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.
Vintage Tropical Parrot Oil Painting Signed 1996, Colorful Macaws Jungle Scene
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This vibrant vintage oil on canvas painting depicts two exotic parrots perched among lush tropical foliage overlooking a tranquil body of water. The composition is rich with color an...
Oil
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Impressionistic Seascape Painting Michael Budden Beach Sunrise
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Morning Drama oil/panel image 8 x 10 unframed, 14.5 x 16.5 framed signed LL Morning Drama is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showca...
Oil
"Hindsight" - Original Still-Life and Landscape, Oil Painting on Panel
Located in Denver, CO
"This painting was made based off of a photo I took from a bus window in Mexico, near Puerto Vallarta. The image stuck with me as the idea of an idyllic hillside. It felt to me like ...
Oil, Panel
Ocean Beach Seascape Oil Painting Children Playing Michael Budden Summer Play
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Summer Play, Sailboats and the Jetty 6 x 8 unframed, 9.75 x 11.75 framed Signed LR Summer Play is a study oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden t...
Oil
Contemporary Seascape Oil Painting Sunrise Series by Michael Budden People Jetty
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Sunrise Study Image is 6 x 8 unframed, and 11.75 x 13.75 framed. Signed LR Sunrise Study is a study oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that s...
Oil
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
"Amsterdam-Street" Realist Netherlands Cityscape Oil Painting on Canvas Framed
Located in New York, NY
A charming, realistic oil painting of a classic canal scene in Amsterdam, rendered in a traditional 19th-century academic style with a warm, inviting atmosphere. A tall, elegant ‘bef...
Canvas, Oil
Antique Italian Impressionist Venice Cityscape Framed Signed Watercolor Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage Italian painting. Watercolor on paper. Signed. Framed. Measuring: 18 by 25 inches overall, and 14.5 by 21 painting alone. Excellent condition, ready to hang and enjoy.
Watercolor
Fragility of Strength -Contemporary Seascape Oil Painting of Breaking Ocean Wave
Located in Zofingen, AG
The moment before everything changes, where strength teeters on the edge of fragility. DETAILS ● 100% original hand-painted ● The painting is textured ● The picture is painted with ...
Canvas, Oil
Listed Artist Hewett Jackson Original Oil Painting Tall Ship Seascape Framed
Located in Palm Coast, FL
Up for sale is a large original oil painting on canvas by listed maritime artist Hewett R. Jackson (1914–2007). This striking nautical scene depicts a majestic tall sailing ship brea...
Oil
View from Il Cellese - original realism landscape artwork - oil painting
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. In View from Il Cellese, Jeanette Meehan expands on her exploration of interior fra...
Canvas, Oil
$1,613
«Under a Heavy Sky» — Realistic Oil Seascape of Turquoise Waters and Storms
Located in Zofingen, AG
The sky lowers itself, as if reaching for the sea. Dense and dark, it carries an unspoken weight. The turquoise water does not resist — it glows from within, breathing steadily, ac...
Oil, Canvas
Evening in Tuscany - original realism landscape artwork - oil painting
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Oil
$1,613
“Line of Stillness” — Contemporary Seascape Painting of Calm Ocean Horizon
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work is about how formality dissolves when you’re surrounded by the right people. What is usually governed by rules, timing, and expectations quietly turns into something softer...
Canvas, Oil
"Cloud Composition 7" Original Realist Skyscape with Clouds
Located in Denver, CO
"Cloud Composition 7" is a realistic capturing of a golden skyscape, created with oil paint on panel. This piece is framed at 9.5 x 9.5 inches and is ready to hang. Jesse Mangerson ...
Oil, Panel
“Where Everything Begins” — Hyperrealistic Seascape at Dawn
Located in Zofingen, AG
A moment of silence between night and day. The sea still holds the coolness and depth of darkness, yet the first path of sunlight already appears on the water — a sign of beginning, ...
Canvas, Oil
$8,232
Dolomite Landscape - Huge Italian Austrian Mountain River Waterfall Oil Painting
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
A beautiful and huge mid 19th century oil on canvas depicting a landscape in the Dolomites, by Karl Moser. Excellent quality work on exhibition scale by this important Austrian arti...
Canvas, Oil
"Kenosha Skies" - Western Landscape and Skyscape, Oil Painting on Linen
Located in Denver, CO
Artist Statement: This painting captures the luminous midday atmosphere above Colorados Kenosha Pass, where expansive skies stretch endlessly above the Continental Divide. Using a co...
