B.F.A. in painting from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, and an M.F.A. at the University of Iowa. In 2003, the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, staged a solo exhibition of his work. He was awarded the Thomas Benedict Clarke Prize in the 2004 179th Annual Invitation Exhibition of Contemporary American Art at the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, New York. More recently, Exon’s work was featured in Visions of the Susquehanna, a traveling exhibition organized by the Lancaster Museum of Art, Pennsylvania, in 2008, and Haunting Narratives, a major exhibition at the Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, in 2012. BORN 1956 Vermillion, SD EDUCATION 1982 M.F.A. in Painting, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 1981 Skowhegan School of Painting, Skowhegan, ME 1981 M.A. in Painting, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 1978 B.F.A. in Painting, Washburn University, Topeka, KS SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2013 Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2009 Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2007 Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2004 Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2003 Randall Exon: A Quiet Light, James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA 2001 Mulvane Museum of Art, Topeka, KS 2000 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1998 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1996 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1994 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1993 Tasis England American School, Main Gallery, Thorpe, Surrey, England 1992 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Theatre Gallery, Washburn University, Topeka, KS Widener University Art Museum, Chester, PA 1990 Charles More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1988 West Chester University, McKinney Gallery, Mitchell Hall, West Chester, PA Charles More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Carleton College, Northfield, MN 1987 University of Maine at Machias, University Gallery, ME Topeka Public Library, Central Gallery, KS 1986 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1984 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Stoneybrook School, Suffolk, Long Island, NY 1981-82 Florence Wilcox Gallery, Swarthmore College, PA Beauchamp Gallery, Topeka, KS SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2019 Unforeseeable Thereness, Stanek Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 2018 Vis-à-Vis, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, NY 2017 The New Baroque, Booth Gallery, New York, NY, curated by Robert Zeller Painted Landscapes: Contemporary Views, Heritage Museums and Gardens, Sandwich, MA 2016 Mixed Environs: Contemporary Painters, Lore Degenstein Gallery, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA 2015 Home is Where the Art Is, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, NY 2014 Our American Life, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, NY 2014 Edge of the Seat, The Rye Arts Center Gallery, Rye, NY 2013 Duets: Art in Conversation, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, NY 2012 Haunting Narratives: Detours from Philadelphia Realism, 1935-Present, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA Structuring Nature, Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, AR Summer Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2011 Masterworks: The Best of Hirschl & Adler, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, NY 2010 Summer Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2009 Holiday Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2008-2009 American Green – Art and Stewardship, Somerville-Manning Gallery, Greenville, DE 2008 Holiday Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY Summer Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2007 Finding a Form: Influences in Figurative Painting, Tower Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Holiday Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY Summer Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2006-2008 Visions of the Susquehanna, Susquehanna Art Museum, PA; Governor’s Residence, Harrisburgh, PA; Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, MD; Roberson Center for Art and Science, Binghamton, NY. 2006 Summer Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2004 179th Annual: An Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary American Art, National Academy of Design, New York, NY Selected Works from the Ballinglen Collection, United States Embassy to Ireland, Ambassadors Residence, Phoenix Park, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Part of the Art in the Embassies Program, Washington D.C. 2001 Personal Affinities, Contemporary Artists Influenced by the works of Edwin Dickinson, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum, Philadelphia, PA 2000 December Show, Fenton Gallery, Cork City, Ireland Works from the Archives, Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland 1999 New Realism for a New Millennium, Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, NY Indomitable Spirits, The Figure At The End Of The Century, The Art Institute of Southern California, Laguna Beach, CA 1998 Visual Poetry, A Selection of Work by Artists Inspired by the Words and Sentiments of Walt Whitman, Stedman Gallery, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ The Artist's Window, Lee Hansley Gallery, Raleigh, NC Embodied Fictions, Twelve Contemporary Figure Painters, The Boyden Gallery, St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, MD 1997 Abstract and Image, Four Painters, Hopkin's Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH An Extended View: Landscapes by Philadelphia Artists, Levy and