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.
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Style: Realist
"Blaze, " Watercolor painting
Located in Denver, CO
Joanna Barnum's (US based) "Blaze" is an original, handmade watercolor painting that depicts a female red-headed model using a double exposure effect.
...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
"Bed of Roses, " Acrylic Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Ifeoluwa Alade ( Nigeria based) "Bed of Roses" is an original, handmade acrylic painting that depicts a female model with roses and a colorful background....
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Panel
"What Was Left Behind", Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Kirsten Savage's "What Was Left Behind" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a shirtless man holding a piece of fabric between his hands wi...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
French bulldog in Venice - XXI Century, Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting
Located in Warsaw, PL
Paintnig is on exhibition, please cuntact us for availability
Gabryela Wasowicz is a Polish painter born in 1947. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts of Warsaw and then at the G...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Greece. Venetian Fortress On The Greek Island Of Corfu. Signed Tin Florias
Located in Firenze, IT
Venetian fortress on the Greek island of Corfu. Signed Tin Florias (1897-1969, Greek)
The creation of this fortress was started under Byzantine domination...
Category
20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Preoccupation, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Beth Sistrunk's "Preoccupation" is an oil on two translucent acrylic panels featuring a model in a blue dress.
About the artist:
Beth's interests in painting the figure, women’s fa...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Oil on Aluminum Panel -- Enchantment/Incanto
Located in Troy, NY
This elegant painting depicts the hands of a person holding and admiring a rose. The background of the piece is a light beige with a wash of deep brown that creates a beautiful depth...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Night Speed Skating, " Mix Media Drawing
Located in Denver, CO
Linda Tracey Brandon's (US based) "Night Speed Skating" is an mixed media drawing that depicts a black clad skater racing towards the foreground w...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Carbon Pencil
"Gardenia on Her Side, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Linda Tracey Brandon's (US based) "Gardenia on Her Side" is an oil painting that depicts a blooming White Gardenia with leaves sitting on a white ...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Cielo" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Kierstin Young's (US based) "Sol" is an oil painting that depicts a green Luna moth and a blue patterned background with organic designs
Artist Statement/Bio:
(b. The Year of the ...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil, Acrylic
Lantern Festival
By Mian Situ
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist.
Description
The subject of this oil painting by Mian Situ shows a young woman standing poised in a moment of contemplation. The Lantern Festival is a time to remember departed family members. In her deep blue silk robe...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Messenger" (2024) By Daud Akhriev, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Daud Akhriev's (EUR and US based) "Messenger" (2024) is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a woman in a boat surrounded by birds.
Artist Biography:
The Soviet educatio...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Board
High Kickin' Paint
Located in Denver, CO
Bucking horse with Rider
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Georgia No 1" Acrylic Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Rebecca Mason Adams (US based) "Georgia No 1" is a black and white acrylic painting that depicts a female figure in a white sweater distorted by shadows and projected patterning.
Rebecca Adams is an artist based out of Providence, RI. She graduated from RISD in 2006 with a BFA in photography. Her paintings focus on black and white portraiture referencing stylized and graphic photography...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Duality, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Beth Sistrunk's "Duality" is an oil on two translucent acrylic panels featuring a model with red petals.
About the artist:
Beth's interests in painting the figure, women’s fashion,...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Wicked Witch of the East
Located in Burlingame, CA
'Wicked Witch of the East' is a masterfully painted oil on panel, that features a long haired, young and nude woman with a scar down her stomach. I bird atop her head gazes down at a...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
"Valentina" Female Figure Lasting only for a short time Cuban Art oil /canvas
Located in Houston, TX
Oil on Canvas Cuban Artist Figurative Art
The woman looks at the viewer, while the White cloth that covers her fades, reminding us of the ephemerality of life.
