Realist Portrait 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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Period: 21st Century and Contemporary
Style: Realist
"Beyond, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Ximena Rendon's "Beyond" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a lavender hued Bride with a tulle veil turning away.
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
"The Last Remaining Breath, " Oil Painting
By Daire Lynch
Located in Denver, CO
Daire Lynch's "The Last Remaining Breath" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a dark haired feminine figure in red flannel with a yellow bac...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Making a Case
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure
Ships in a well-protected tube
This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy.
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gallery)
About ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Esther, After My Mom's
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
"Esther, After My Mom's" is a captivating artwork that beautifully captures the essence of storytelling through painting. Adeniyi Joshua Adetayo...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Pen
"Family Recipe (Impossible Soup)" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Ximena Rendon's "Family Recipe (Impossible Soup)" is an original, handmade oil painting on aluminum panel that depicts two feminine models inside a kitchen with something cooking on ...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
"A Black and White Girl in a Technicolor World" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Linda Adair's (Germany based) "A Black and White Girl in a Technicolor World" is an oil painting that depicts a female model in a green interior.
Linda A...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
"Beyond Reality #2" Portrait Oil Painting 47" x 39" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Beyond Reality #2" Portrait Oil Painting 47" x 39" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
ATTENTION: Painting ships rolled in a tube.
A look through Dmitriy’s designs reveals a glamorous, femin...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Evening Groove
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure
Ships in a well-protected tube
This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy.
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gallery)
About Artist
Born in 1991 in the Western Ugandan town of Fort Portal, Switzin Twikirize...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Entre Sueños" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Ximena Rendon's "Entre Sueños" is an original, handmade oil painting on aluminum panel that depicts two feminine models inside a bedroom with one appearing to be asleep.
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Michael Hunting
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
Oil on canvas
Signed in red, u.r.
14 x 11 inches, canvas size
14.5 x 11.5 inches in distressed gold leaf frame
This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
“Bruc...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Michael Hunting](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-michael-hunting-for-sale/a_9323/a_28833811527267299402/Beard_Sargeant_Michael_Hunting_with_frame_980_master.jpg?width=240 "bruce beard")
Cool Breeze-original impresionism figurative landscape painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "Cool Breeze" by Kelly-Anne Cairns captures the essence of summ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Poetry -original impressionism figurative female oil painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online.
"Poetry" by Kelly-Anne Cairns is a mesmerizing exploration of ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Golden Slumber-original impressionism figurative oil painting-contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "Golden Slumber" by Kelly-Anne Cairns is an enchanting portraya...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Other Side 8
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure
FREE Shipping Worldwide
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 Authent...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
The GPS
Located in Zofingen, AG
I found myself at a magical place today, all thanks to a GPS error. It's something I never expected to discover in the midst of a bustling metropolis.
Interestingly, many new experi...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"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 Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Adrian Rigby, "White Magic", 36x48 Horse Portrait Oil Painting on Canvas
By Adrian Rigby
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This piece, "White Magic", is a 36x48 equine oil painting on canvas by artist Adrian Rigby. Depicted is a majestic white horse caught mid gallop. The artist painted the horse runni...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Diver No 1 - green, purple, portrait, male, abstract figurative, oil on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
A diver caught as he’s jumping into the water is the dynamic subject of this new portrait by Daniel Hughes. The Canadian artist is known for his stunning, realistic paintings. In this piece the image of a man in swimming trunks...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Happiness of Each Flower, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A girl carries freshly picked daisies as she walks through a meadow. The beauty of the flowers, the clear sky, and her presence convey peace and a deep connec...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Wayfinding" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Wayfinding," is an original oil painting on 4 acrylic panels by Michelle Jader. It is framed and ready-to-hang.
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Introspect - Oil painting of beautiful blonde girl, blue background
By Al Saralis
Located in Dallas, TX
Oil on Canvas 47.2 x 39.4 inches (120 x 100 cm)
A luminous blonde woman gazes downward, partially turned inwards against a striking blue background—this is “Introspect”, a powerful...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"Every Secret Place, " Watercolor painting
Located in Denver, CO
Joanna Barnum's (US based) "Blaze" is an original, handmade watercolor painting that depicts a an apple tree with the blue eyes of a person being visible...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Grapeshot, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Artist David Shepherd paints a hyperrealistic portrait of a woman adorned with white flowers. "The eye is like a fingerprint, it uniquely identifies us," says...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
"October" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Shelli Langdale's "October" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a feminine figure sitting cross-legged on a green pleated couch with a blue...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
"The Knowledge Seeker" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Kierstin Young's (US based) "The Knowledge Seeker" is an oil painting that depicts a female form shrouded in a back veil with blue butterflies flying around her hands and a desolate ...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
"Halfway, " Oil painting
Located in Denver, CO
Elena Burykina's "Halfway" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a woman with her hands folded and supporting her chin as she stares forward, her face cast in light and ...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Nude, Reflection
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting by Contemporary Italian Realist painter, Daniela Astone - A nude figure sits on a sterile, white floor. A mirror presents the figure's back from another angle. She holds a towel up to her face, partially covering her chest and lap. One leg is tucked up behind her, her reflection however shows neither the hand with the towel nor the foot she sits on.
Artist Bio:
Daniela Astone was born in Pisa, Italy, in 1980 and raised in Porto Santo Stefano...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel, Wood Panel
Self Portrait (2021) - vibrant, expressive, red, male, figurative, oil on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
In this haunting self-portrait by Canadian realist Dan Hughes, the artist’s face seems to emerge from a rich red background. Hughes is known for his sensitive and engaging figurative...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
She's Got a Ticket to Ride / oil on wood
Located in Burlingame, CA
'She's Got a Ticket to Ride' features a long haired young woman with hummingbirds, who is shrouded in mystery. Tattooed and decorated with ladybugs and sitting within a ring of stone...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
"Journey to the Grey Land", Acrylic Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Ifeoluwa Alade ( Nigeria based) "Journey to the Grey Land" is an original, handmade acrylic painting that depicts a female model with a grey background.
Artist bio:
Ifeoluwa Alade ...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Panel, Acrylic
Street of Shadows - Finding the Light 2
Located in Denver, CO
"Street of Shadows - Finding the Light 2," is an original oil painting on 5 acrylic panels by Michelle Jader. It is framed and ready-to-hang.
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
"You and I", Oil Painting
By Matt Talbert
Located in Denver, CO
Matt Talbert ( US based) "You and I" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a couple leaning in to kiss each other as they are cast in the glow of a red light.
Artist b...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Adrian Rigby, "Majestic", 36x48 Black Horse Portrait Oil Painting on Canvas
By Adrian Rigby
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This piece, "Majestic", is a 36x48 equine oil painting on canvas by artist Adrian Rigby. Depicted is a dramatic black horse caught mid gallop against a deep green background. The a...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Hope" Oil painting
Located in Denver, CO
Jodie Herrera's (US based) "Hope" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a Native American woman with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders with traditional symbols in t...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
"Sun Worship" (2012) By Linda Tracey Brandon, Original Portrait Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Linda Tracey Brandon's (US based) "Sun Worship" is an oil painting that depicts a fair lady sitting on a park bench surrounded by foliage; her arm thrown o...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Pistil
Located in Burlingame, CA
'Pistil' A young ladies body changing from childhood to adulthood along with caterpillar to butterfly. Her innocence is tarnished with a vine of thorns that surrounds her body. Condi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
"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 Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Panel
"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 Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Worship" (2020) By Timur Akhriev, Original Realist Gouache Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Timur Akhriev's (US and EU based) "Worship" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a lone nude female figure kneeling on a bed of lily pads with pink flowers and bent over as if worshiping, with deteriorating structures in the background and a seagull flying overhead.
Born in Vladikavkaz, the territory where Southern Russia meets Chechnya in 1983, Timur lived with his family until moving from the region during the conflict of 1991. After moving to St. Petersburg Timur began attending the St. Petersburg Iagonson Fine Art School at the age of twelve, where many of the professors studied at the Repin Academy of Fine Arts.
After graduation in 2002, Timur immigrated to Chattanooga Tennessee...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paper, Gouache
"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 Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Diana" Oil painting
Located in Denver, CO
Jodie Herrera's (US based) "Diana" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a dark haired woman with green and blue patterning that merges her form with the background.
A...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
"Unleashed"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The model for the painting happened to be a girl standing in the street of Seville.It was on the day of Faria de Abril. Her image simbolises the liberation from doubts and fears, the...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"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 Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"The Artist" (2022) By Michelle Dunaway, Original Oil Portrait Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Michelle Dunaway's "The Artist" (2022) is an original, handmade oil painting depicting a bearded male figure in profile.
