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.
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Style: Realist
Sheep beside a Loch in the Scottish Highlands by 20th Century British Artist
By Wendy Reeves
Located in Preston, GB
Oil Painting of Sheep beside a Loch in the Scottish Highlands by 20th Century British Artist, Wendy Reeves.
Art measures 20 x 16 inches
Frame measures 29 x 25 inches (frame commensurate with age)
Wendy Reeves garnered acclaim for her Scottish Highland and Lakeland paintings. Born in 1944 in Ewell, Surrey, she took to her father Gordon’s craft, deciding early on that she would be a painter. Prior to her famous paintings of the British Isles, artist Wendy Reeves painted scenes from a trip she made to Spain when she was 21. It was during this time that her dream of following in her father’s footsteps became a reality, and when she returned to England she cemented her name as an artist.
Wendy Reeves' paintings showcase her talent with natural landscapes and the wildlife that inhabits them. Her work often features ochre and pink lights...
Category
Late 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Paint
LUNA DE CARNAVAL GOYO DOMINQUEZ SPANICH CONTEMORARY ARTIST
Located in Pollenca, Illes Baleares
I was born in the bosom of a modest family. My father had a natural talent for drawing and he made portraits of his brothers during a long convalescence due to a serious illness. Und...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Afternoon Cala Molto", Oil on canvas of underwater swimmers, cool tones
Located in Dallas, TX
"Afternoon Cala Molto" is a stunning oil on canvas by Patsy McArthur, showing a couple underwater swimmere surrounded by refreshing, cool turquoise green water and stunning reflectio...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Oil
$6,800 Sale Price
20% Off
1890 British German Romantic Oil Painting Italian Scene Shepherd and Girl Signed
Located in Stockholm, SE
This exceptional oil on canvas, attributed to Wilhelm August Rudolf Lehmann (1819-1905), a British artist of German descent, depicts a tender exchange between a young shepherd and an...
Category
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Gold Leaf
City Garden with Windmill Beyond - Scottish 19th century landscape oil painting
By David Fulton
Located in Hagley, England
This superb 19th century oil painting is by noted exhibited Scottish artist David Fulton. Painted circa 1890 the composition is a city garden, possibly Edinburgh, in the foreground w...
Category
19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Flat Lands" Original Landscape Mixed Media on Paper by Tom Perkinson, Framed
Located in Encino, CA
"Flat Lands" is an original mixed media on paper by Tom Perkinson. His use of saturated violets, vivid yellows, and resplendent oranges pushes color to almost-otherworldly realms. Th...
Category
1970s Realist Paintings
Materials
Pastel, Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Color Pencil
"Purple Rose of Cujo" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Pug with purple flowers
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Oil Painting of River Landscape in Ireland Countryside by Modern Irish Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Oil Painting of River Landscape in Ireland Countryside by Modern Irish Artist. This original oil painting is an early example of the more traditional...
Category
1980s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Fall, Johnson County
By Jack Barnett
Located in Dallas, TX
The overall dimensions, including the artist-made frame, are 25 x 37 inches.
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Croissant - realistic painting
Located in New York, NY
This hyperrealistic painting by Roni Yoffe is from her latest body of works. It is oil on wood and comes not framed, but framing options are available.
"My paintings in recent years ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
Viking Village Scallop Boats, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Mark Hunter
Located in Yardley, PA
Viking Village is a Commercial Fishing village in the town of Barnegat LIght on Long Beach Island NJ. I love boats of all type, and was attracted to the...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Time of Day" (2018) By Sophy Brown, Original Mixed Media Horse Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Time of Day" (2019) by Sophy Brown is an original mixed media illustration depicting a white horse on the plains.
Painting for me is a way of responding...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Fantasy Landscape"
By Bartolomeo Pedon
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Bartolomeo Pedon (1665-1732) – Fantasy Landscape
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 84 x 121 cm (unframed), 98 x 132 cm (framed)
Provenance: Private collection
This captivating oil ...