Andres Retamero was...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Fashion Runner .5
By Scott Duce
Located in Greenwich, CT
Scott Duce is an international artist working in New York. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States, with several solo exhibitions in New York City, Chicago, Boston, ...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Marie Channer, "Grace", 24x18 Ballet Dancer Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This piece, "Grace", is a 24x18 oil painting on canvas by artist Marie Channer. Featured is a female ballet dancer caught in pose in the spotligh...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Recomposed No. 2" (2019) By Jon Doran, Original Oil painting
By Jon Doran
Located in Denver, CO
Jon Doran's (UK based) "Recomposed No. 2" is an oil painting created in 2019 and it depicts white and pink roses on a white background.
Artist statement:
"I am interested in taking...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
New York Sunshine Figurative Cityscape Painting British Urban Landscape Artist
Located in Preston, GB
'New York Woman II' - Cityscape Painting by Leading British Urban Landscape Artist. This painting illustrates Angela Wakefield's ability to capture the ...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
"Polar Family"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The painting was painted under the impression of the beauty of the northern latitudes. A big mother bear plays with her cubs. This plot gives a feeling of warmth, home comfort and love.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Painting of the Chrysler Building 42nd Street New York City by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Painting of the Chrysler Building 42nd Street New York City by Contemporary British Artist, Angela Wakefield. Painted using warm golden oranges, reds and yellows - capturing the dram...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Dripping Kimono with Copper Colored Threads
Located in Soquel, CA
Dripping Kimono with Copper Colored Threads
Iridescent kimono by Patricia Pearce (American, b. 1948). The kimono has been created from controlled drips of ink, resulting in a natura...
Category
Late 20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Paper, Thread, Ink
Franz Quaglio Stall in Verona
Located in San Francisco, CA
Franz Quaglio: 1844-1920. Well listed 19th century German painter. He has Auction prices over $30,000.. This fabulous oil on canvas of a ho...
Category
1890s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Mardi Gras: Commedia Dell'Arte
By Palmer Schoppe
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Presenting a lifetime masterpiece painting by American artist Palmer Schoppe (1912-2001.)
Mardi Gras: Commedia Dell’Arte, is an original oil on can...
Category
1980s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
He Knows
Located in Burlingame, CA
'He Knows' features the beautiful face of a boy with down syndrome encircled with lace and shrouded in dignified mystery. The small painting is 7 x 5 1/2 inches, framed 8 3/4 x 7 1/4...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
"Probability" "Probabilidad" oil Cuban Artist New Life Freedom Escape
Located in Houston, TX
"Probability" "Probabilidad" oil Cuban Artist New Life Freedom
Crossing the threshold of a door, a girl covers herself with the Cuban flag, she faces the immensity of the sea, t...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"Battery Point Lighthouse" oil painting of California landmark island in the sea
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Battery Point Lighthouse" is a realist oil painting. The scene depicts an island, and a winding rode up the cliffside leading to a white and red lighthouse. In the foreground are sm...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Metal
View: Arcade, signed realist mixed media w Kornblee and Fischbach Gallery labels
By John Button
Located in New York, NY
John Button
View: Arcade, 1975
Gouache on Paper (Framed with prestigious Fischbach and Kornblee Gallery Labels)
20 1/2 × 24 1/2 inches
Signed and dated on the front
This is a unique painting
Frame included: held in the original 1970s artist's period frame with prestigious labels
This 1970s John Button gouache bears labels from renowned Jill Kornblee as well as Fischbach Galleries...
Category
1970s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Mixed Media, Felt Pen
Roadeater
Located in Dallas, TX
Eleanor Jones Harvey, Chief Curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, writes about Bob Stuth-Wade:
“Over the course of his career, Bob Stuth-Wade has examined his responses to...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Sunset at Loch in the Mountains of the Scottish Highlands by Contemporary Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Sunset at Loch in the Mountains of the Scottish Highlands by British Contemporary Artist, Angela Wakefield. A colourful and dramatic original on canvas, framed in the highest quality...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Gesso, Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Watercolor
"Serenity", An He, Realistic Portrait, Original Oil on Canvas, 40x30 in.