Linen, Oil
"Calle Tipica, Aragon, Spain" Landscape Painting of Calm Mountain Village Scene
Located in Austin, TX
Oil on board Board Size: 16 x 20 in. Frame Size: 22 x 26.5 in. Signed, bottom right. In this oil painting Jose Vives-Atsara captures the rugged, sun-drenched essence of the Spanish ...
Oil, Board
Bucks County Winter Landscape Oil Painting Contemporary Artist Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Uhlerstown Lock, Bucks County The image measures 20 x 24 and 27.5 x 31 framed. signed LR An oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases ...
Oil
Metsälampi (Forest Pond), 1942
Located in Stockholm, SE
Metsälampi (Forest Pond) is a 1942 oil painting on panel by the Finnish artist Ragnar Ungern, depicting a forest pond with overhanging trees reflected in its still waters. Created in...
Oil, Wood Panel
American Impressionist Oil Painting Gustave Cimioti 1875-1969 Marine Monhegan
By Gustave Cimiotti Jr.
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Gustave Cimioti Jr. Monhegan oil/canvas board signed LR 15.88 x 19.88 unframed, 21.19 x 25.07 framed Good original condition in period frame. Possibly original Biography: Gustave Ci...
Oil
«A Second Before the Touch» — Hyperrealistic Seascape Oil Painting of Ocean Wave
Located in Zofingen, AG
The wave rises and comes to stillness. Light passes through the water and remains within it. Movement slows, almost disappearing. This moment still holds its form. Nothing is broken ...
Canvas, Oil
New York City Theater Painting Michael Budden Phantom of the Opera Study
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Mystical Phantom oil/panel 8x6 unframed, 13.38 x 11.25 framed signed LR Mystical Phantom is an oil painting study on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden...
Oil
$480Sale Price|20% Off
Beach & Ocean Impressionistic Seascape Oil Painting by Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Off the Coast Seascape Study is an oil painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a beautiful beach scene created in an impressionist...
Oil
$1,292Sale Price|25% Off
The Coriolanus Clipper Sailing Ship at Sea - Vintage 20th Century Oil Painting
Located in Preston, GB
The Coriolanus Clipper Sailing Ship at Sea - Vintage 20th Century Oil Painting by J Bishop. Art measures 32.5 x 26.5 inches Frame measures 36.5 x 30.5 inches This impressive oil p...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
$2,703Sale Price|20% Off
Oil Painting of Horses & Farmer in the English Countryside by British Artist
By James Wright
Located in Preston, GB
Oil Painting of Horses & Farmer in the English Countryside by 20th Century Modern British Artist, James Wright Art measures 24 x 18 inches Frame measures 29 x 23 inches Pres...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
"From Page to Zion" - Original Western Landscape Pastel Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Artist Statement: I've been working in pastel full-time for the last twenty-nine years and have been teaching workshops for the past fifteen. My artistic influences range from Paleol...
Pastel
Crowded Street Scene From Luntmakargatan, Stockholm
Located in Stockholm, SE
Olof Arborelius (1842–1915) From Luntmakargatan, Stockholm oil on paper mounted on board signed with monogram “OA” unframed 24 × 30 cm (9.4 × 11.8 in) frame 35 × 41 cm (13.8 × 16.1...
Oil, Board, Laid Paper
$602Sale Price|45% Off
Mountain Lake Forest Landscape Scene - Vintage Art 20th Century Oil Painting
Located in Preston, GB
Mountain Lake Forest Landscape Scene - Vintage Art 20th Century Oil Painting by J Bishop. Art measures 17 x 14 inches Frame measures 21 x 18 inches Vintage painting, ornate gold f...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Jules Pages 1867 - 1946 American Impressionist, California, France Marine Scene
By Jules Pages
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Jules Pages, American Impressionist Marine, La Rochelle, France oil/canvas signed LL 13 x 16 unframed, 18 x 21 framed. An oil painting on canvas by Jules Pages showing a French scen...
Oil
Antique American Modernist Framed Dog Portrait Signed Large Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American dog portrait oil painting. Oil on board. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Handsomely framed in a wood molding. Excellent condition, rea...
