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
Pool Deck No.3
Located in Fairfield, CT
Rooted in the concept of memory born from photographs, Lisa Golightly’s paintings are reconstructions of found film photography as seen through the artist’s eye.
Photography remains...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Panel
"Witchcraft" Oil Painting 59" x 47" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Witchcraft" Oil Painting 59" x 47" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
ATTENTION: Painting ships rolled in a tube.
A look through Dmitriy’s designs reveals a glamorous, feminine, provocative yet sensual style influenced by his natural Ukrainian exuberance. He understands and respects the art’s body which continuously is at the center of his paintings. His preference goes by drawing with pastels, oil and charcoal to create innovative paintings among which are such style as photorealism where the artist writes such paintings as the pictorial art...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Oil on Canvas Titled "Hopeless Romantic II”
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
"The arrows in the back of the figure symbolizes the amount of times the individual has fallen in love" -Artist Statement
Carlos Antonio Rancaño...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Ketchup", Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Dianne L. Massey Dunbar's (US based) "Ketchup" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a Heinz Ketchup bottle, half used, with a white and tan background.
About the artist:
When Dianne Massey...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Distant Storm" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Andrzej Skorut's (US based) "Distant Storm" is an oil painting that depicts clouds looming over the vast plains dotted with shrubbery.
Bio/artist stat...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Three Graces. 1996, oil on wood, 32x23 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Three Graces. 1996, oil on wood, 32x23 cm
Three women, small painting
Normunds Braslinsh (1962)
Born 1962 in Riga, Latvia
1980–1986 Latvian Academy of Art, Painting Department
1973...
Category
1990s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood
Phantasmagorical 1
Located in Denver, CO
"Phantasmagorical 1," is an original oil painting on 2 acrylic panels by Michelle Jader. It is framed and ready-to-hang.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel, Mirror, Digital
Magic Realistic Painting, "Lisbora"
By Cheryl Tall
Located in San Diego, CA
This is an original mixed media work on canvas by Southern California artist, Cheryl Tall. Its dimensions are 40" x 30" x 1.5". A certificate of authenticity will follow delivery.
...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media
Enchanted Vortex: Rainbow Portals of Mushroom- butterfly contemporary realism
Located in London, Chelsea
"Enchanted Vortex: Rainbow Portals of Mushroom Ascension" is a mesmerizing artwork that transports us into a realm where magic and spirituality intertwine. This painting invites us t...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Last Light" Oil Painting
By Casey Childs
Located in Denver, CO
Casey Childs' (US based) "Last Light" is an oil painting that depicts a lone female figure sitting with a red umbrella looking out towards a field and tre...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
the Polish Rabbi, Judaica Oil Painting
Located in Surfside, FL
Genre: Realism
Subject: Portrait
Medium: Oil
Surface: Canvas
Dimensions: 24" x 20"
Category
20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Void / oil on wood panel
Located in Burlingame, CA
'Void' features the face of a young woman with ladybugs and intricately patterned queen's lace. The painting in red-orange, sea green and white and is 16 x 12 1/2 inches, unframed, w...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
Ina Pesenka, New York in the winter, oil on canvas
By Ina Pesenka
Located in Tel Aviv, IL
Ina Pesenka, New York in the winter, Oil on canvas, Israeli artist, israeli art, art
Category
Early 2000s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Gapers (2015)
Located in Denver, CO
Gapers (2015)
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Snowy tree; oil on silver ground canvas. By prominent Italian botanical artist
Located in Milan, IT
This painting can be displayed both vertically and horizontally.
The artist herself prepared the background in real, stainless silver, which gives it a modern, warm surface that chameleonically matches the colours of the surrounding walls.