Category
18th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, 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 Paintings
Materials
Panel, Acrylic
Pocket Bluer Blackbird's Egg #3 (c), Original Painting, Egg Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Bluer Blackbird Egg #3 c is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to bar...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Painting of the Chrysler Building 42nd Street New York City by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Painting of the Chrysler Building 42nd Street New York City by Contemporary British Artist, Angela Wakefield. Painted using warm golden oranges, reds and yellows - capturing the dram...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
High Kickin' Paint
Located in Denver, CO
Bucking horse with Rider
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Chinese Garden, Huntington Library
By Calvin Liang
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist.
FRAMED: 15.5" x 18.5" x 1.125"; UNFRAMED: 9" x 12"
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Les Andelys in the Seine Valley France Pastel Art by 20th Century British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Les Andelys in the Seine Valley France Landscape Pastel Art. A fine example of the beautiful work of British 20th Century Artist, Lionel Aggett (1938-2009). Signed front and rear, fr...
Category
1990s Realist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil Crayon, Oil Pastel, Pastel, Board
A noble bulldog
Located in London, GB
Walter Herbert Wheeler (British, 1868-1960)
A noble bulldog
signed ‘WH Wheeler (lower right)
oil on board
7 ¾ x 7 ¼ in. (19.7 x 18.3 cm.)
with frame 10 x 9 ¾ in. (25.4 x 24.8 cm.)
...
Category
Early 1900s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Cathedral Group and Grand Teton Mountains Landscape
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderful painting of mist at the base of Grand Teton Peak in the Grand Tetons titled "Morning Mist" by Keith Fay (American, 1920 - 2008), circa 1980), C. 19...
Category
1980s Realist Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Laid Paper
$600 Sale Price
20% Off
The dreamer
Located in Zofingen, AG
Once upon a time there was one tough girl. She did a lot of mistakes in her life and survived a lot of falls, including falls on the asphalt from her motorcycles and many times she balanced on the edge of life. But she didn't lost her good temper and ability to dream.
***
In 2021 Evgeniy Monahov...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Last Outpost" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Rob Alexander's "Last Outpost" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a green landscape of mountains with a mysterious structure encircled by whitewater waterfalls.
(14...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Amy Atkinson - Fillette - Newlyn School Portrait of a Young Girl
Located in London, GB
AMY ATKINSON
(1859-1916)
Fillette
Signed l.r.: A B ATKINSON; signed and inscribed with title on the stretcher
Oil on canvas
Framed
25.5 by 20.5 cm., 10 by 8 in.
(frame size 46 by ...
Category
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Seascape with Harbor and Tower"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Seascape with Harbor and Tower
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions (Framed): 97 x 67 cm
Dimensions (Canvas): 75 x 47 cm
No signatured
This exquisite 18th-century seascape captures a liv...
Category
18th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"RIDIN' HIGH" COWBOY HORSE WESTERN ACTION MOTION NICE!!!
Located in San Antonio, TX
E. Salazar
Texas Artist
Image Size: 15 x 13
Frame Size: 19 x 17
Medium: Oil on Canvas
"Riding High"
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
‘Landscape with Cows' by Louis Thysebaert (1879 - Sint-Niklaas - 1962)
Located in Knokke, BE
Louis Thysebaert
1879 - Sint-Niklaas - 1962
Belgian Painter
‘Landscape with Cows’
Signature: signed lower right ‘L.Thysebaert’
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: Image size 95,5 c...
Category
Early 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Essence of Harmony - original realism floral 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. "The Essence of Harmony" captures a moment of delicate tranquil...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of Emily Gertrude Muirhead - British Italian 1910 art oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This superb Portrait oil painting is by noted Italian born artist Pilade Bertieri. Painted circa 1910, Bertieri had a London address in 1908 and exhibited five pictures at the Royal ...
Category
1910s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
The motorcycle
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
The Motorcycle, an oil painting that captures the soul of an era, where history intertwines with nostalgia and the passage of time becomes palpable. At the center of the composition,...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
The Flax Spinner - Belgian Victorian art female portrait oil painting craftwork
Located in Hagley, England
This beautiful Victorian portrait oil painting is by Belgian artist Alfred Ronner. Painted circa 1890 the painting is of a young woman sat at a spinning wheel. She is spinning flax, ...