Oil, Board
$2,270
«Eternal Pulse» – Ocean Wave Oil Painting in Refined Vert Bosphore Palette
Located in Zofingen, AG
The sea knows no rest. It breathes, it lives, it calls — in every movement, in every shimmer of light. This wave is a moment between calm and storm, a breath that holds eternity with...
Oil, Wood Panel
$750Sale Price|40% Off
Floral Still Life Oil Painting, Realist Style, 20th Century, Framed
Located in Plano, TX
Oil painting measures 12 x 9; frame dimensions measure 19 3/8 x 16 3/8 x 3. Housed in an elegant gold-tone frame with decorative edges. Illegible signature, lower right. Support patc...
Oil
$520Sale Price|20% Off
Original Oil Painting on canvas, Still Life, Flowers, Signed, Framed
Located in Palm Coast, FL
Up for sale is a beautiful original oil painting on canvas. This painting is a classical and elegant floral still-life composition, featuring a lush bouquet of vibrant flowers arrang...
Oil
Arthur Haddon (British vedutist) - Late 19th century Venetian view painting
Located in Varmo, IT
Arthur Trevor Haddon (London 1864 – Cambridge 1941) - Venice, Greengrocer on the Grand Canal. 56 x 76.5 cm unframed, 72 x 92 cm framed. Oil paintings on canvas, in contemporary car...
Canvas, Oil
Listed Artist Hewett Jackson Original Oil Painting Tall Ship Seascape Large
Located in Palm Coast, FL
Up for sale is a large original oil painting on canvas by listed maritime artist Hewett R. Jackson (1914–2007). This striking nautical scene depicts a majestic tall sailing ship brea...
Oil
$1,102Sale Price|20% Off
Small Oil of Cottages beside a Lake in Mountains on the Antrim Coast in Ireland
Located in Preston, GB
Small Oil of Cottages beside a Lake in Mountains on the Antrim Coast in Ireland, by Contemporary Artist, Derek Quann Art measures 10 x 8 inches Frame measures 17.5 x 15.5 inches Th...
Oil, Canvas
$6,800Sale Price|20% Off
La Tuile a Loup rue Daubenton Paris
By André Renoux
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Andre Renoux la Tuile a Loup rue Daubenton - 1989 Painting Canvas Size 23.75'' x 15'' inches His art has been the subject of three monographs, numero...
Acrylic
Blood Moon, Oil Painting
By Jesse Aldana
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A blood moon glows softly against a brilliant night sky. A row of palm trees in the foreground reaches upward. Pale clouds drift and billow, adding a sense of c...
Oil
Photorealistic Ocean Painting, Surf and Sand by Todd Kenyon
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Todd Kenyon "Surf and Sand" Giclee Print on Canvas (Lead Time Varies) 40 x 72 inches __________________________ JoAnne Artman Gallery is pleased to present Endless Blue, a captivati...
Canvas, Archival Pigment
$1,379Sale Price|20% Off
Thermopylae Clipper Sailing Ship at Sea - Vintage 20th Century Oil Painting
Located in Preston, GB
Thermopylae Clipper Sailing Ship at Sea - Vintage 20th Century Oil Painting by J Bishop. Art measures 25 x 30 inches Frame measures 28 x 33 inches A portrait of the famous tea clip...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
«Explosion of Feelings» – Hyperrealistic Seascape Oil Painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Through the warm sunset sky, the ocean soars toward the light. A single wave, igniting, bursts into a thousand sparkling droplets, each seemingly holding the last glimmers of the dep...
Cardboard, Oil
$303Sale Price|20% Off
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 ...
Canvas, Oil
Arthur Haddon (British vedutist) - Late 19th century Venetian view painting
Located in Varmo, IT
Arthur Trevor Haddon (London 1864 – Cambridge 1941) - Venice, Group of Young People at a Fountain. 56 x 76.5 cm unframed, 72 x 92 cm framed. Oil paintings on canvas, in contemporar...
Oil, Canvas
$2,965Sale Price|37% Off
Oil Painting of a Woodland Scene in the English Countryside by British Artist
By James Wright
Located in Preston, GB
Oil Painting of a Woodland Scene in the English Countryside by 20th Century Modern British Artist, James Wright Art measures 30 x 16 inches Frame measures 36 x 22 inches This 198...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
$4,000Sale Price|20% Off
Early 20th Century Maritime Oil Painting of RMS Aquitania in New York Harbor
Located in Soquel, CA
Original Maritime Oil Painting of RMS Aquitania in New York Harbor by Frederick Hoertz. Original painting of Cunard Line’s Aquitania by Frederick Hoertz (American, 1889-1978) that w...