Margherita Leoni was born and raised in Italy, however, she spent most of her adult life in San Paulo, Brazil. It was there that she started a collaboration with the botanical faculty of the local university, allowing her to developed an interesting research in rare botanical species studies and drawings. For this reason, most of her artworks, including the one presented here, illustrate Brasilian botanical species, both rare and common. The artist's mastery of watercolour allows her to take part in botanical expeditions where she paints in plein air. Given her exquisite watercolour technique and her extensive botanical knowledge, Margherita Leoni is considered the heir of Margaret Mee...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Silver
"Intact", realist painting, abstract design, female figure on yellow background
By Erin Cone
Located in Dallas, TX
Known for her bold visionary take on figurative realism, Erin Cone has twice been recognized in the national art press as one of the top young emerging artists in the country. After ...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
"Adventure Awaits" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Rob Alexander's "Adventure Awaits" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a sunrise on a sandy beach and ocean landscape.
This painting ...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
"The Constellation Delphinus" (2020) By Fred Wessel, Egg Tempera Painting
By Fred Wessel
Located in Denver, CO
Fred Wessel's "The Constellation Delphinus" is an egg tempera painting with gold and silver leaf created in 2019 depicting a female with a gold leaf background.
About the artist:
...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Silver, Gold Leaf
"Ironman, " Mixed media painting
Located in Denver, CO
Gregory Block's (US based) "Ironman" is an original, handmade mixed media artwork that depicts the Ironman symbol made entirely of aluminum.
Gregory was born in Kansas City, Missou...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Metal
Memory. 2003, canvas, acrylic, 80x90 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Memory. 2003, canvas, acrylic, 80x90 cm
Portrait of couple with temple on the background
Igor Leontiev (1957) - one of the leading independent pai...
Category
Early 2000s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Will-o'-the-wisp. 2018, oil on canvas, 100x100cm
Located in Riga, LV
Will-o'-the-wisp. 2018, oil on canvas, 100x100cm
Portrait on black background
Agate Apkalne. Born in Riga, 1977
Education:
2005 – MA in arts, Art Acade...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Stoic, " Oil Painting
By Mia Bergeron
Located in Denver, CO
Mia Bergeron's (US based) "Stoic" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a man with a dark beard in a dark interior with shadows playfully fills his face.
Mia Bergeron'...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Realistic Figurative Painting, "Embracing Your Dark Side"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original realistic oil painting by San Diego artist Anna Cardoso titled, "Embracing Your Dark Side". It comes in a thin silver fra...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Hulk, " Mixed media painting
Located in Denver, CO
Gregory Block's (US based) "Hulk" is an original, handmade mixed media artwork that depicts the Hulk symbol made entirely of aluminum.
Gregory was born in K...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Metal
Armenian Contemporary Art by Kamsar Ohanyan - Scotland
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas
Kamsar Ohanyan is an Armenian artist born in 1991 who lives and works in Yerevan, Armenia. He studied in Yerevan at State Pedagogical University with Kh. Abovyan at th...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Dolly Parton Realism, Acrylic w/Resin Gallery Wrap, Country Western
By June Arthur
Located in Houston, TX
June Arthur is a Scottish artist based in Houston Texas . She studied fine art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, Scotland .June Arthur lived twenty years in Rio de Janeiro surrounded by the colour and vibrancy of Brazilian life .Finding delight and inspiration in its tropical topography.
Dolly Parton is painted in the style of Realism. Dolly Parton is painted in bright and bold colors found in the country of Brazil. Dolly Parton is gallery wrapped so there is no need for a frame. June Arthur has painted a series of country western singers...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Resin, Acrylic
Conceptual Realist Painting Diptych Floral Colorful American female artist
By Amanda Besl
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original contemporary oil painting by Amanda Besl from her most recent body of work created in 2017.
Throughout her career, Amanda Besl has focused primarily on the inner worlds ...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Odile
Located in Natchez, MS
Girbent captures joy and motion in this drawing in charcoal on paper. The female subject runs, playfully laughing. His persistent use of the Louvre as the setting for many of his wor...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Mr. J.W (oil painting monochrome vintage art man hat portrait faded neutrals)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Mr. J.W. by Rudolf Kosow presents a striking fusion of realism and symbolism, where the shadowed face of the figure exudes quiet dominance and mystery. The muted palette and textured...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Chinese Contemporary Art by Su Yu - Profession of Faith
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...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Realistic Figurative Painting, "Just Browsing"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is an original one of a kind figurative oil painting by southern California artist, Jess Perna. Its dimensions are 24"x18". It is framed in a white floater frame as pictured. A ...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Nori I" Acrylic Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Rebecca Mason Adams (US based) "Nori I" is a black and white acrylic painting that depicts a female figure with a tiara and face paint smiling demurely against a dark background.
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
"Wish It Was, " Oil Painting
By Mia Bergeron
Located in Denver, CO
Mia Bergeron's (US based) "Wish It Was" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a woman in profile, her face cast in shadow as her hair bun catches...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Canada Gold" Small Red/Gold Flag of Canada in 23 Karat Gold Leaf and Oil Paint
Located in Wellesley, MA
Charlotte Gibbs’ "flag" and "star" paintings often reference the artist's interest in Pop art and sometimes incorporate 23 karat gold leaf in addition to oil paint, but not always. ...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Gold Leaf
Ina Pesenka, Gordon beach in the winter
By Ina Pesenka
Located in Tel Aviv, IL
Ina Pesenka, Gordon Beach in the winter, Oil on canvas, Tel-aviv beach, israeli artist, Israeli art, art
Category
Early 2000s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Eternity" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Andrzej Skorut's (US based) "Eternity" is an oil painting that depicts a grassy hill cast in golden light reaching towards the distant green shrubbery. ...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Ina Pesenka, Children in the 40's, oil on canvas
By Ina Pesenka
Located in Tel Aviv, IL
Ina Pesenka, Children in the 40's in Israel, historical painting, Israel history, oil on canvas, Israeli artist, Israeli art
Category
Early 2000s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Vortex, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Beth Sistrunk's "Vortex" 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
Impressionist portrait, "Dr. King"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original acrylic and gold leaf painting by San Diego artist, Duke Windsor. Windsor’s success as a contemporary artist lies in his ability to infuse ordinary s...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Gold Leaf
'Lady @ Bar' Contemporary, Colorful, Night Scene, Oil/Canvas by Andrew Jackson
By Andrew Jackson
Located in Carmel, CA
'Lady in bar' oil on canvas by Andrew Jackson
Working Fine Artist since 1991, Andrew Jackson brings to the Outer Edge Studio, his 20 year experience of...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Ina Pesenka, 1946, Palestine, Historical painting, Oil on canvas
By Ina Pesenka
Located in Tel Aviv, IL
Ina Pesenka, 1946, Palestine, Oil on Canvas, Historical painting, Israeli artist, Israeli art
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
dusk is dawn is day
By Amanda Besl
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original contemporary oil painting by Amanda Besl from her most recent body of work created in 2017.
Throughout her career, Amanda Besl has focused primarily on the inner worlds ...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Celestial Metamorphosis: Embracing the Ascended- butterfly contemporary realism
Located in London, Chelsea
"Celestial Metamorphosis: Embracing the Ascended Self"is a captivating and transformative painting that invites viewers into a vibrant realm of spiritual growth and enlightenment. In...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Chains 2
Located in Fort Lee, NJ
Yuriy Grigoryan loves to work with symbols, the chain is something, on the one hand, chaining us, on the other, it is something that connects us to something or someone. This is both...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Oil Painting / Photorealism / Figurative Art / Human Figure /Museum
By Bruce Adams
Located in Buffalo, NY
Bruce Adams was a painter, art educator, and writer. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1952, he received a B.S. in 1976 and an M.A. in 1983 from Buffalo State College. Adams’s work is includ...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
What Would You Do if You Only Had One Day #4- butterfly contemporary realism
Located in London, Chelsea
This original painting by Mandii Pope takes a unique painterly approach to the butterfly motif. Pope here contrasts the traditional painterly portrayal of the butterfly against a mod...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
German Contemporary Art by Frank Suplie - Lüneburg, am Stintmarkt
Located in Paris, IDF
Egg tempera on canvas, Shadow joint frame
Frank Suplie is a German artist born in 1950 lives and works in Berlin, Germany. He is a member of the Painters Association of the North Ge...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Egg Tempera
External and internal
Located in Vienna, AT
Was born in 1993 in the city of Marganets, Ukraine.
