Realist Portrait Paintings
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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1980s Realist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Realist Portrait Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
19th Century Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Acrylic, Cotton Canvas
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Linen, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Realist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Board
Mid-20th Century Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A Tibetan woman holding a prayer wheel and beads radiates quiet devotion. Painted in a classical realist style, the layers of multi-step glazing and subtle tona...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
A solitary man stands in a pale, windswept landscape, his weathered face and sheepskin coat conveying resilience and quiet dignity. Textured brushwork and delicate glazing bring out the tactile qualities of fur and skin, while muted gray tones reflect the stark plateau and enduring perseverance. This oil painting in classical realism fuses traditional techniques with a profound cultural narrative.
About the Artist
Artist David Qiyi Liu paints realist works in oil, blending traditions of naturalism, neoclassicism, and elements of photorealism and impressionism. “I create this work because I believe painting has the power to honor life with care and to reveal the quiet poetry of the world around us,†says David. His subjects range from portraiture and Tibetan life to landscapes and still lifes, all reflecting his reverence for both individuality and universality. Influenced by masters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Velázquez, and Andrew Wyeth, he strives to unite technical precision with emotional resonance. After receiving a Fine Art degree in 1977 and a Master’s in Oil Painting in 1988, David taught for more than thirty years in China before moving to the United States in 2022. He now works from his Flushing, New York studio, where morning light fills his space with clarity and calm. Outside of painting, he enjoys studying original works in museums, exploring art books, and guiding students in their creative growth.
Words that describe this painting: man, sheepskin, coat, cultural, heritage, figure, Andrew Wyeth, Jules Bastien Lepage...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Standing before a vast sunlit valley, an elder cradles a baby while holding a prayer wheel in his other hand. Layered glazes and textured brushwork render the man’s weathered face and the child’s soft skin in striking contrast. Beaded ornaments gleam against heavy garments, while warm light and an expansive sky evoke the quiet strength of faith, continuity, and tradition. Painted in oil with classical realism, the work unites cultural depth with timeless technique.
About the Artist
Artist David Qiyi Liu paints realist works in oil, blending traditions of naturalism, neoclassicism, and elements of photorealism and impressionism. “I create this work because I believe painting has the power to honor life with care and to reveal the quiet poetry of the world around us,†says David. His subjects range from portraiture and Tibetan life to landscapes and still lifes, all reflecting his reverence for both individuality and universality. Influenced by masters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Velázquez, and Andrew Wyeth, he strives to unite technical precision with emotional resonance. After receiving a Fine Art degree in 1977 and a Master’s in Oil Painting in 1988, David taught for more than thirty years in China before moving to the United States in 2022. He now works from his Flushing, New York studio, where morning light fills his space with clarity and calm. Outside of painting, he enjoys studying original works in museums, exploring art books, and guiding students in their creative growth.
Words that describe this painting: elder, man, child, prayer wheel, Tibetan, culture, traditional clothing, faith, tradition, spiritual, Andrew Wyeth, Jules Bastien Lepage...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil
20th Century Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Paper, Etching
Mid-20th Century Realist Portrait Paintings
Canvas
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
1930s Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Wax, Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Portrait Paintings
Paper, Wood, Ink
1930s Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Late 19th Century Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Wood, Oil
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
1930s Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil
1970s Realist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Realist Portrait Paintings
Gouache
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Linen
1970s Realist Portrait Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
A man stands still, his eyes hidden in the shadow of his hat. The lack of a visible gaze adds mystery to the scene. He is a visualization of someone whose voice...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Fabric, Acrylic




