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.
$273
Pocket Yellow Pepper - original oil still life painting - Contemporary Realism
Located in London, Chelsea
Gallery service: Complimentary worldwide shipping is offered, with Signet Contemporary Art covering all tariffs, customs duties and import taxes, making international collecting simp...
Canvas, Oil
Moment of Serenity
Located in Zofingen, AG
From the series «Summer Memories “ This painting captures the serene setting of a pool at a villa in the Tuscan region of Italy. The tranquil blue water reflects the surrounding lan...
Canvas, Oil
1897 Antique European Winter Landscape Forest Road Oil Canvas Signed Framed
Located in Stockholm, SE
This winter landscape, painted in the late 19th century by an unidentified, yet talented European artist, reveals to us the ringing silence of a snow-covered forest in the anticipati...
Canvas, Wood, Oil
459. Portrait Oil Painting on Board, Contemporary Wildlife Realism Art
By Paul Jansen
Located in London, Chelsea
Gallery service: Complimentary worldwide shipping is offered, with Signet Contemporary Art covering all tariffs, customs duties and import taxes, making international collecting simp...
Canvas, Oil
High Country Sanctuary
By Tammy Medlin
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original Oil Painting signed by the Artist in the lower right corner.
Oil
$4,400
"Pomegranates, Tondo" realist still life, oil painting, round, signed & framed
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting by Italian Realist painter, Daniela Astone - a round panel, painted black, aroned with a still life of pomegranates and berries grouped together with a red ribbon, an...
Oil, Panel
$1,086Sale Price|20% Off
Cottages by the Sea in Ireland Vintage Oil Painting by 20th Century Irish Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Cottages by the Sea in Ireland Vintage Oil Painting by 20th Century Irish Artist, Louis Humphrey. Humphrey was born in 1955 in Belfast, Nort...
Oil, Board
$1,194Sale Price|30% Off
Children Fishing by a River with Wild Flowers & Farmhouse in English Countryside
By Les Parson
Located in Preston, GB
Children Fishing by a Riverside with Wild Flowers & Farmhouse in the English Countryside by British Artist, Les Parson Art measures 20 x 16 inches Fram...
Canvas, Oil
"Orange Garland" Oil Painting, Framed Still Life, Signed, Italian Art
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An original Oil painting by Daniela Astone (b. 1980 Pisa, Italy) of a wreath of oranges against a blue backdrop. A red ribbon adorns the top of the wreath, matching the berries hidd...
Oil, Panel
$5,852
Infinity of time. By Georgy Skripnichenko. 1987. Oil on canvas. 46/55 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Georgy Skripnichenko, born on November 12, 1940, in Mykolaiv, Ukrainian SSR, and passing in Minsk on August 12, 2015, was a Belarusian surrealist painter who also created realist wor...
Canvas, Oil
Motherland. By Georgy Skripnichenko. 1992. Oil on canvas. 50/60 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Georgy Skripnichenko, born on November 12, 1940, in Mykolaiv, Ukrainian SSR, and passing in Minsk on August 12, 2015, was a Belarusian surrealist painter who also created realist wor...
Canvas, Oil
$1,597Sale Price|40% Off
River Landscape Scene with Horses in the English Countryside by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
River Landscape Scene with Horses in the English Countryside by British Contemporary Artist, David Morgan (Born 1964). Art measures 24 x 16 inches Frame measures 30 x 20 inches Sig...
Oil, Canvas
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...
Oil, Wood Panel
$3,600Sale Price|20% Off
American Impressionist Oil Painting Gustave Cimioti 1875-1969 Marine Monhegan
By Gustave Cimiotti Jr.
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Gustave Cimioti Jr. Monhegan oil/canvas board signed LR 15.88 x 19.88 unframed, 21.19 x 25.07 framed Good original condition in period frame. Possibly original Biography: Gustave Ci...
Oil
Large Mid 20th Century Austrian Panoramic Alpine Landscape Oil Painting J Kugler
Located in Stockholm, SE
This impressive panoramic oil painting, created in the mid-twentieth century by the renowned Austrian artist Josef Kugler (1913–2011), celebrates the rugg...