By An He
Located in Dallas, TX
"Serenity" by An He is a realistic original oil on canvas portrait painting measuring 40x30 in. A mysterious woman in a white dress takes a seat on a white bench in the park surrounded by green foliage during her busy day to write in her journal as she takes off her bonnet.
Chinese-American artist An He, also known as Hans Amis, is known for his magnificent portrait paintings of women...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Malachite" (2023) By Tony Curanaj, Original Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Denver, CO
Tony Curanaj's (US based) "Malachite" (2023) is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a black and yellow butterfly sitting on a branch with purple flowers.
Artist Statemen...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
French painting 19th 18th costumes guitare romantic Oil canvas Elegant scene
Located in PARIS, FR
Georges DEVY (Active at the end of the 19th century) Oil on canvas 86 cm x 65 cm (96 x 76 cm with the frame) Signed and dated lower left "G. Devy / 1883" Very good condition with a f...
Category
1880s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Ewa - XXI Century, Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Realism, Portrait
By Janusz Szpyt
Located in Warsaw, PL
Janusz Szpyt was born in 1960, he is a Polish painter. He graduated from the Graphic design faculty and painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. 1983 onward, he became the m...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Portrait of Horace" by Emin Abbasov (b. 1950, Azerbaijan), oil on cardboard
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"Portrait of Horace"
Emin Abbasov (b. 1950, Azerbaijan)
Oil on cardboard, signed
4 7/8 x 3 7/8 (16 3/4 x 14 3/4 frame) inches
Emin Abbasov is classicall...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cardboard
The Fencing Class
By Casey Childs
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance
Acquired by American Legacy Fine Arts directly from the artist.
FRAMED: 17" x 20" x 1.75" UNFRAMED: 9" x 12"
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Copper
Pastel of River Mountain in English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist
By Wendy Reeves
Located in Preston, GB
Original Pastel Drawing of River Mountain in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Wendy Reeves.
Art measures 22 x 14 inches
Frame me...
Category
Late 20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil Pastel, Pastel
"Even Fall" a fun oil of a race horse with his jockey falling at horse race
Located in Charleston, US
Scottish artist, David McEwen's oil painting, "Even Fall I" is a fun oil of a race horse with his jockey falling off at a horse race or steeplechase. McEwen is renown for being an e...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Trainers - Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Minimalistic, Fashion
Located in Warsaw, PL
Tomasz Kozlowski is a Polish artist, born in 1983 in Piotrkow Trybunalski, He lives and works in Lodz. He studied at the faculty of textiles and fashion of the Fine Arts School in Lo...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of a Woman and Infant in White - Oil on Canvas Natalie Wood
By Cindy Gin
Located in Soquel, CA
Portrait of a Woman and Infant in White - Oil on Canvas Natalie Wood
Elegant portrait of a woman and her newborn child (*Natalie Wood and Natasha) by Cindy Gin (Cindy Lin) (American...
Category
1990s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Mourning at Gruszka's place - XXI Century, Contemporary Portrait Oil Painting
By Janusz Szpyt
Located in Warsaw, PL
Janusz Szpyt was born in 1960, he is a Polish painter. He graduated from the Graphic design faculty and painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. 1983 onward, he became the m...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
LARA Original- oil canvas-still life painting
By Juan Lara
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
"FLOWERS" 1950- Juan Lara-Original- oil canvas-still life painting
Category
1990s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Entrenched" " Atrincherada" Cuban Artist Figurative Woman Horizon Sea
Located in Houston, TX
" Entrenched " " Atrincherada" oil on canvas30x39 inch
A young woman covered in a white sheet and wearing a Texan hat, uses mobile phones to scream quietly or make a wish, entrench...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Playing with Grandfather" Tomkins Harrison Matteson, Family Genre Scene
Located in New York, NY
Tomkins Harrison Matteson
Playing with Grandfather, 1869
Signed and dated lower left
Oil on canvas
29 5/16 x 24 3/16 inches
Provenance:
Sotheby's New York, May 24, 2001, Lot 150
Estate of a New Hampshire Collector
Tompkins H. Matteson was one of the most noted painters in upstate New York during the 1850s and was well-known for genre and historical subjects. Born in Peterboro, New York, he studied and exhibited at the National Academy of Design - established himself as a portrait painter in Sherburne, New York before moving in 1841 to New York City. In 1850, he returned to Shelburne, where he spent the remainder of his life.
