Realist 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.
Style: Realist
Color: Gray
Yarrow and Hen, Original Painting
Located in Boston, MA
Yarrow and Hen
Mixed Media Painting
60 x 48 inches
Artist's Commentary:
"I am always bowled over by the romantic nature of the yummy pastel umbels...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Sant James park London oil on canvas painting urbanscape
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Vayreda Canadell - Sant James park London - Oil canvas 46x55
Oil measurements 46x55 cm.
Frame measurements 71x80 cm.
Some areas have cracks in the paint.
J...
Category
1990s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
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 Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Haying
Located in Raleigh, NC
Rgrfinearts presents a rare WPA mural study by the African American artist Carl G. Hill.
Mr. Hill was a student at the National Academy of Design and also at the Harkem Community School where he studied under Riva Helfond.
During WW2 he enlisted in the Merchant Marines...
Category
1930s Realist Paintings
Materials
Watercolor
Grandma's Apples, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This old woman is a 92-year-old Ukrainian who meets Ukrainian soldiers who liberated her village from Russian invaders. She gives the soldiers what is abundant - apples from her gard...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Tenderness - Painting Aquatint Pastel Color Grey White
Located in Sofia, BG
"Tenderness" is a watercolor painting on canvas by Maestro Marina Dobrovolskaya
About the artwork:
TECHNIQUE: oil painting, aquatint, pastels
STYLE: Realist, Contemporary
Edition ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Pastel, Aquatint
Chicago River Wrigley Clock Tower Cityscape Urban Painting by Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Along the Chicago River, Wrigley Clock Tower is an oil painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a beautiful evening on the Chicago...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Magical London II, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
An atmospheric painting of London with River Thames. Original cityscape oil painting. It was painted in multiple layers with palette knife and brushes. * The artwork is signed...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Kuniyoshi in A Crowd
Located in Raleigh, NC
Rgrfinearts presents this oil on artist board "Kuniyoshi in a Crowd" with his unmistakable glasses and hat clearly showing.
The painting is somewhat darker than shown in the photos ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Impressionistic Rural Landscape Oil Painting Michael Budden Farm Fields
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Farm Fields is a plein air oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a beautiful rural farm landscape oil painting created in an impres...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
New York City Oil Painting Michael Budden Winter Afternoon Public Library
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Winter Afternoon Public Library is an oil painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden. The Public Library 5th Avenue is obviously a favorite spot to...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Blue Bottles
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery, NYC & LA --Much of Bennett Vadnais’ subject matter comes from his surroundings in Manhattan and Brooklyn. With a strong background in plein air ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Egg Tempera, Panel
German Contemporary Art by Frank Suplie - Falaise d'aval, Morgens, Etretat
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 Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Egg Tempera
#1911 Einstein Gorilla (cut out sculpture)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery. This work is about what I do while I write letters and think about all these urgent, global concerns and feel frustrated and powerless. I drin...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Mylar, PVC, Oil
German Contemporary Art by Frank Suplie - Berlin, Neues Deutschland
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 Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Egg Tempera
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 Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Egg Tempera
#1724 Gang of Four (cut out sculpture)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery. This work is about what I do while I write letters and think about all these urgent, global concerns and feel frustrated and powerless. I drin...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Mylar, PVC, Oil
Old Farmhouse, 1935
Located in Franklin, MI
A fine example of the magic realism of this Detroit artist whose work is included in the Whitney Museum of Art
Category
1930s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
German Contemporary Art by Frank Suplie - Blick vom Hamburger Fernsehturm, Heili
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 Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Egg Tempera
Rainbow Kisses, colorful, realistic image of chocolate candy
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Artist Douglas Newton says this work was, "Inspired by a bag of Hershey's Rainbow Kisses. The beautiful colors in the foil wrappers that reflect in to e...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
German Contemporary Art by Frank Suplie - Falaise d'aval, Blick vom Falaise
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 Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Egg Tempera
Kakadu
Located in Deddington, GB
A memory of past travels to the beautiful, unspoilt and timeless Kakadu National Park in Australia's Northern Territories. The white egret provides the focal point, flying above the wetlands towards the distant gum trees with their distinctive white trunks. The main colours are blends of blues and greens with a cream strip defining the break between floodplains and land.