Canvas, Oil
Limelight Hydrangea in Vintage Glass - #202, Original painting, Floral
Located in Deddington, GB
Limelight Hydrangea in Vintage Glass - #202 The Limelight hydrangea is known for the subtle green tint within its blooms, although in bright sunlight it often appears almost pure wh...
Metal
$550
Late 19th Century British Romantic New Zealand Landscape Diamond Lake Oil Canvas
Located in Stockholm, SE
A solemn peace permeates this landscape, painted in oil on canvas by an unidentified British master at the end of the 19th century. The painting transports the viewer to the pictures...
Canvas, Wood, Oil
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Impressionistic Seascape Painting Michael Budden Beach Day People Boats Birds
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Beach Day III oil/panel image 8 x 10 unframed, 14.5 x 16.5 framed signed LL Beach Day III is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showca...
Oil
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Impressionistic Seascape Painting Michael Budden Beach Play V
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Beach Play V oil/panel image 8 x 10 unframed, 13 x 15 framed Beach Play V is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a beach full...
Oil
$880
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...
Paper, Emulsion, Lithograph
$13,104Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of Mary Haggie - British 1925 art portrait landscape oil painting
By Charles Buchel
Located in Hagley, England
This lovely British 1920's Art Deco vibrant portrait oil painting is by Charles A. Buchel. Painted in 1925 and signed and dated it is a seated portrait of a young woman, Mary Haggie,...
Oil
White peonies
Located in Zofingen, AG
The contrast of the white against the dark background and subtle light on peonies attracted me together with the focus on color harmony. The style of the painting is inspired by the ...
Oil
$300Sale Price|20% Off
Sunflowers in a Mediterranean Landscape, 20th Century Oil on Canvas
Located in Preston, GB
Sunflowers in a Mediterranean Landscape Art measures 24 x 20 inches Frame measures 26 x 22 inches Sunlit Reverie Among the Sunflowers Original oil painting by Vinny (inspired by ...
Canvas, Oil
$936Sale Price|20% Off
European painter - 19th century still life painting red flowers
Located in Varmo, IT
European painter (19th–20th century) - Still Life with Flowers. 30 x 36 cm (without frame) - 45.5 x 51.5 cm (with frame). Oil on canvas, in carved and gilded wooden frame (not sign...
Canvas, Oil
"The Pincio Fountain in Rome"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Jozefina Kirchner (1890–1931) "The Pincio Fountain in Rome" (1923)** This atmospheric oil painting on canvas by Jozefina Kirchner, completed in 1923, captures a captivating view of t...
Canvas, Oil
Winter Harvest, Original Painting
By Art Clark
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A rustic barn stands covered in snow, its deep red walls contrasting with the icy blue landscape. The sky glows warmly. Inspired by a scene from the televisio...
Acrylic
Still Life with Apples, c. 1910
By Emma Ekwall
Located in Stockholm, SE
Still Life with Apples is an exquisite still-life painting that captures a quiet moment of abundance and peace. On a humble wooden table lies a cluster of ripe apples, their rosy and...
Canvas, Oil
$670
Early Breakfast, Figurative Italian Still Life, Mediterranean Oranges on Paper
By Gio Bellagio
Located in Barcelona, ES
“Early Breakfast” is a contemporary still life evoking the ease of the Italian lifestyle through clean geometry and luminous color. A bowl of oranges and a translucent bottle sit wit...
Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Paper
Still life with apples and dragonfly
Located in Zofingen, AG
Experience the vibrant freshness of "Still life with apples and dragonfly," an original oil painting on linen. This medium-sized artwork captures a delightful scene from a unique bi...
Canvas, Oil
Lilacs in Vase, 1970
By Boris Mikhailovich Lavrenko
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery (2015); Private Collection, Woodland Hills, California; The Artist's Family, St. Petersburg, Russia Signed "Lavrenko" in Russian on lower right. Description Lilacs in Vase was created by the renowned Russian Soviet Realist, Boris Mikhailovich Lavrenko, one of the leading representatives of the Leningrad School of Painting. Lavrenko served as professor of the Repin Art Institute (Russian Academy of Arts), St. Petersburg, and in 1953 was made a member of the Leningrad Union of Artists. In 1976 he was awarded the title of "Meritorious Artist of the Russian Federation," and in 1994 he received the highest honor of "People's Artist of the Russian Federation" -- a recognition bestowed to artists who have made outstanding contributions to Russia's art and culture. In this humble vanitas the artist represents garden fresh flowers, a classic theme in Russian still life...