Oil, Linen, Stretcher Bars
$1,379Sale Price|20% Off
Alpine Mountain Hut Vintage Landscape Painting by 20th Century German Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Alpine Mountain Hut - Vintage Landscape Painting by 20th Century German Artist, Fritz Haupt Art measures 11 x 9 inches Frame measures 15 x 13 inches This exquisite painting by F....
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
$1,930Sale Price|20% Off
Painting of Mountain Cottages by River in Ireland by 20th Century Irish Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Painting of Mountain Cottages by River in Ireland by 20th Century Irish Artist Art measures 20 x 16 inches Frame measures 24 x 20 inches This captivating oil painting portrays a ...
Oil, Board
Antique American Realist Horse Portrait Barn Scene Landscape Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American realist barn scene oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 25 by 29 inches overall. Handsomely framed i...
Oil
$7,150Sale Price|20% Off
Giacomo Guardi (Venetian vedutist) - late 18th century painting - Venice View
Located in Varmo, IT
Giacomo Guardi (Venice 1764 - Venice 1835) - Venice, view of the island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni. 11 x 17 cm unframed, 28 x 34 cm with frame. Tempera on paper, in a wooden frame...
Paper, Tempera
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Impressionistic Moonlight Seascape OilPainting Michael Budden Mystical Monlight
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Mystical Moonlight oil/panel 8 x 10 unframed 13.25 x 15.25 framed. An oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a beautiful moonlit ...
Oil
Late 19th Century European Summer Pastoral Landscape Oil Painting Gilded Frame
Located in Stockholm, SE
This pastoral landscape, painted in oil on canvas by an unknown European artist in the late 19th century, conveys the atmosphere of a serene summer day. Through a highly skilled appl...
Canvas, Wood, Oil
$1,787
Henry Robinson Hall (British painter) - 19th century sheep Highland loch
Located in Varmo, IT
Henry Robinson Hall (York 1859 - Barrow-in-Furness 1927) - Sheep Family in the Highlands. 67 x 36 cm. Oil on canvas, unframed. Signed lower left: "H. Hall." Autograph inscription ...
Canvas, Oil
“Children in the Snow” by Willem van den Berg (Dutch, 1886-1970) Oil Signed
Located in Yardley, PA
“Children in the Snow” by Willem van den Berg (Dutch, 1886-1970) An exceptional example of van den Berg’s beloved portrayals of children playing in the snow. Rendered with an earthy...
Oil, Board
$2,275Sale Price|32% Off
Loch Eilt in the Scottish Highlands Realist Landscape Vintage Oil Painting
Located in Preston, GB
Loch Eilt in the Scottish Highlands Landscape Vintage Painting. A beautiful realist oil painting of the Scottish Highlands from a highly respected British Artist. Art measures 33 x...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
$1,070Sale Price|20% Off
Children holding pails with chickens by a duck pond & cottage in Rural England
Located in Preston, GB
Children holding pails with chickens by a duck pond & cottage in the English Countryside by British Artist, Les Parson entitled 'Arm in Arm'. Art meas...
Canvas, Oil
Luminous Night, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
This panoramic scene captures the beauty of clouds drifting above the city at night. Backlit by moonlight, the clouds glow against the darkness, luminous agains...
Acrylic
Nature's Bounty, Oil Painting
By Jo Galang
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The vibrant colors in this piece highlight a dynamic interplay of orange and green hues, evoking freshness and vitality. It captures the essence of abundance ...
Oil
$2,383Sale Price|20% Off
Venetian Vedutist - 19th century landscape painting - View of Venice Colleoni
Located in Varmo, IT
Venetian painter (dated 1892) - Venice, view of Campo SS. Giovanni e Paolo with the statue of Colleoni. 40 x 22 cm without frame, 59.5 x 41.5 cm with frame. Oil on canvas, in an an...
Canvas, Oil
"Bluffs West" by Michael Magrin, Oil Painting, CO Landscape
Located in Denver, CO
Michael Magrin's ( US based) "Bluffs West" is an original, handmade oil painting of a brilliant blue sky contrasted with a vast expanse of clouds. This ...
Linen, Oil