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
Sun's Rays, Westhampton Beach
By John Button
Located in New York, NY
Gouache on paper
Signed and dated, l.r.
9 x 12 inches
This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City
Born in California, John Button (1929-1982) was educated at Univ...
Category
1970s Realist Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Paper
"Coro de monaguillos ensayando", 19th Century Oil on Wood Panel by José Gallegos
By José Gallegos y Arnosa
Located in Madrid, ES
JOSÉ GALLEGOS Y ARNOSA
Spanish, 1857 - 1917
CORO DE MONAGUILLOS ENSAYANDO
signed, located and dated "JGallegos / Roma 1883" (lower right)
oil on...
Category
1880s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Portrait of Mrs. Johnstone
Located in Miami, FL
This is one of Raeburns best works from his best period that is not in a museum or private collection.
Three-quarter length portrait, seated in a white dress with a black scarf over...
Category
Early 1800s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"End of the Line" - Oil on Canvas Nocturne Landscape With Desert Cabin
Located in Denver, CO
Mark Harrison’s 2024 oil painting "End of the Line" is a hauntingly atmospheric depiction of a solitary desert cabin illuminated against the vast quiet of the American Southwest. Ren...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"Oltrarno" Oil painting
Located in Denver, CO
Daud Akhriev's (EUR and US based) "Oltrarno" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a European city street lined with old brick and stone buildings.
Artist Biography:
T...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Vintage Huge Signed Photorealist Southwest Cactus Avocado Still Life Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist still life oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed.
Category
1970s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Kolkhoz in winter. 1950, oil on cardboard, 28.5x35.5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
skiers by Kolkhoz at winter
A. Zviedris was a member of the Latvian Artists’ Union since 1945 and had more than 50 solo exhibitions in Latvia. He travelled extensively by yacht aroun...
Category
1950s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cardboard
In the yard. 1869, watercolor on paper, 30, 5 x 47, 5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
In the yard. 1869, watercolor on paper, 30, 5 x 47, 5 cm
C. J. W. Huns was born in the family of Estonian teacher, organ player and sacristan Karl Fridrich Huhn.
He studied in Rig...
Category
1860s Realist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Portrait of Susan Isabel Dacre - British exh oil painting of feminist artist
By Francis Dodd
Located in London, GB
A beautiful, colourful British 1920's exhibited oil on canvas portrait painting by Francis Dodd RA and with extensive provenance. The work depicts the Feminist and famous artist Susa...
Category
1920s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Duomo, oil painting in the Style of Realism, Florence Italy Light and Shadow
Located in Houston, TX
Melissa F. Sanchez has created a series of paintings inspired by her new home in Fiesole which is near Florence. The Duomo in central Florence is featured in...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Phone Home" - Oil Landscape Painting With Desert, Power Lines, and Distant Hous
Located in Denver, CO
Mark Harrison’s "Phone Home" (2024) is a captivating original oil painting that immerses viewers in a solitary desert scene defined by expansive silence and subtle human presence. Se...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Vintage Painting of Harvest Time in the English Countryside by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage Painting of Harvest Time in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Paul Morgan
Art measures 20 x 16 inches
Frame measur...
Category
20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Summer Over Bridgehampton" - realist landscape painting, sun setting over beach
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Summer Over Bridgehampton" is an oil on brass landscape painting. The painting shows the sun setting over a mecox bay from Scott Cameron Beach in The Hamptons. Clouds swirl around t...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Brass
Still life with vegetables. 1973. Oil on cardboard and canvas, 35x55 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Still life with vegetables. 1973. Oil on cardboard, on canvas, 35x55 cm
Category
1970s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cardboard, Canvas
Winter Cardinal, Contemporary Wildlife Art Print with Remarque hand painted mat
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
A limited edition offset print by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a cardinal in his natural rural environment at a moments rest on a fence line create...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Acrylic, Offset
"Lady in Mantillia" Unsigned Tobin Collection. Exibited in recent Museum shows
By Jose Arpa
Located in San Antonio, TX
Jose Arpa (1858-1952) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 25 x 20 Frame Size: 29 x 24 Medium: Oil "Lady in Mantilla" From the Robert Tobin Collection. Robert Tobin (deceased) San Antonio, Texas Developer and Philanthropist.