Helen Robinson, painter, is available for sale online and in our art gallery at Wychwood Art. Helen Robinson's atmospheric oil paintings represent impressionable moments in her life, mostly inspired by her love of travel and the sea. Following a career in town planning, Helen pursued her interest in art and has now been painting regularly for over 15 years. In 2013, she obtained an Honours degree in Art History when she found she was drawn mostly to artists who painted light. Influences include the 17th century Dutch landscape painters...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Board
German Contemporary Art by Frank Suplie - Externsteine, Nachmittags
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 Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Egg Tempera
German Contemporary Art by Frank Suplie - Stinfangblick, Hamburg
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 Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Egg Tempera
Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupe Figurative acrylic on paper painting Polish art
Located in Warsaw, PL
Acrylic on paper contemporary figurative painting by Michal Wojtysiak. Artwork depicts mercedes car in realistic style.
MICHAŁ WOJTYSIAK (ur. 1984)
Graduated of Academy of Fine Art...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Acrylic
Self Efficacy
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
Clinton Odhiambo popularly known as Clinton Artisto is a self-taught composite realism artist from Kibera Nairobi, Kenya whose work generally investigates and portrays the beauty of struggle faced by common people especially women in their daily life, environment, and the environment he faces. He uses women as a symbol of strength and hope for the future.
His motivation comes from people around him and their environment, memories, photographs, and sometimes conceptualizing his ideas from dreams and imagination. His main inspiration has always been hope for a better tomorrow.
He uses acrylic paint as a medium to portray his subjects in a realistic manner while he also uses color according to the mood he wants to support the story of his subjects.
born in 1997 in Asembo Kenya, Clinton moved with his parents to Kibera slums in Nairobi to look for a greener pasture, he joined Kibera primary school and later started painting while in class seven in order to pay for his school fees.
He has been featured in several group exhibitions Hamptons Fine Art Fair, NYCartwalk, Kenya Art...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
German Contemporary Art by Frank Suplie - Wacholderwald und Heide, Schmarbeck
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 Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Egg Tempera
Wolds, July 12, landscape art, affordable art, cloud art, plein air art
Located in Deddington, GB
'Wolds, July 12' is an original painting by Malcom Ludvigsen. It is a proper plein-air oil painting, painted on the spot from near Sledmere in the Yorkshire Wolds. It is unframed but...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Children with geese in the light of a summer evening
Located in Berlin, DE
Magda Kremer (*1942 Hengelo), Children with geese in the light of a summer evening. Oil on canvas, 40 x 50 cm (inside measurement), 52 x 62 cm (frame), signed by hand with "M.[agda] ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Impressionistic Seascape Oil Painting Michael Budden Beach Ocean Sail Boat Surf
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
An oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a single sail boat on a subtle grey day at the beach with clearing skies created in an imp...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Impressionistic Seascape Painting Michael Budden Beach Play V
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Beach Play V
oil/panel
image 8 x 10, is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a beach full of summer life with people, boats, a...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Boys In The Boat
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery. Rooted in the concept of memory born from photographs, Lisa Golightly’s paintings are reconstructions of found film photography as seen through...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Panel
New York City Winter Flatiron Painting Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Winter Flatiron is an oil painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden. Rockefeller Center is obviously a favorite spot to hit while visiting NYC in ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Antique Illustration of a Golfer by Listed Illustrator for Vanity Fair
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique illustration of a golfer getting out of a sand trap by well listed illustrator Leslie Saalburg whose work appeared in Vanity Fair and Esquire.
Category
1910s Realist Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Illustration Board
Day at the Beach by Ali Mourabet contemporary painting
By Ali Mourabet
Located in London, GB
Ali Mourabet is an artist based in the United Kingdom whose paintings have been exhibited in Lebanon, France, England, and the United Arab Emirates.
Inspired by his native Lebanon,...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Gathering Clouds Over Meadow Traditional English Landscape Painting of Yorkshire
By Jane Peart
Located in Deddington, GB
Gathering clouds over meadow [2019]
Sheep grazing in a field with clouds gathering overhead. This was in North Yorkshire near the coast.
Additional information:
Original
Acrylic pa...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Mercedes W128 Ponton. Figurative acrylic on paper car painting Polish art
Located in Warsaw, PL
Acrylic on paper contemporary figurative painting by Michal Wojtysiak. Artwork depicts mercedes car in realistic style.
MICHAŁ WOJTYSIAK (ur. 1984)
Graduated of Academy of Fine Art...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Paper
Leaving Wind
Located in Washington Depot,, CT
oil on panel
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Oranges Bowl with Purple Bottles, Green Background, Modern Still Life with Fruit
Located in Barcelona, ES
"Oranges Bowl with Purple Bottles" is a contemporary still-life painting portraying a bowl filled with vivid oranges and a beautiful display of purple bottles silhouettes. A dark gre...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor
Jaguar E-Type. Figurative acrylic on paper car painting, Polish art
Located in Warsaw, PL
Acrylic on paper contemporary figurative painting by Michal Wojtysiak. Artwork depicts Jaguar car in realistic style.