Canvas, Oil
$700
19th Century British Pastoral Horse Cart Watering Scene Oil Canvas Framed Signed
Located in Stockholm, SE
This idyllic oil on canvas is a striking example of British classical landscape painting from the mid 19th century. The character and manner of this work are close to the works of ar...
Canvas, Wood, Oil
$2,800
Oil Painting Israeli Bronze Menorah Tallit Judaica Still Life Bar Mitzvah Scene
Located in Surfside, FL
Frame is 23 X 27, Canvas is 16 X 20 Born in Milan, Italy Lupetti studied at the Royal Academy in Rome where he received classical training and was apprenticed to the school of rest...
Canvas, Oil
$65,548Sale Price|20% Off
"Adoration of the Magi"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Attributed to Francesco Mazza, called "Il Parmigianino" (1503-1540) – "Adoration of the Magi" Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 88 x 134 cm (unframed), 205 x 149 cm (framed) Proven...
Canvas, Oil
$1,980Sale Price|20% Off
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.
Canvas, Oil
Force Pressure And Energy Of Brown In Perspective
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Free shipment worldwide. Painted on the sides.No frame needed. Signature: signed and dated. Reality or fantasy? What is the difference between fantasy and fact, between night and ...
Canvas, Oil
Venice at Dusk, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The artwork captures the quiet majesty and solemn atmosphere of Venice. The church bells seem to linger in the air, while the fading light glides across the wat...
Oil
$1,108Sale Price|35% Off
Horse next to River in the Woods of the English Countryside by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Horse next to River in the Woods of the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Michael Morris (1938-2010) Art measures 10 x 8 inches Frame measures 13 x 11 inches T...
Canvas, Oil
$2,839Sale Price|20% Off
Young Boy - Scottish art 19th Century oil painting male portrait ginger hair
Located in Hagley, England
A fine Scottish Victorian head and shoulders portrait oil painting of a sweet young boy with bright blue eyes. Pictured against a dark background, his face is beautifully illuminated...
Oil
$1,200
Chicago River Wrigley Clock Tower Cityscape Urban Painting by Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Along the Chicago River, Wrigley Clock Tower oil/panel 8 x 10 unframed, 14.5 x 16.5 framed signed LL Along the Chicago River, Wrigley Clock Tower is an oil painting on canvas panel...
Acrylic
$7,600
"Leaving Behind the Sail" nautical, sailboats, sails, wooden ships, Edgartown
Located in Edgartown, MA
"Leaving Behind the Sail" is a painting from the perspective of being onboard a wooden sailboat with the sails ready to be hoisted for a beautiful day on the water. In the center of ...
Linen, Oil
"From Page to Zion" - Original Western Landscape Pastel Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Artist Statement: I've been working in pastel full-time for the last twenty-nine years and have been teaching workshops for the past fifteen. My artistic influences range from Paleol...
Pastel
View of the Roman Forum - "Colonna di Foca" - Original Watercolor 1885 ca.
By Settimio Giampietri
Located in Roma, IT
Hand Signed. This artwork is shipped from Italy. Under existing legislation, any artwork in Italy created over 50 years ago by an artist who has died requires a licence for export re...
Paint, Watercolor
"Calle Tipica, Aragon, Spain" Landscape Painting of Calm Mountain Village Scene
Located in Austin, TX
Oil on board Board Size: 16 x 20 in. Frame Size: 22 x 26.5 in. Signed, bottom right. In this oil painting Jose Vives-Atsara captures the rugged, sun-drenched essence of the Spanish ...
Oil, Board
$2,173Sale Price|35% Off
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...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
$1,980Sale Price|20% Off
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.
Canvas, Oil
Nature's Bounty, Oil Painting
By Jo Galang
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The vibrant colors in this piece highlight a dynamic interplay of orange and green hues, evoking freshness and vitality. It captures the essence of abundance ...