Paley Galleries, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA 1996 Figure Drawings, Hillyer Hall, Smith College, Northampton, MA Figurative Paintings, Edith Caldwell Gallery, San Francisco, CA A Show of Hands (Exhibit and auction to assist AIDS research), Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA 1994 Figures in the Landscape, More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1992 Landscapes by Randall Exon & Joseph Byrne, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 1991 A Show of Hands, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA 1991 Ten Contemporary Philadelphia Painters, Westmoreland Museum, Greensburg, PA 1991 Sport in Art, Woodmere Museum, Chestnut Hill, PA 1990 Myth and Monument, More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1990 Evidence of the Senses, 7 Painters, Woodmere Museum, Chestnut Hill, PA Pollack Award Winners, Mulvane Gallery, Washburn University, Topeka, KS 1989 Works on Paper, More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Nocturnes, More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1986 Nature Morte, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, St. Francis College, Loretto, PA 1984 The Spirit of the Coast: Paintings, Monmouth Museum, NJ Drawings: Personal and Intimate, More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Night Paintings, Florence Wilcox Gallery, Swarthmore, PA 1983 Realist Direction, Penn State University Museum, University Park, PA 1981 Graduate Student Traveling Exhibit, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 1980 Selected Painters, Mulvane Gallery, Washburn University, Topeka, KS 1979 Artists Choose Artists Exhibit, University of Missouri at Kansas City Art Gallery, MO JURIED SHOWS 1990 Philadelphia Art Now, Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA 1989 State of Pennsylvania Juried Exhibition, William Penn Museum, Harrisburg, PA 1987 State of Pennsylvania Juried Exhibition, William Penn Museum, Harrisburg, PA 1984 Butler Institute of American Art Annual Exhibit, Youngstown, OH National Academy of Design Biannual Competition, New York, NY 1981 32nd Iowa Artists Exhibition, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA 1980 Iowa Artists Solon, Burnnier Gallery, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 1979 Kansas Bankers Association Exhibition, Topeka, KS AWARDS/GRANTS/RESIDENCIES 2004 The Thomas Benedict Clarke Prize, 179th Annual Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary American Art, National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, New York, NY 2001 2nd Fellowship, Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland Eugene M. Lang Faculty Fellowship, Swarthmore College, PA 1997 Fellow, Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland 1992 Washburn Fellow, Washburn University, Topeka, KS 1989 Eugene M. Lang Faculty Fellowship, Swarthmore College, PA 1988 Andrew Carnegie Prize, 163rd Annual Exhibition of the National Academy of Design, New York, NY 1987 1985-86 1984 1981 1981 1980 1976, 78 TEACHING 1982-present 1994-00 1980-82 Best of Show prize, juried museum exhibition, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA Henry Luce Scholar, Bali, Indonesia Julius Halgarten Prize for Best Painting by an Artist under 35 years of age Academy of Design Annual Exhibition, New York, NY Iowa Artists Salon, Second Prize Skowhegan Scholarship Award, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA Student Award, 32nd Iowa Artists Exhibition, Des Moines Art Center, IA Charles Pollack purchase prize for the best painting from annual student exhibition, Washburn University, Topeka, KS Professor in Studio Arts, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA Chair, Department of Art, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA Teaching Assistant to Ben Frank Moss, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA VISITING ARTIST/LECTURES 2002 2001 1998 1995 1994 1993 1994, 1992 1992 1989 1987 1986 1985 1982 Pennsylvania State University, Abington, PA Hollins College, Roanoke, VA Maryland Arts Institute, Baltimore, MD Beaver College, Glenside, PA Union College, Department of Art, Schenectady, NY Allentown Art Museum, PA Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA Bucks County Community College, Newtown, PA Tasis England American School, Thorpe, Surrey, England Boston Art Institute, MA Boston University, M.F.A. program, MA Beaver College, Department of Art, Philadelphia, PA Dartmouth College, Department of Visual Studies, Hanover, NH Dartmouth College, Department of Visual Studies, Hanover, NH Carleton College, Northfield, MN University of Maine at Machias, ME Horsham College of Art, Horsham, England Stoneybrook School, Suffolk, Long Island, NY Moore College of Art, Basic Drawing, Philadelphia, PA Vassar College, Department of Art, Poughkeepsie, NY PUBLIC COLLECTIONS Allentown Art Museum, PA ARA Corporation, Philadelphia, PA Security Pacific National Bank, Sanger Branch, Los Angeles, CA University of Iowa, Permanent Collection, Iowa City, IA Mulvane Gallery Permanent Collection, Washburn University, Topeka, KS Woodmere Museum, Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, PA Henry Luce Foundation, New York, NY Henry Wendt Collection, Philadelphia, PA Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Sozanski, Edward J. “Simple Situations, in almost holy light,” Philadelphia Inquirer , February 7, 2003 Francis, Naila,“Studies in Light, Space,” The Intelligencer, January 9, 2003 Thompson, Jodi, “Fabulous Realism, seeing the light,” Out & About, January 9, 2003 Hopkin, Alannah, The Irish Examiner, July 1, 2002 Hopkin, Alannah, The Irish Examiner, January 2002 Sosanski, Edward, Philadelphia Inquirer, February 2001 Carr, Jeffrey, “Landscapes of the Imagination,” American Artist, January 1999 “On The Town,” New York Times Art Review, November 1998 Adelson, Fred B...