Artist Bio:
Michelle Dunaway is an American artist whose paintings are revered for their bold brushwork yet sensitive portrayal of emotions that capture the human experience. Dunaway exhibited a strong penchant for drawing the human form from a young age and that fascination has continued throughout her life and career. Her artwork has been featured in international exhibitions and publications including Fine Art Connoisseur, Art of the West, International Artist...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
"Native land"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
A moody painting depicting a Hutsul girl with lambs and a flock of sheep. A painting that conveys the spring Carpathian landscape and authentic culture.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
“Oh, there's a red viburnum in the meadow”
Located in Edinburgh, GB
A painting on historical themes.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Sculptor - expressive, male, figurative, realism, portrait, oil on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This super realistic image of an older man, head slightly tilted as he looks soberly through reflective lenses is a poignant psychological portrait by Dan Hughes. An octane blue halo...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Wellington, FL oil of hunter/jumper horse, girl and Shepherd dog, "Say Hello"
Located in Charleston, US
Scottish artist, David McEwen's oil painting, "Say Hello" of a young lady with her Shepherd greeting her hunter jumper horse Wellington, FL in the US depicts the life on the hunter j...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Get up and paint" oil painting on canvas, 100x100 cm
Located in Saint Pol de Léon, Bretagne
When doubt settles, that the reflection becomes heavy then it is necessary to try to bounce back but sometimes self-discipline is not enough and you have to listen to the signs, the ...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Omnicient (oil painting grey monochrome vintage old man beard portrait nostalgia
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary figurative painting, dreams, symbolic...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Youth" Portrait Figurative Oil Painting 39" x 39 "inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Youth" Portrait Figurative Oil Painting 39" x 39 "inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
ATTENTION: Painting ships rolled in a tube.
A look through Dmitriy’s designs reveals a glamorous, femini...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
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 Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Woman with Basket and Fruit (Couwenburgh). Contemporary Copy
Located in Brecon, Powys
Woman with Basket & Fruit 2009 – original by Christiaen van Couwenbergh (1604 – 1667)
Finely painted oil on canvas copy of the original Dutch Golde...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
HECHIZO..GOYO DOMINQUEZ contemporary Spanish Artist
Located in Pollenca, Illes Baleares
Portrait of Goyo Domínguez
Impressed by the magic in the painting
As a child, Goyo Domínguez felt a powerful and magical attraction for painting. In his village he observed a lady painting a hill and was impressed by the colors that, placed on the canvas, seemed more luminous and real than the hill itself. Due to this event nature, the human body and landscapes are the themes used by Goyo Domínguez.
Opposites united in a canvas
Goyo mainly uses acrylic in his works, whose main characteristic is the harmonious coexistence of the figurative and the abstract in the same subject. Look for beauty, but not through classical proportions. His figures do not exist in a space that imitates reality, but they are related to the pictorial plasticity of the environment.
Great achievements and recognitions
The works of Goyo Domínguez were exclusively for the gallery of the art dealer Sam Benady in Spain. He has received numerous commissions for the Vatican and obtained the first medal in the Madrid Autumn Salon. It is recognized by Spanish royalty...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Lovers / oil on wood - twin sisters conjoined surreal two heads
Located in Burlingame, CA
'Lovers' a mysterious and fascinating portrayal of a women with two heads and singular body draped in an intricately painted multicolored kimono. The scene includes interior architec...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Wood, 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 Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
So Long / oil on wood - contemporary portrait woman red and bold
Located in Burlingame, CA
'So Long' a mysterious and fascinating portrayal of a young women standing inside of a ring of red flowers, in front of a heavy velvet gold and red drape, that is falling on either ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
Jessica Leonard, "Alpha" 40x30 White Horse Equine Oil Painting on Belgian Linen
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This stately piece, "Alpha" by artist Jessica Leonard is a 40x30" oil painting on raw Belgian linen depicting a horse rearing. Delicately drawn in charcoal, the artist layers on thi...
Category
2010s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Charcoal, Raw Linen, Oil
Realist portrait paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Realist portrait 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 portrait 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, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Matt Talbert, Chikako Okada, Mark Beard, and Bruce Adams. 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 portrait paintings, so small editions measuring 0.5 inches across are also available. Prices for portrait paintings made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $180 and tops out at $885,000, while the average work sells for $3,600.