MICHAŁ WOJTYSIAK (ur. 1984)
Graduated of Academy of Fine Arts ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Acrylic
James Charles - Victorian British marine oil painting of Selsey Bill, Sussex
Located in London, GB
JAMES CHARLES
(1851-1906)
Selsey Bill
Signed l.l.: Charles; bears title on a label on the reverse
Oil on canvas
Framed
9 by 28 cm., 3 ½ by 11 in.
(fra...
Category
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Shadows Across the Land, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Shadows Across the Land" by Seth Winegar (United States) is a handmade landscape painting that is framed and ready to hang.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"La Fiesta", 19th Century Oil on Canvas by Spanish Artsit José García y Ramos
Located in Madrid, ES
JOSÉ GARCÍA Y RAMOS
Spanish, 1852 - 1912
LA FIESTA
signed & located "Garcia y Ramos / Sevilla" (lower left)
oil on wood panel
11-1/4 x 7 inches (28.5 x ...
Category
1870s Realist Paintings
Materials
Wood Panel, Oil
Orange Mimosa, Realist Still Life, Sweet Beverage, Slate Gray, Kitchen Scene
Located in Barcelona, ES
"Orange Mimosa" is a contemporary still-life painting that features a chic display of a cava bottle and a jar of mimosa as the focal point. The cava bottle is elegantly shaped, with ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Oil, Watercolor
Gathering Under Umbrellas
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery. Rooted in the concept of memory born from photographs, Lisa Golightly’s paintings are reconstructions of found film photography as seen through...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Panel
Presque Isle (Day 81) June 2, 2022, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Presque Isle (Day 81) June 2, 2022" by Primary Hughes (United States) is a handmade landscape painting that is unframed, and will require a frame.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Storm Approaches
Located in Naples, FL
Original oil on canvas.
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Egg Tempera
Beach Day
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented By George Billis Gallery. As the practitioner of a non-verbal art, Jarvis Wilcox’s first objective is to intrigue the viewer into spending enough time with the painting t...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Give-Me-A-Smile Oil/ Canvas Nigerian Artist 2023 Portrait Art Realism
Located in Houston, TX
Give Me A Smile
Close your eyes,
Don't say a word;
Give me a smile,
And stay and weave me your part of tenderness,
Give me a little smile while I lie by your side;
And give me you...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The four militaries By Hippolyte Bellangé - Antique oil on canvas
Located in Geneva, CH
The work is old, dated from the middle of the 19th century. The artist has been sold more than 300 times in auction houses, mainly in France (origin of the painter), which explains t...
Category
Mid-19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Picnic Table On The Beach
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented By George Billis Gallery. As the practitioner of a non-verbal art, Jarvis Wilcox’s first objective is to intrigue the viewer into spending enough time with the painting t...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Red smoke by Jean François Chomel - Oil on wood
Located in Geneva, CH
Swiss painter
Sculptor, painter and ceramist. Landscape. Wall painting and drawing
Work on wood
Category
1960s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Alba's Mirror" Original Oil and Acrylic Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Please note: If you live outside of the United States, we will ship the painting in a tube.
Presenting "Alba's Mirror" by Conrado López, an original handmade painting created in 20...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas, Acrylic
Beyond, Original Acrylic Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Beyond" by Brian Sostrom (United States) is a handmade landscape painting that is framed and ready to hang.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Queen Elisabeth II - contemporary portrait iconic famous jubilee royal majesty
By Peter Engels
Located in London, Chelsea
This original artwork by Peter Engels presents a revering portrait of the smiling Queen Elisabeth in celebration of the Jubilee. Conveying a tribute to 70...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Winter Landscape Realistic Wildlife Painting by Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Winter Pheasant is an acrylic painting by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a flock of pheasant in their natural environment created in an impressionist...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Contemporary Landscape Winter Snow Scene Oil Painting by Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Winter Forrest Interior is an oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden in an impressionistic realism style. The image measures 8n x 10 unframed and ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Diaphanous 3, Original Oil and Acrylic Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Diaphanous 3" by Aiden Kringen (United States) is a handmade acrylic and oil painting that depicts a female model with an abstracted background. It is unframed, but ready to hang.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Realist paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Realist 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 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 Michael Budden, Su Yu, Olga Antonova, and Mark Hunter. 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 0.5 inches across are also available.
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