Category
19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Winter landscape. 2002, oil on cardboard, 59, 5x72 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Winter landscape. 2002, oil on cardboard, 59,5x72 cm
Juris Germanis (1941)
The artist has always had a tendency to catch the most significant features ...
Category
Early 2000s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cardboard
$1,184 Sale Price
20% Off
"Light of Villa Vitalba" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Daud Akhriev's (EUR and US based) "Light of Villa Vitalba" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts an interior setting adorned with fine wooden furniture and artwork as su...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
"Corridor, Montereggi" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Daud Akhriev's (EUR and US based) "Corridor, Montereggi" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts an interior setting adorned with fine wood fur...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Horses feeding in a Field in the English Countryside at Winter by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Original Painting of Horses feeding in a Field in the English Countryside at Winter by British Artist, Dennis Harper, ( b. 1940)
British Artist known f...
Category
Late 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Still Life with Fruit and Vessels
Located in Stockholm, SE
Housed in an elaborate late nineteenth-century carved gilt frame lined with deep red velvet, the painting offers a harmonious composition of carefully arranged objects illuminated by...
Category
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Quadtych of Pocket Upstar Tulip, Veronique Tulip, Snowdrop 2, Bluebells 2024 art
Located in Deddington, GB
This quadtych includes 4 pocket paintings from Dani Humberstone's spring collection: Pocket Upstar Tulip, Pocket Veronique Tulip, Spring Collection: Pocket Bluebells and Pocket Snowd...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
River Garry Perthshire Landscape - Scottish art exhib 1876 oil painting Scotland
Located in Hagley, England
This superb Scottish Victorian landscape oil painting is by noted Scottish artist John Blake MacDonald. It was painted in 1876 and exhibited at th...
Category
1870s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Three Pears Painted in the Style of Realism, Oil Texas Artist 9 x 12 $1500
Located in Houston, TX
Painted by Texas artist Helene Robinson who has studied under great Texas painters. Artists is known for painting still life in the style of Realism. Her subjects are usually f...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Pair Antique Oil Paintings Scottish Highland Loch Scenes G. F. Buchanan 1872
Located in Portland, OR
A fine pair of antique oil paintings Scottish Highland Scenes by George Frederick Buchanan (1800-1874)
Landscapist George Frederick Bucha...
Category
1870s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Fruit Bowl and Candle - original realism still life acrylic painting art
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork.
Laura Critchlow’s "Fruit Bowl and Candle" is a poetic still life that marries clas...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Board
Pavilosta 2021. Oil on canvas, 50x70 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Pavilosta
2021. Oil on canvas, 50x70 cm
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$1,528 Sale Price
20% Off
"Cows at Rest in Front of the Barn" Michael Therkildsen (Danish, 1850 - 1925)
By Michael Therkildsen
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"Cows at Rest in Front of the Barn"
Michael Therkildsen (Danish, 1850 - 1925)
Oil on canvas
9 x 14 3/4 (15 3/4 x 21 1/4 frame) inches
Signed lower left
The son of farmer Hans Micha...
Category
Early 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$2,406 Sale Price
45% Off
Snow in Winter Oil Florence Academy Harvest in Autumn Reflection Light Shadow
Located in Houston, TX
Samuel S. Hoskins Statement on Snow in Winter:
Delving into the symbolism of winter, I painted a figure dressed in black, embracing the harvest of autumn. In my perspective, winte...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Linen, Oil
Message
By Karen Offutt
Located in Denver, CO
"Message," is an original oil painting by Karen Offutt. It is unframed, but ready-to-hang.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Glorious Summer Path-original floral landscape 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.