Details
This painting was exhibited in 2016-2017 at Several Texas Museums including the Panhandle Plains Museum. Exhibition tag on verso. Biography
Jose Arpa (1858-1952)
Born in Carmona, Spain, José Arpa y Perea was known as "The Colorist Painter" of figures and landscapes, especially in Texas where he brought a fresh approach to San Antonio painting in his bright, sunlit local scenes. He was also an etcher, illustrator, and muralist as well as an art teacher, and he started and ended his career in Spain. His subjects include the Grand Canyon of Arizona.
He began his art study as the pupil of Eduardo Cano de la Pena at the Academy of Fine Arts in Seville and then spent six years in Rome followed by extensive travel through Africa and Europe. His reputation was solid enough that the Spanish government sent four of his paintings as part of the exhibition to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
In 1894, as an illustrator, he accompanied a Spanish army expedition to Morocco where the Spanish had been defeated by Rifi tribesmen. In the mid-1890s, he was brought to Mexico City, reportedly by a special Mexican naval vessel, to head the Academy of Fine Arts, but declined the position once he understood the responsibilities. Instead he joined one of his Spanish schoolmates and went to his home in Puebla, Mexico, where his use of bright colors earned him the name of "Sunshine Man." He became close to the children of this man, and in 1903, accompanied them as a guardian to school in San Antonio.
After twenty years of traveling in Spain, Mexico, the Southwest, and South America, Arpa settled in 1923 in San Antonio, Texas, where he became Director of the San Antonio Art School and painted bright, sun-filled landscapes. He taught landscape and portrait painting and was exceedingly prolific, and several San Antonio collectors accumulated large numbers of his works. Among his close artist friends were Robert and Julian Onderdonk, Tom and Joe Brown, and Charles Simmang. They were members of a San Antonio group who painted together and called themselves the "Brass Mug...
Category
1880s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Cockermouth, Brewery & Castle: Clifford Charman oil painting Modern British Art
Located in London, GB
To see our other Modern British Art, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send us a message if you cannot find the artist you want.
Clifford...
Category
1940s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Jane Peart, Sea View, Original Seascape Painting, Contemporary Realist Painting
By Jane Peart
Located in Deddington, GB
Sea View by Jane Peart [2022]
original
Acrylic painting
Image size: H:51 cm x W:76 cm
Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:51 cm x W:76 cm x D:2cm
Sold Unframed
Please note that insitu...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Pocket Gooseberry (Hairy) 2, Orig. Oil Painting, Still Life, Gooseberry, Frui
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Green Gooseberry (Hairy) 2 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 b...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"A Toast" Louis Charles Moeller, American 19th Century Realist Genre Painting
Located in New York, NY
Louis Charles Moeller
A Toast
Signed lower right
Oil on canvas
12 x 16 inches
Louis Charles Moeller was a master of American genre painting. His meticulously detailed, highly finish...
Category
19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
WESTERN LIGHT & SHADOW, Original Contemporary Realist Landscape Painting
By Jim Lamb
Located in Boston, MA
WESTERN LIGHT & SHADOW, Original Contemporary Realist Landscape Painting
24" x 40" x 1.25" (HxWxD) Oil on Stretched Linen
Artist Jim Lamb paints the rural pastural landscape with a ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
Duet with cellist. 2016. Oil on canvas, 64 x 70 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Duet with cellist. 2016. Oil on canvas, 64 x 70 cm
from series Playing Angels
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
“Still Life With Tulips” Contemporary Realist Art Historical Still Life Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Realist still life painting by contemporary Houston artist Scott Woodard. The work features a vase of white tulips, a brown decorative vase, a statue referencing Jan van Eyck's "The ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
The first snow. 1989, oil on cardboard, 32, 5x40, 5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
The first snow. 1989, oil on cardboard, 32,5x40,5 cm
The first snow depicted in the artist's work is characterized by fine detailing and nuanced colori...
