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
Preparing for ballet classes
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this oil painting, I've captured the quiet intensity and discipline of ballet practice. The focus and dedication of the dancers are rendered through soft, precise strokes, reflect...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Soda Fountain (New Yorker Magazine cover proposal)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Barbara Shermund (1899-1978). The Soda Fountain, ca. 1950s. Watercolor and ink on paper, 9 x 12 inches; 13 x 16 inches framed. Signed lower right. Exc...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Ink, Watercolor
$2,000 Sale Price
33% Off
Antique Oil Painting on canvas Still Life, books, candle, Signed Azuquita Framed
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This painting is a still-life composition featuring an arrangement of books and other objects on a table. The focal point is an open book, its pages splayed out as if it was recently...
Category
Early 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
$960 Sale Price
20% Off
Oil Painting of a Woodland Scene in the English Countryside by British Artist
By James Wright
Located in Preston, GB
Oil Painting of a Woodland Scene in the English Countryside by 20th Century Modern British Artist, James Wright
Art measures 30 x 16 inches
Frame measures 36 x 22 inches
This 198...
Category
Late 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
19th-Century Portrait of A Woman in A Lace Bonnet
Located in San Francisco, CA
The label on the back has faded with time, but it appears to read “His Great Grandmother’s Portrait presented to George Michael Beauridge on his 18th birthday by his Aunt (?) July 10...
Category
19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Man Walking the Dog at a River Side in the Lush Green English Countryside
By John Haskins
Located in Preston, GB
Man Walking the Dog at a River Side in the Lush Green English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist
Art measures 20 x 16 inches
Frame measures 25 x 21 inches
John Haskins...
Category
20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Fresh, Juicy Lemons-original still life impressionism painting-contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is framed, signed & currently available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery.
Bursting with energy and vibrancy, Fresh, Juicy Lemons captures the ze...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Swedish Hamlet in a Snowy Winter Landscape with Birch Trees by Danish Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Swedish Hamlet in a Snowy Winter Landscape with Birch Trees by Danish Artist, Jens Christian Bennedsen (1893-1967).
Art measures 38 x 26 inches
Frame measures 44 x 32 inches
An oi...
Category
Early 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Painting of the Irish Sea Coastline by British Post-War & Contemporary Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Painting of the Irish Sea Coastline by British Post-War & Contemporary Artist, David Long UWS. The location is Fairhead in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
...
Category
Late 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Early Realistic Still Life Painting of Stack of Books Against a Black Background
Located in Houston, TX
Early realist still life painting of a stack of books set against a black background. Signed Kaplan on the reverse. Currently hung in a wood frame with velvet matting. Would recommen...
Category
20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Realist Skyscape Triptych in Blue Tones of Serene Cloudy Sky, Handmade Cyanotype
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This series of cyanotype triptychs showcases the beauty of nature scenes, including stunning beaches and oceans, as well as the intricate textures of water, forests, and skies. These...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Emulsion, Lithograph
Young Boy Fishing in River with Cottage in Wild Meadow in English Countryside
Located in Preston, GB
Young Boy Fishing in River with Cottage in a Wild Meadow in the English Countryside by British Artist, Les Parson
Art measures 16 x 12 inches
Frame measu...
Category
1980s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$1,112 Sale Price
30% Off
Vintage Oil Painting of River Sunset in the Woods of the English Countryside
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage Oil Painting of River Sunset in the Woods of the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist. Painted using warm orange and green colours creating a unique atmosphere....
Category
20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Antique American Fluffy Pomeranian Dog Portrait Wide Gold Frame Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Incredible signed early American dog portrait painting. Oil on board. Signed. Housed in a period gold giltwood frame.
