Realist Still-life 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.
Find authentic realist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.
Early 2000s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Egg Tempera
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Board
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Gold Leaf
1960s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Masonite
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist John Jaster captures the ethereal beauty of an oriental lily. Its raspberry-red petals, framed by crisp white margins, cradle a bright yellow-green fil...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Christopher Garvey displays a realistic still life of a potted calathea plant and a green glass pitcher. "I've always found greens a challenge since I typically mix my greens," shares Christopher. He compels himself with a study of different shades using multiple blue and black hues. The skillful interplay between light and shadow creates a visually balanced and pleasing composition.
About the Artist
Christopher Garvey focuses on the still life in his work, capturing objects like dishes and fruit with impressive clarity. He currently lives in South Carolina and finds inspiration in Renaissance and Baroque art. When it comes to technique, he enjoys the challenge of accurate drawing and the transparent qualities of oil paint. He has collected many books over the years, which he uses to improve his practice.
Words that describe this painting: vase, glass, plant, calathea, still life, pot, pitcher, still life, realism, reflection, tabletop, small, oilpaint, still life, realism, oil painting, green
Calathea with a Green Pitcher...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
1980s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Egg Tempera
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
Late 20th Century Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Board
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
19th Century Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Still-life Paintings
Wood, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
Mid-20th Century Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor
1940s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
1940s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Egg Tempera
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Late 20th Century Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Kristine Kainer depicts a colorful display of lobster buoys—a common sight found in a quaint New England fishing village near one of her childhood ho...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
19th Century Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil