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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Early 1900s Realist Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Oil
Artist Comments
Towering coconut palm trees stretch into a vibrant blue sky, their fronds swaying gently in the breeze. Expressive strokes and texture bring out the details o...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Oil
20th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Paper, Gouache
1910s Realist Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Linen, Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
19th Century Realist Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Board
1980s Realist Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Linen, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
The sea exudes an atmosphere of comfort and peace at sunset. The water mirrors the glorious colors of the sky, creating a captivating display of light. The re...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Realist Paintings
Wood, Oil
1950s Realist Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Olena Nabilsky draws inspiration from the vast expanse of open space to create a stunning depiction of a rocky valley in ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Acrylic, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Linen, Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
Early 1900s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Panel
1990s Realist Paintings
Oil
1920s Realist Paintings
Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Panel
1940s Realist Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
1970s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Oil, Panel
Late 20th Century Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1920s Realist Paintings
Gouache
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Early 1900s Realist Paintings
Oil
1920s Realist Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Board
1920s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1980s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
1940s Realist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s Realist Paintings
Gouache
1920s Realist Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Realist Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic