Realist 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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Late 18th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Panel
1920s Realist Paintings
Oil, Linen, Stretcher Bars
1960s Realist Paintings
Masonite, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Realist Paintings
Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil
Early 1900s Realist Paintings
Oil
1860s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
1980s Realist Paintings
Linen, Oil
Early 2000s Realist Paintings
Oil, Board
Late 20th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Pastel
Artist Comments
The setting sun transforms an evening walk in an average neighborhood into a vibrant light show. Whispy clouds spread across the sky, reflecting the soft yellow...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Oil, Board
Artist Comments
A banjo rests on a sunlit step beside a glass of wine and a bouquet of flowers. A weathered wooden door and cracked wall behind it add rustic charm. Rich, class...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Oil
Early 19th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Board, Oil
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
1870s Realist Paintings
Wood, Oil
1990s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Gouache, Carbon Pencil, Handmade Paper, Watercolor, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Waves crash against a rocky coastline under the glow of a luminous silver moon. A lone tree clings to the cliff's edge, defying the elements. The vibrant inte...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Oil
1960s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil
1980s Realist Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
18th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Egg Tempera, Panel
19th Century Realist Paintings
Oil
1820s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Oil
Artist Comments
A house proudly stands against a fiery sky, its weathered walls and darkened windows hinting at stories left untold. Artist Art Clark drew inspiration from his ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Realist Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Paintings
Acrylic, Board
1860s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Lacquer, Acrylic
1960s Realist Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Board
Artist Comments
In this serene study of a cloud-filled sky, artist Jill Poyerd captures a sense of depth through the gradual texture change in the receding horizon. The soft,...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1940s Realist Paintings
Oil
1970s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Panel, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
19th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Panel