Artist Gorbachenko Multiple participants of group and solo exhibitions and Art Fair Vilnius.
The artist's works are in private col...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
Armenian Contemporary Art by Kamsar Ohanyan - Autumn Wind
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas
Kamsar Ohanyan is an Armenian artist born in 1991 who lives and works in Yerevan, Armenia. He studied in Yerevan at State Pedagogical University with Kh. Abovyan at th...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Realistic Acrylic Painting, "One Love"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original acrylic painting by San Diego artist Stefan Talian. Its dimensions are 40" x 40" x 1.5". It is unframed. A certificate of authenticity will follow de...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Late-Hellenistic sculpture from the Monument to Daochos
Located in Boston, MA
Signed verso.
Based in New York, John MacConnell received his BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and his MFA from the School o...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Harmony
Located in Vienna, AT
Was born in 1993 in the city of Marganets, Ukraine.
Artist Gorbachenko Multiple participants of group and solo exhibitions and Art Fair Vilnius.
The artist's works are in private col...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
Prayer Rug 1
Located in Buffalo, NY
A Modern realist “trompe l’oeil” egg tempera painting by American female artist Catherine Catanzaro Koenig depicting a person curled up titled “Prayer Rug #1″.
Catherine C. Koenig was born Caterina Catanzaro in 1921 and grew up on the West side of Buffalo, NY. She graduated from Lafayette High School Buffalo in 1939. She exhibited a talent for drawing and painting early on and attended Albright Art School, where she graduated with an Associate's Degree in 1942.
Her professional career as an artist began in the 1940s when she started to exhibit her work. From 1946-1956, she taught drawing and painting at the Art Institute of Buffalo. She married Buffalo artist...
Category
1980s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Board, Egg Tempera, Tempera, Wood
Marie Channer, "Tiptoes", 24x18 Ballet Dancer Shoes Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This piece, "Tiptoes", is a 24x18 oil painting on canvas by artist Marie Channer. Featured are the pointed shoes of a ballet dancer silhouetted in the spotlight of the stage, caught ...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
German Contemporary Art by Frank Suplie - Hamburger Speicherstadt, Schlösschen
Located in Paris, IDF
Egg tempera on canvas, Shadow joint frame
Frank Suplie is a German artist born in 1950 lives and works in Berlin, Germany. He is a member of the Painters Association of the North Ge...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Egg Tempera
Slavin's, Fulton Fish Market, Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The old Fulton Fish Market in an early morning view, as the market was closing for the day and readying for deliveries. Streets swept clean and sun casting...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Plastic Figure 7" Oil Painting
By Jason Walker
Located in Denver, CO
Jason Walker's (CAN based) "Plastic Figure 7" is an oil painting that depicts a lone red plastic Native American figure toy aiming his bow and arrow into the darkness.
Group photo...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Precipitate, Portrait, Realism, Classical, Florence Academy, Figurative
By Anton Zhou
Located in Houston, TX
Precipitate is painted in the classical style of Realism that he first learned at the Florence Academy of Art. He has painted portraits over the years and is known for showing the expressions in the person's face. He is also know for winning the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo art contest for several years when he was in high school. His paintings sold for over $200,000 with the proceeds going to the scholarship fund.
Anton Zhou
Painter, Draftsman
Anton Zhou is a painter and draftsman whose work operates along the lines of impressionistic realism. Having studied at the Florence Academy of Art and Columbia University in New York City, he paints primarily in oils with elements that span both classical realism and contemporary art. A Houston native, Anton was named a Young Master by the Texas Commission on the Arts and is represented by artist organizations across the states.
Artist Statement
“Crafted by classical methods and embellished with a vibrant palette, my artistic practice revolves around expressing the ephemeral nature of our surroundings. The transitory state of each happening allows for only brief but pure recollections, so adopting a candid lens is a way of genuinely feeling moments, examining their context and illuminating the beauty woven into this space.
A painter of light...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
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.