Category
1870s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$1,980 Sale Price
20% Off
Taking Care of Business, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Taking Care of Business" by Clyde Steadman (United States) is a handmade landscape painting that is unframed, but ready to hang.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
$3,262 Sale Price
25% Off
19th Century Oil Painting 17th C Interior Genre Scene Bedtime Story Gilt Framed
Located in Stockholm, SE
This charming oil painting from the first half of the 19th century depicts a "warm and cozy domestic scene, transporting the viewer into the interior of a wealthy 17th-century townsm...
Category
1830s Realist Paintings
Materials
Gold, Brass
Just Keep the Connection
Located in Zofingen, AG
This artwork elegantly blends classic and contemporary elements, depicting a young woman in a stylish black outfit holding a phone to her ear. She stands against an endless blue sky...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
My Sister, The Moon
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
"My Sister, The Moon" by Adeniyi Joshua Adetayo is a captivating artwork that delicately captures a young lady standing at the back of a house, ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Pen
$1,720 Sale Price
20% Off
White lilies" floral still life realism of the Volskya Liliyaily.
Located in Zofingen, AG
"White lilies" floral still life realism of the Volsky Lily. The painting is done in oil on canvas. It is written in 3 layers.
Flowers look very impressive on a dark background. Lil...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Lacquer, Oil
$787 Sale Price
40% Off
1904 L.Scott After Federico Mazzotta Antique Oil painting on canvas, Genre scene
By Federico Mazzotta
Located in Palm Coast, FL
Up for sale is an antique original oil painting on canvas after Federico Mazzotta (Italian, 1839 - 1897) titled "Stealing a Taste".
This painting depicts a warm domestic scene, ...
Category
Early 1900s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
$600 Sale Price
20% Off
THE GUITAR - Italian figurative oil on canvas painting by Francesca Strino
Located in Napoli, IT
The guitar - Francesca Strino Italia 2010 - Oil on canvas cm.80x100
In this beautiful painting we admire a young woman in a slip playing the guitar. Francesca Strino, Neapolitan painter...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Signed Antique American Realist Nude Woman Portrait Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Measuring 26 by 34 inches overall and 20 by 28 painting alone. In excellent condition. Handsomely framed in a period ar...
Category
1930s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Loch Eilt in the Scottish Highlands Realist Landscape Vintage Oil Painting
Located in Preston, GB
Loch Eilt in the Scottish Highlands Landscape Vintage Painting. A beautiful realist oil painting of the Scottish Highlands from a highly respected British Artist.
Art measures 33 x...
Category
20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Antique Oil on Canvas Orientalist Painting Moorish Spain Gate of The Sun Toledo
Located in Portland, OR
A large & important Orientalist oil on canvas painting, Moorish Spain, by Pollok Sinclair Nesbit (1848-1922) ASRA, "The Gate of the Sun" Toledo, 1872.
A member of The Royal Scottish ...
Category
1870s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Poppies; Tejon Ranch, California
By Ray Roberts
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist
UNFRAMED: 18" x 24" FRAMED: 24.5" x 30.5" x 1"
Artist Statement
"This scene was inspired by a trip to Tejon Ranch nearly 10 years ago with a small group of artists from the California Art Club. The golden color offers a different take on “California gold’ and is very much like the the foothill scenery near my home in Angels Camp."
— Ray Roberts
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil, Panel
Interstate, Oil Painting
By Jesse Aldana
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Artist Jesse Aldana presents a skyscape from a ground-level angle in realistic detail. White clouds, flattened in their haste, race across the sky. It leaves ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Toby Rosenthal (German painter) - 19th century figure painting - Male portrait
Located in Varmo, IT
Tobias Edward Rosenthal, known as Toby (Strasbourg 1848 - Munich 1917) - Portrait of a San Francisco gentleman.
123 x 92 cm.
Antique oil painting on canvas, without frame.
- Work ...
Category
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Violin and Flowers - Dutch Classic Style Still-life Oil Painting
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
This painting is measured without frame. With frame it measures 87 x 76 cm
Cornelis le Mair (Netherlands, Eindhoven, July 3rd 1944) is a Dutch painter.