Category

1990s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

"An Enchanted Star for Katie" - Whimsical Animal Portrait, Oil on Panel
"An Enchanted Star for Katie" - Whimsical Animal Portrait, Oil on Panel

"An Enchanted Star for Katie" - Whimsical Animal Portrait, Oil on Panel

Located in Denver, CO

"There is a legend known among the wee ones of the forest, that near the southeast of the center of the forest, when a new moon sets with the sun, tiny wishing stars fall to the eart...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Paper

Venetian painter – 19th c. Guardesque Venice lagoon – San Cristoforo
Venetian painter – 19th c. Guardesque Venice lagoon – San Cristoforo

Venetian painter – 19th c. Guardesque Venice lagoon – San Cristoforo

Located in Varmo, IT

Venetian painter (19th-20th century) — Venice, view of the Island of San Cristoforo della Pace. 35 x 45 cm (unframed) - 46 x 56 cm (framed). Oil on canvas, in a gilded and pain...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

BE WATER
BE WATER

BE WATER

By DARIA DUDOCHNYKOVA

Located in Zofingen, AG

She floats where silence begins — just beneath the skin of the water. Her form is neither here nor gone, dissolving into rhythm and light. There is no past, no edge, no name — only t...

Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

River Landscape with Highland Cows & Sheep in the Scottish Mountains
River Landscape with Highland Cows & Sheep in the Scottish Mountains

River Landscape with Highland Cows & Sheep in the Scottish Mountains

By Wendy Reeves

Located in Preston, GB

River Landscape with Highland Cows & Sheep in the Scottish Mountains by 20th Century British Artist, Wendy Reeves. Original, Oil on canvas, Signed Art measures 24 x 14 inches Frame measures 30 x 20 inches This painting depicts a serene landscape featuring a river flowing through a valley surrounded by majestic mountains. The scene is bathed in soft, natural light, with clouds partially covering the peaks, creating a misty atmosphere. In the foreground, three cows are grazing near the riverbank, adding a pastoral element to the tranquil setting. The lush greenery and rocky outcrops contribute to the overall idyllic and peaceful ambiance. The painting is framed in a vintage gold-colored frame, enhancing its classic and timeless appeal. Wendy Reeves garnered acclaim for her Scottish Highland and Lakeland paintings. Born in 1944 in Ewell, Surrey, she took to her father Gordon’s craft, deciding early on that she would be a painter. Prior to her famous paintings of the British Isles, artist Wendy Reeves painted scenes from a trip she made to Spain when she was 21. It was during this time that her dream of following in her father’s footsteps became a reality, and when she returned to England she cemented her name as an artist. Wendy Reeves' paintings showcase her talent with natural landscapes and the wildlife that inhabits them. Her work often features ochre and pink lights...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Paternity Realist Painting, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 1980s, Unframed
Paternity Realist Painting, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 1980s, Unframed

Paternity Realist Painting, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 1980s, Unframed