Category
1980s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cardboard
"The Whispers in the Shadows, " Oil on Canvas
By Bruno Surdo
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Sir Walter Scott’s Caretaker’s Cottage in Abbotsford, Scotland
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist
Artist Statement
"Painted en plein air, this quaint cottage was painted on the grounds of Abbortsford Castle in Scotland,...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Panel
Light. Amber evening., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Light. Amber evening. Warm water, serenity of waves, shine of the ocean, evening sun glare glide on the water, create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. Made in the style of re...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Beginnings" Oil Painting
By Robin Cole
Located in Denver, CO
Robin Cole's (Us based) "Beginnings" is an oil painting that depicts a window partially blocked with a white curtain, with the contending light and shadows making patterns on its for...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel, Linen
Landscape 1970, paper/watercolor., 30x42 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Landscape
1970, paper/watercolor., 30x42 cm
Herberts Mangolds (1901-1978)
Graphic, army officer.
In 1920 he graduated from the Artillery Cadet Scho...
Category
1970s Realist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Impressionistic Realism Ocean City Beach Seascape Oil Painting Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Original Summers Point Bridge to Ocean City, NJ
oil/canvas
20 x 28 image size 26 x 34 framed (frame shows some age with marks, etc. on sides but shows well front on)
An oil painting ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Beth Parcell, "Scarlet Coat", 14x18 Equine Fox Hunt Hound Oil Painting
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This vibrant and colorful piece, "Scarlet Coat", is a 14x18 equine oil painting on canvas featuring a red coated huntsman atop his dark brown horse in a green grassy field during a f...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Carpathian landscape"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
LANDSCAPE SERIES
Everyone knows that a coin has two sides. One depicts an heads, and other tails. The
two sides are different, but they are folded into one indivisible coin.
So is ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Water Lilies, Cornelis Van Reken, 1879 – 1959, Dutch Painter, Harlem School
Located in Knokke, BE
Water Lilies
Van Reken Cornelis
1879 – 1959
Dutch Painter
Harlem School
Signature: Signed bottom left
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: Image size 60 x 80 cm
Biography: Van Reken Cornelis was born in 1879. He was a Dutch landscape painter...
Category
Early 20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
LePoittevin Eugene. Italianate Landscape with a woman, oil on canvas, signed
Located in PARIS, FR
Conditions : Very good overall conditions, original canvas with no minor retouching, except on the dress 12mm ( as seen on picture under UV light). The signature is dated 1852 or 53....
Category
Mid-19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Italian School Bay of Naples Oil on Canvas
Located in Astoria, NY
Italian School, Bay of Naples, Oil on Canvas, early 19th century, unsigned, mahogany frame. Image: 32" H x 60" W; frame: 41" H x 69" W.
Keywords: Painting, Oil painting, Works on Ca...
Category
Early 19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Evening, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Evening" by Shawn Krueger (United States) is a handmade landscape oil painting that is unframed, but ready to hang.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
The flowers. Colorful Asters. 1964. Oil on canvas, board, 46x58 cm
Located in Riga, LV
White, yellow and red asters. 1964. Oil on canvas, board, 46x58 cm
Vimba Voldemars ( 1904 St. Petersburg – 1985 Riga, Latvia)
He began his artistic education at the St Petersburg...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Board
At the Seine. 1996. Paper, pastel, 24x41 cm
Located in Riga, LV
At the Seine. 1996. Paper, pastel, 24x41 cm
Cityscape at the Seine
In 1958 he graduated from the Riga Art School of J. Rosenthal, in 1964 Art Academy of Latvian State, painting depa...
Category
1990s Realist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Pastel
Presque Isle (Day 87) June 14, 2022 Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Presque Isle (Day 87) June 14, 2022" by Primary Hughes (United States) is a handmade landscape painting that is unframed, and will require a frame.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Russian Olive Tree", Oil Painting
By Jill Soukup
Located in Denver, CO
Jill Soukup's "Russian Olive Tree" is an oil painting created on location in 2021` that depicts a tree highlighted with sky.
About the artist:
Jill Soukup was born in Buffalo, New...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Santa Anita Dawn
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist.
FRAMED: 17.50" x 21.50" x .75" UNFRAMED: 12" x 16"
Artist Statement
"Before dawn at Santa Anita...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Panel
Graffiti Break
Located in Atlanta, GA
This item is in excellent condition, only shown in a gallery.