This Classic painter is fam...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Wildlife Collection: Pocket Goldfinch, Original Painting, Animal Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Wildlife Collection: Pocket Goldfinch is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Large and sophisticated"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The painting was painted en plein air on the edge of the forest where there is a lonely and sophisticated pine tree. The rhythm of verticals and horizontals harmonizes each other. Su...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Sighthound Dog Painting of an Italian Greyhound with a Beautiful Collar
Located in Charleston, US
Valarie Wolf's sighthound dog painting is of an Italian Greyhound with a beautiful collar. The Italian Greyhound, a sighthound dog, has the poise...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
LARGE OIL PAINTING OLD MASTER Chester Harding (1792 - 1866) FINE 19th CENTURY
Located in Ferndown, GB
OIL PAINTING OLD MASTER ATTR to CHESTER CHARLES HARDING (1792 - 1866) FINE 19th CENTURY BRITISH
Original Antique Large Early 19th Century British OLD MASTER OIL PAINTING Romantic Se...
Category
19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Pocket White Anemone 5 c, Original Painting, Realist, Autumnal art
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket White Anemone 5 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 baroque st...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Mouse Seeking Butterfly- original realist oil painting-contemporary wildlife art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. Mouse Seeking Butterflies is a striking example of Lucinda Holl...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
Antique American School 19th Century Signed Young Girl Portrait Framed Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Impressive early American portrait of a young girl by Edward S Annison. Oil on board. Framed. Measuring 11.5H x 8.25L.
Category
Early 1900s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
BLUE RIBBON COLIN FRASER CONTEMPORARY SCOTTISH ARTIST
By Colin Fraser
Located in Pollenca, Illes Baleares
Colin Fraser's remarkable tempera still-life and landscapes have a luminosity that seems to irradiate from them. It’s an effect that conjures a remembering of the timeless moment or mood they seem to captureColin Fraser was born in Glasgow in 1956, studied art in Brighton and currently lives and works in Sweden. Fraser is represented by Mira Godard Gallery...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Egg Tempera
Throwing Shade, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The sun pierces through the morning mist, casting a warm, golden glow on the fields and meandering stream below. The aerial view captures the scale, depth, and ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Portrait of Mrs William Tisdall Elsie Gardiner - British Edwardian oil painting
Located in London, GB
This superb large British Edwardian exhibited portrait oil painting is by noted artist George Spencer Watson. It was painted in 1909 and exhibite...
Category
Early 1900s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Let Them Eat Cake" (2014) by Suzy Smith, Original Oil Painting, Portrait
By Suzy Smith
Located in Denver, CO
Suzy Smith's "Let Them Eat Cake" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a portrait of a female nude with a crown set against a backdrop inspired by a Wayne Thiebaud cake...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil, Panel
Music of the Rain, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Golden autumn leaves blanket the paths of Central Park, setting the stage for a romantic stroll. A couple walks closely, sharing a blue umbrella while leaving a...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
An apple every day
Located in Zofingen, AG
I love the way the objects are reflected on each other and the subtle warm and cool color throughout. The strong light vibrates on porcelain and glass. A dark background helps to rev...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
triptych of Pocket Speckled Green Pear, Bright Clementine, Crimson Strawberry 2c
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Bright Clementine 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 baroque still life painting. The paintings are set in a black wood layered frame...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Windy Afternoon at Leo Carrillo Beach
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist
UNFRAMED: 16" x 20" FRAMED: 25.5" x 29.5" x 1.75"
Exhibited
A Journey Along the California Coast, at the California Art Club Galle...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
THE NEW MODEL . Vicente Romero Redon Spanish contemporary artist
Located in Pollenca, Illes Baleares
Vicente Romero Redondo was born in Madrid as the eldest of four sons. Due to the work of his father, he grew up in many different towns all over...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Pastel
Antique Dog Painting; Cavalier King Charles Gustav Lorincz (Austrian, 1855-1931)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Dog Painting of a Cavalier King Charles
Gustav Lorincz (Austrian, 1855-1931)
Oil on panel, signed
9 1/4 x 6 3/4 (13 3/4 x 11 1/4 frame) inches
Gustav Lorincz was a noted painter of animal subjects, mostly portraiture of dogs and cats...