By José Luis Fuentetaja

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Frameless. Is born in Madrid on the 21st july 1951. After attending primary school, he starts to grow an enormous tendency for drawing. At the age of 14 he begins to work in advertising and attends to the Vallecas school of arts. At the age of 14 he travels to Switzerland and in Geneve he gets intensly into painting and decides to dedicate himself only to it. When he returns to Spain he enrolls Arts Studies, and at the begining of summer '66, he visits Sitges, where he'll come back year after year and where ultimately he'll set his home. At this time he starts selling his painting in the flea market in Madrid and later in Sitges, setting himself on the street, thus completing his studies and making it economically. While he's in Madrid he recives lessons by Pedro Mozas at Bellas Artes and starts to learn profoundly about painting. In 1969 he starts painting portraits in the streets. In Sitges he creates, with other friends, a great artistic atmosphere in the Paseo de la Ribera, by the sea, that today still exists. He starts travelling through Europe, visiting and painting in Paris, London and Amsterdam. In the middle of this bohemian epoque, he moves to the Cannary Islands during the winters for 5 years in a row, he moves in the Parque de Santa Catalina "Las Palmas de Gran Canaria" where he works and meet all sorts of people in the streets, which later would mark his pictoric line. He becomes friend with Sidney Nagley in 1969, who organizes his first exhibition in Toronto, Canada. Afterwards he'll leave his studies and start painting exclusively in his studio. He gathers his first exhibition in the Ateneu of Barcelona in 1970. He befriends with the art critic of La Vanguardia, Fernando Gutierrez and the Count of Caralt orders him a set of illustration for a new edition of Garcia Lorcas Romancero Gitano. His first exhibition in a commercial gallery is done in the Majestic Gallery in Barcelona with a gorgeous collection of nudity drawings. He achieves huge success and for some years he affords his painting thanks to those drawings. During a period in Madrid, Mr Ponce de León, a consul in the Ministry of Exterior Affairs grants him with bachelor degree to study in the prestigious Academia de España in Rome. However, he can't accept it due to militar service obligations. Some days later, before joining the ranks he opens in the Cuatre Gats (Palma de Mallorca) with hiperrealist pieces that already then he presented as the first painter in that city, that later would become a fashion in 1973. After this period he meets José Maria Gudiol who advises positively. Since then, the intense work and the fight for daily improvement that has become the trademark of his life. The seek of styles and situations, the journeys through Europe always aware of all the tendencies that have in the art line that we can see nowadays. At his more than fifty years given to paint, his individual exhibitions beat the 100, his artwork is highly appreciated and valued in the complex market of art. In October 1982 hi makes his first exhibition in Tarragona. In the catalogue, writing of the unforgettable Fernando Gutierrez, he says "Fuentetaja is an artist of character and exceptional upbringing with a masterly knowledge of technique and resourses, and personality completely uncommon to the dimension of his sensitivity, as the richness of his deep and bloomed liricism. A judgement as accurate as foreseeing for the future outstanding of the artist, in where his paint soared through different phases mantaining an unquestionable quality. Lines, cubist, expressionist and hiperrealist till his current realism, in the middle of his creative maturity. Jose Luis Fuentetaja...

Category

1980s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Boy From Hood - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Hyperealism, Africa
Boy From Hood - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Hyperealism, Africa

Boy From Hood - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Hyperealism, Africa

By Falope Ibrahim

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Fal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sunflowers in a Mediterranean Landscape, 20th Century Oil on Canvas
Sunflowers in a Mediterranean Landscape, 20th Century Oil on Canvas

Sunflowers in a Mediterranean Landscape, 20th Century Oil on Canvas

Located in Preston, GB

Sunflowers in a Mediterranean Landscape Art measures 24 x 20 inches Frame measures 26 x 22 inches Sunlit Reverie Among the Sunflowers Original oil painting by Vinny (inspired by ...

Category

20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Woman Hippie Oil Painting on Canvas, Realism, Spain, 1970s, Signed
Woman Hippie Oil Painting on Canvas, Realism, Spain, 1970s, Signed

Woman Hippie Oil Painting on Canvas, Realism, Spain, 1970s, Signed

By José Luis Fuentetaja

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Frame size 52x44 Is born in Madrid on the 21st july 1951. After attending primary school, he starts to grow an enormous tendency for drawing. At the age of 14 he begins to work in ...

Category

1980s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Painting on Canvas, Chrysler Building, Pink Sky, 42nd Street New York City, 2026
Painting on Canvas, Chrysler Building, Pink Sky, 42nd Street New York City, 2026

Painting on Canvas, Chrysler Building, Pink Sky, 42nd Street New York City, 2026

By Angela Wakefield

Located in Preston, GB

Painting of the Chrysler Building 42nd Street New York City by Contemporary British Artist, Angela Wakefield. Art measures 24 x 36 inches Frame measures 30 x 42 inches Chrysler Bui...

Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paint, Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Original Mid 19th Century Swedish Academic Oil Portrait Lady in Bonnet Framed
Original Mid 19th Century Swedish Academic Oil Portrait Lady in Bonnet Framed

Original Mid 19th Century Swedish Academic Oil Portrait Lady in Bonnet Framed

Located in Stockholm, SE

Before us is a fine example of mid-19th-century European portrait painting, attributed to the Swedish artist Josef Wilhelm Wallander (1821–1888). This canvas, whose creation is linke...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Oil

The Dueling Partners 1850's French Oil, Chateau Staircase Interior Beautiful oil
The Dueling Partners 1850's French Oil, Chateau Staircase Interior Beautiful oil

The Dueling Partners 1850's French Oil, Chateau Staircase Interior Beautiful oil

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

The Duel by Alcide Joseph LORENTZ (French 1813-1891) signed and dated 1857 oil painting on canvas, framed framed size: 30 x 25 inches canvas: 25 x 20.5 inches condition: very good an...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Basket Of Red Cherries Still-Life Oil Painting With Gilt Frame
Basket Of Red Cherries Still-Life Oil Painting With Gilt Frame

Basket Of Red Cherries Still-Life Oil Painting With Gilt Frame

Located in Frederiksberg C, DK

This still life painting depicts a woven basket brimming with ripe cherries, delicately arranged on a tabletop against a subdued background. The cherries are rendered with a sheen, t...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"On the Sands, Long Island Sound" William John Hennessy, New York, Irish Artist

"On the Sands, Long Island Sound" William John Hennessy, New York, Irish Artist

By William John Hennessy

Located in New York, NY

William John Hennessy On the Sands, Long Island Sound Signed and dated lower left; signed, dated, and titled on the reverse Oil on canvas 15 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches William John Hennes...

Category

1960s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Venetian Vedutist - 19th century landscape painting - View of Venice Colleoni
Venetian Vedutist - 19th century landscape painting - View of Venice Colleoni

Venetian Vedutist - 19th century landscape painting - View of Venice Colleoni

Located in Varmo, IT

Venetian painter (second half of the 19th century) - Venice, view of Campo SS. Giovanni e Paolo with the Colleoni equestrian statue. 40 x 22 cm (without frame) - 59.5 x 41.5 cm (wit...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Vasyl in a sheepskin coat"
"Vasyl in a sheepskin coat"

"Vasyl in a sheepskin coat"

By Svetlana Lazareva

Located in Edinburgh, GB

The portrait of a young man is painted in oil. He poses in the center of the frame, facing the viewer. He is wearing a dark blue shirt with a white collar, over which he has thrown ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Neapolitan painter - 18th/19th century Gulf of Naples painting Vesuvius
Neapolitan painter - 18th/19th century Gulf of Naples painting Vesuvius

Neapolitan painter - 18th/19th century Gulf of Naples painting Vesuvius

Located in Varmo, IT

Neapolitan painter (18th-19th century) - View of the Gulf of Naples with Vesuvius. 21 x 29 cm (without frame) - 35.5 x 43.5 cm (with frame). Tempera on paper, in ebonized and paint...

Category

Late 18th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Tempera

"Afterburn" (2025) By Brian Sostrom, Original Acrylic Painting, Brilliant Sunset
"Afterburn" (2025) By Brian Sostrom, Original Acrylic Painting, Brilliant Sunset

"Afterburn" (2025) By Brian Sostrom, Original Acrylic Painting, Brilliant Sunset

By Brian Sostrom

Located in Denver, CO

"Afterburn" (2025) by Brian Sostrom is an original handmade acrylic painting that depicts a lake with a brilliant sunset. Brian Sostrom grew up in small rural towns in the Pacific ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Wood Panel

"Gipsy Musicians"
"Gipsy Musicians"

"Gipsy Musicians"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Kaspar Waldmann (1657–1720) – "Gypsy Musicians" Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 100 x 149 cm (unframed), 102 x 151 cm (framed) Provenance: Private collection Historical Context &...

Category

17th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"In love"
"In love"

"In love"

By Madalena Zampassi

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Self-portrait of the artist, painted at the moment of falling in love. The painting radiates femininity, love, warmth.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Under the Boughs, " Oil painting

"Under the Boughs, " Oil painting

By Judd Mercer

Located in Denver, CO

Judd Mercer's (US based) "Under the Boughs," is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a vast meadow of yellow grass spreading into the distant bl...

Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Realist figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Realist figurative 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 figurative 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, purple, red, orange and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Su Yu, Janusz Szpyt, JC Spock, and Matt Talbert. 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 figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 0.5 inches across are also available.