Griselda Ferrandez was born in the city of Barcelona, a cosmopolitan and open city. From her balcony she could contempla...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Autumn mood. Oil on cardboard, 38 x 48, 5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Autumn mood. Oil on cardboard, 38x48,5 cm
Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I)
His first professional education was at National University at studies to R.Suta, J. Bine and G. S...
Category
1980s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cardboard
Late Summer, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Late summer on a river in Vermont, the trees are toning down, ready to show their autumn colors.The river flows slowly, there is a bit of a chill in the air. :: Painting :: Realism :...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Richard Firth Oil Painting, Yachting Scene, 'The Big five'
By Richard Firth
Located in Uppingham, GB
VERY RARE, Original Oil on canvas by Richard Firth (Born 1971)
With 'Big Five' Yachts racing off the Royal Yacht Squadron Cowes
Westward, Lullworth, Shamrock, White Heather & Britann...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Evening. 1975, paper, watercolor, 14x19, 4 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Evening. 1975, paper, watercolor, 14x19,4 cm
Herberts Mangolds (1901-1978)
Graphic, army officer.
In 1920 he graduated from the Artillery Cadet School of Latvian and many military c...
Category
1970s Realist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Magic Realistic painting, "Counter Culture"
By Cheryl Tall
Located in San Diego, CA
This is an original mixed media work on canvas by Southern California artist, Cheryl Tall. Its dimensions are 40" x 30" x 1.5". A certificate of authenticity will follow delivery.
...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media
Shepherd and his Flock, original 19thC oil on canvas, Belgian realist genre
Located in Naples, Florida
This is an original and unique oil on canvas painting by the Belgian 19th century artist Julien Jos, who was active from 1890 -1910.
He specialised in rustic genre scenes featuri...
Category
1890s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Batumi. View of the harbor 1987, paper, watercolor, 18.5x30.5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
"Batumi. View of the Harbor" is a watercolor artwork created in 1987 on paper. The dimensions of the artwork are 18.5x30.5 cm. The painting portrays a scenic view of the harbor in B...
Category
1980s Realist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
“Rug With Ring” Abstract Realist Blue and Orange Patterned Textile Still Life
By John Fincher
Located in Houston, TX
The painting depicts an orange/red toned rug centered on a bright blue background with a small image peaking out from underneath the rug. The small photograph has a gold ring set on top of it and includes a date written on the bottom (December 20th, 1979). Signed and dated by the artist in the bottom left corner and currently displayed in a wood frame with gold accents.
Dimensions Without Frame: H 38 in. x W 32 in.
Artist Biography: John Fincher...
Category
1970s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Czech Painting of Rabbis
Located in San Francisco, CA
Fantastic realist painting of two Rabbis having a discussion. Great detailed painting signed Pavlik. There are several listed Pavlik's not sure which one th...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Luscious Strawberries , Still-life, Florence, Realism, Oil Painting.
Located in Houston, TX
Luscious Strawberries is an oil painting done in the style of Realism in the artist studio in Florence, Italy. It is 12.5 x 14 with the frame.It has a custom frame made in Florence ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Reds of Venice" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Daud Akhriev's (EUR and US based) "Reds of Venice" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a boat floating on a channel within the brick lined walls of Venice, Italy.
Ar...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Linen
Legend of Hummingbird
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original painting signed by the Artist on the lower right.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Olaf Schneider, "Tiny Dancer", 16x10 Ballet Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
"Tiny Dancer" by Olaf Schneider is a 16"x10" oil painting on canvas. This life-like painting depicts a brunette ballerina dancer in pose, dressed in blue with a white hair piece tyi...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
'Memory', American school, clapboard house, study of light, window, San Diego
By Sharon Hinckley
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Sharon Hinckley' (American, 20th century), a listed artist and painted circa 1975.
A period watercolor vignette of a sun-dappled clapboard house adorned with co...
Category
1960s Realist Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Paper
Taped Sky
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original watercolor painting by American artist Catherine Koenig.
Category
1980s Realist Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Archival Paper
"Study for decoration Moscow metro station" Kievskaya Tempera, Real socialism
Located in Torino, IT
Real Socialism,Moscow,1970,Russia,Orange,Men at Work,Propaganda
VIKTOR A. KONOVALOV (Uidol, Vladimir region 1912 – Moscow 1995)
Russian painter and gr...
Category
1950s Realist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Tempera
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.