Oil
$8,736Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of a Bride - British 1934 Romantic art female portrait oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This beautiful British 1930's portrait oil painting is by noted artist Frank Owen Salisbury or Frank O'Salisbury as he is also known. Painted in 1934, the composition is a half lengt...
Oil
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Man with Ropes and Rings](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-man-with-ropes-and-rings-for-sale/a_9323/a_34789511540921014664/Man_with_Ropes_and_Rings_artnet_master.jpg?width=240)
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Man with Ropes and Rings
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
Oil on canvas mounted to Masonite Signed in red, u.r. $7000.00 + $350.00 framing This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “Bruce Sargeant is a mythic figure ...
Canvas, Oil, Masonite
"Sea Cliff" by Elisabeth Schlup - Oil on Canvas - 70x85 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Artwork sold with damaged frame (89.5 x 104.5 cm) or without frame Elisabeth Schlup born 1860, was a Swiss painter active in the early 20th century. Though often referred to as Germ...
Canvas, Oil
Shiney Red Pomegranate, Original Painting, Still Life, Fruit Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Shiney Red Pomegranate is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her series featuring life size realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque still life painting. T...
Canvas, Oil
Sailboat; Newport, California
By Calvin Liang
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Calvin Liang" on lower left Exhibited Fleeting Moments 2nd Biennale: Works en Plein Air, American Legacy Fine Ar...
Canvas, Oil
Flower Market at Rockford Tower
Located in Greenville, DE
Wonderful representation of historic Delaware scene. 29.5" x 35.5" framed Signed lower right
Canvas, Oil
White Peonies
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Another important direction in the artist’s work is the study—paintings created either from a staged arrangement or directly from nature, en plein air. Study A friend brought a bouqu...
Oil
$1,404
José María Marqués García Spanish Pastoral Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
José María Marqués García Pastoral Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas. Oil on canvas. Signed by the artist in the lower right corner. Artwork: 68 × 97 cm (26.8 × 38.2 in.). Framed: 80 ...
Canvas, Oil
$14,046Sale Price|20% Off
Vincenzo Colleoni (Venetian master) - 19th century Realist masquerade scene
Located in Varmo, IT
Vincenzo Colleoni (Active in Venice in the second half of the 19th century) - Interior scene with masked figures. 110 x 160 cm (without frame) - 145 x 194 cm (with frame). Oil on c...
Canvas, Oil
$11,705
"A coastal landscape with figures and ruins"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
"A Coastal Landscape with Figures and Ruins" Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions (Framed): 75 x 100 cm Dimensions (Canvas): 48 x 74 cm No signatured This striking 18th-century oil paint...
Canvas, Oil
$46,820Sale Price|20% Off
"Allegorical Mythological Winter"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Allegorical Mythological Scene Unidentified Artist 17th–18th Century Oil on canvas Framed: 152 x 196 cm Canvas: 131 x 178 cm No signatured Description This masterfully executed B...
Canvas, Oil
"Remember When" (2024) By Matt Talbert, Original Oil Painting, Portrait
By Matt Talbert
Located in Denver, CO
Matt Talbert's "Remember When" (2024) is an original, handmade oil painting on panel that depicts a portrait of a seated brunette in deep contemplation. Artist bio/statement: Matt ...
Oil, Panel
Antique American Realist Interior Portrait Signed Framed Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist abstract landscape oil painting by Charles Courtney Curran (1861 - 1942) . Oil on canvas, lain to board. Framed. Measuring: 23 by 27 inches overall, and 18...
Oil, Board
Realist Coastal Seascape with Sailing Boats by Ramón Martí Alsina
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
RAMÓN MARTÍ ALSINA (Barcelona, 1826–1894). "Coastal Seascape with Sailing Boats." Circa 1860 Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. Dimensions: 137 × 97 cm (53.94 × 38.19 in). ; 154 × 1...
Oil
A hyperrealist canvas by Heinz Schönhammer transforms a café classic into an unforgettable still life.
With a solo show at the Denver Art Museum and a commission from the Met, the Cree Canadian painter has become an international sensation.