Rory J. Browne's "Glorious summer Path" offers a captivating g...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Four Lilies" (2024) By Fred Wessel, Egg Tempera on Gold Leaf Floral Painting
By Fred Wessel
Located in Denver, CO
Fred Wessel's "Four Lilies" is a stunning egg tempera painting on gold leaf with coral cabochons. Created in 2024, this piece features the aforementioned lilies in full bloom, sprout...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Gold Leaf
Let Go I - Original oil painting - Zack Zdrale
Located in Chicago, IL
Let Go 1, 2, 3 (Series)
In these paintings, Zdrale depicts multiple figures—often iterations of the same man—locked in a cycle of struggle. The ropes that coil around or extend from ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Swimming at sunset. 2005. Canvas, oil, 90x70 cm
By Igor Maikov
Located in Riga, LV
Igor Maikov (1966)
Education:
1981 - 1984 The Art Academy of Art
1973 - 1983 Salaspils Primary and Secondary School
Exhibitions:
1994 - Group Exhibition «Rol-Art», Latvia
199...
Category
Early 2000s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$1,719 Sale Price
20% Off
Lady in Red Portrait - British Post Impressionist 50s oil painting female artist
Located in Hagley, England
A super circa 1955 British portrait oil painting in tones of red. A very evocative period portrait of a woman painted by British listed female artist Constance Anne Parker. A highly...
Category
1950s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Cymbidium Orchids II" Oil painting
Located in Denver, CO
Narelle Zeller's "Cymbidium Orchids II" is an oil painting that depicts nine blush colored orchid flowers blossoming in contrast with the light grey bac...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
$770 Sale Price
30% Off
Lilac
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Lilac” is a painting that pays homage to the natural beauty and timeless elegance of this spring flower. Painted with great precision and a keen eye for detail, this work exudes a c...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"European genre painting"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
No Signatured
This evocative 19th-century oil painting presents a tranquil yet atmospheric riverside scene, capturing a group of figures engaged in daily life. The composition is mas...
Category
19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Guest"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The subject of the painting’s story is inspired by thoughts about the structure of our world.Is it as obvious as our eyes can see?..
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Coming Home at Sunset
Located in Greenville, DE
Very well executed work by American artist William Harnden who specialized in Native American subjects. 23 3/4 x 29 1/2 in excellent condition frame.
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Little Girls and Their New Friends Genre Scene 19th century Oil Painting on Wood
Located in Stockholm, SE
Very touching scene with two little girls. Two sisters are thrilled to meet their new pets that their parents have bought. The sincerity and immediacy of children's feelings depicted...
Category
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Woodpeckers on Tree, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A pair of little woodpeckers perch on opposite sides of a branch, busy probing the small holes they've made for fresh tree sap. The intricate features of their plumage and the textured bark create a striking contrast against the stark white background. Rendered in vibrant colors and fine detail, artist Emil Morhardt brings this charming scene to life.
About the Artist
Emil Morhardt is an acrylic painter from Santa Barbara, California who expresses his passion for birds through realistic acrylic paintings. He paints at home in a studio room that has large windows and a north-facing view of the mountains. He observes the animals from this window, watching roadrunners, foxes, bobcats, deer, and coyote run by. Surrounded by this wildlife, Emil paints bird portraits reminiscent of those by artist John James Audubon. He bases his paintings off hundreds of photographs he takes of birds in the wild and at wildlife recovery centers. Emil captures the freedom and inquisitiveness that birds display...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Portrait of a Gentleman - British oil painting interior seated suited man
Located in Hagley, England
An original, circa 1970, oil on canvas by the listed Northern artist Harry Rutherford. This is a fine example of a Modern, early 20th century British portrait. In excellent, untouche...
Category
20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Edwardian Portrait of a Young Girl - Scottish 1909 art portrait oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This lovely Scottish Edwardian portrait oil painting is by noted artist William Alexander Cuthbertson. It was painted in 1909 before Cuthbertson left Scotland on a travel scholarship...
Category
Early 1900s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Portrait of Woman in Red Shawl - Nudes verso - British 1940's art oil painting
By Lionel Ellis
Located in Hagley, England
This lovely British portrait oil painting is by noted artist Lionel Ellis. Painted circa 1940, the picture is a half-length seated portrait of a smiling woman wrapped in a red shawl,...
Category
1940s 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.