Category
Early 1900s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Dog Portrait of a Grand Vendéen Hunting Dog Jules Chardigny (1849-1892) ca 1870s
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Dog Portrait of a Grand Vendéen Hunting Dog
Jules Chardigny (1849-1892)
Signed lower right
Circa 1870
Oil on wood panel
Housed within its beautiful and original ornate original gil...
Category
Mid-19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of A Fisherman Preparing His Fly Fishing Rod
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922)
graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed
artist paper : 7 x 5.5 inches
Provenance: private collection
Condition: very good condition
Ha...
Category
Mid-19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Chalk, Graphite
Still Life with Fruit in Basket - Vintage Oil in Ornate Frame by British Artist
By Roy Hodrien
Located in Preston, GB
Still Life with Fruit in Basket - Vintage Oil in Ornate Frame by British Artist
Art measures 12 x 10 inches
Frame measures 18.5 x 16.5 inches
Roy Hodrien, born in Lancashire in M...
Category
1980s Realist Paintings
Materials
Board, Oil, Paint
$2,853 Sale Price
30% Off
Pocket Blueberries c, Original Painting, Still Life, Fruit Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Blueberries 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 baroque still ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
19th Century British School
Located in San Francisco, CA
Charming 19th Century painting of a grandmother and grandauughter in front of their thatched cottage. It is an oil on canvas measuring 18 inches by 14. The frame measures 20 3/4 by 1...
Category
1890s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Pocket Pink Rose with Leaf 2, Original Painting, Still Life, Flower Art, Floral
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Pink Rose with Leaf 2 is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Spring Collection: Pocket Bluebells, Baroque Still Life, Flower art, Realism
Located in Deddington, GB
Spring Collection: Pocket Bluebells 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...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Under the Boughs, " Oil painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "Under the Boughs," is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a vast meadow of yellow grass spreading into the distant bl...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Oil Painting of Mountain and Forest Landscape by 20th Century Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Oil Painting of Mountain and Forest Landscape by 20th Century Artist, W Ward
Art measures 20 x 16 inches
Frame measures 24 x 20 inches
Category
20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$869 Sale Price
30% Off
Summer foliage outside the window
Located in Oslo, NO
The painting was painted from life on a sunny summer day. We see a window, behind which summer greenery has bloomed profusely, illuminated by the bright sun. Despite the apparent sim...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Peaks of Europe Spain oil on canvas painting spanish landscape
By Carlos Sempere
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Frameless.
Carlos Sempere, although born in Valencia, settled in Asturias in 1978, eclipsed by the beauty of its natural landscape. After years of training in his youth and working...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$2,854 Sale Price
40% Off
Large Antique German Oil on Canvas Norwegian Fjord Landscape River Boats Scene
Located in Portland, OR
A very fine & Large oil on canvas painting by Karl Julius Rose (1828-1911), "Norwegian Fjord", signed and dated 1890.
The artist also painted under the nam...
Category
1890s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Light show
Located in Zofingen, AG
There is so much about the ocean that remains unknown, undiscovered, and mysterious. Yet much of what we are taught instills fear — warnings of riptides, strong currents, towering wa...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Pocket Pale Blue Sloes 2, Original Painting, Still Life, Sloes Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Pale Blue Sloes 2 is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil pai...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Oil Painting of Highland Cows in Scotland Loch by 20th Century British Artist
By Wendy Reeves
Located in Preston, GB
Oil Painting of Highland Cows in Scotland Loch by 20th Century British Artist Wendy Reeves.
Art measures 20 x 16 inches
Frame measures 24 x 20 inches
...
Category
Late 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, 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.