A follower of William Sidney Mount...
Category
1860s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
HRDR.FSTR, SMTR Steven Navarro, PanAm Games, Olympics 2024, Team USA
Located in Houston, TX
HRDR.FSTR,SMTR is an oil painting by V...Vaughan of Steve Navarro of California. In late November Steven Navarro is participating in the PanAmerican games in Cali, Colombia after winning the Gold Medal at the PanAmerican Games in Guadalajara. He is ranked #1 in his weight division of 114 lbs.He most likely will qualify for the Paris 2024...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Talmudiste
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "The Talmudiste" c.1970, is an oil painting on hard board by noted French/Austrian artist Casper (Caspar) Mine, b.1905. It is signed at the upper right corner by ...
Category
Late 20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Impressionist Portrait Painting, "Savior of the World"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original oil and 23k gold leaf painting by San Diego artist, Duke Windsor. Its dimensions are 22"x26". It is framed. A certificate...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century Young Golfer Figurative
By Margaret Neilson
Located in Soquel, CA
Study of a young man with his golf clubs by listed artist Margaret Neilson Armstrong (American, 1867-1944). Image, 14"H x 20"W. Displayed in vintage mat. S...
Category
1920s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Paper, Pencil
"Shangri-La" Oil Painting
By Mia Bergeron
Located in Denver, CO
Mia Bergeron's (US based) "Shangri-La" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a lone woman, with dark bangs, holding her hand in the yoga position of Shangri-La in a pink...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Charlie Playing, Arie Singing, signed canvas painting, won juried art contest
By Thelma Appel
Located in New York, NY
Thelma Appel
Charlie Playing, Arie Singing, 2020
Acrylic on canvas.
Hand signed by the artist on the front; signed, titled and dated by the artist on the back
20 × 16 × 1/2 inches
F...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Gentle Guardians
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting depicts two horses in a tender interaction. Their figures are gracefully set against a warm, abstract background, creating an atmosphere of coziness and harmony. The co...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Porsche Panamera. Figurative realistic acrylic on paper painting Polish art, Car
Located in Warsaw, PL
Acrylic on paper contemporary figurative painting by Michal Wojtysiak. Artwork depicts Porsche Panamera car in realistic style.
MICHAŁ WOJTYSIAK (ur. 1984)
Graduated of Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Paper
Roztocze - Contemporary Landscape Oil Painting, Realism, Polish art
By Janusz Szpyt
Located in Warsaw, PL
Janusz Szpyt was born in 1960, he is a Polish painter. He graduated from the Graphic design faculty and painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Room Alone / oil on canvas - figurative surrealism
Located in Burlingame, CA
'Room Alone' is a masterfully painted oil on canvas, that features a young bespectacled semi-nude woman redlining on a pile of rocks at the interior of a formal room with heavy drape...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Chinese Contemporary Art by Su Yu - My Fairy Tales
By Su Yu
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas
Su Yu is a Chinese artist born in 1987 who lives & works in Beijing in China. He was an old student of prestigious art teachers as Shi Liang & Chen Danqing at Oil Pain...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Outdoor, Winter Self Portrait" Realist oil painting of the artist, outdoors
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Outdoor, Winter Self Portrait" is a realist oil on canvas painting. It depicts a self portrait of Rachel Personett with a blue and brownish gray backdrop.
In “Outdoor, Winter Self...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
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.