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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
Catch Me if You Can, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A portrait of a woman glowing under the sun captures her quiet confidence. With expressive brushwork and saturated color, the figure feels both glamorous and el...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Regent's Park Barrage Balloons 1940 oil painting by Lord Paul Ayshford Methuen
Located in London, GB
To see our other views of London or Second World War art, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller". Paul Ayshford Methuen (1886 - 1974...
Category

1940s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Landscape. Oil on cardboard, 25x35 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Landscape with mountain. Oil on cardboard, 25x35 cm Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I) His first professional education was at National Univers...
Category

1950s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Morning fog. 1975., cardboard, oil, 49x69 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Morning fog. 1975., cardboard, oil, 49x69 cm Realistic early morning landscape in the village with haystacks in the fog Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I) His first profession...
Category

1970s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Looking to Paris, Olympics 2024, Emerging Artist, Boxing, Steven Navarro
Located in Houston, TX
Looking to Paris 2024 Steven will most likely be on the USA Olympic Boxing Team. Oil on Canvas 30 x 30 Framed This is an original oil painting from emerging Miami artist Carlos Antonio Rancaño...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Heading Out
Located in Greenwich, CT
Sailboat headed out past the Block Island Coast Guard station.
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Nude, Reflection
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting by Contemporary Italian Realist painter, Daniela Astone - A nude figure sits on a sterile, white floor. A mirror presents the figure's back from another angle. She holds a towel up to her face, partially covering her chest and lap. One leg is tucked up behind her, her reflection however shows neither the hand with the towel nor the foot she sits on. Artist Bio: Daniela Astone was born in Pisa, Italy, in 1980 and raised in Porto Santo Stefano...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel, Wood Panel

Armenian Contemporary Art by Kamsar Ohanyan - Inquisitive
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Beth Parcell, "Soft Spot", 9x12 Golden Retriever Dog Portrait Oil Painting
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This animal portrait, "Soft Spot", is a 9x12 oil painting on canvas featuring a deep red golden retriever resting in the light of the sun. About the artist: Beth’s favorite subject...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Edifice" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Judith Peck's (US based) "Edifice" is an oil painting that depicts a feminine figure resting her face on her closed fist while her eyes look away.
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Spring. Oil on cardboard, 40x50 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Spring. Oil on cardboard, 40x50 cm Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I) His first professional education was at National University at studies to...
Category

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

"Roses" Contemporary Dutch Fine Realist Still-Life Painting of Pink Roses
Located in Utrecht, NL
During his successful career as a goldsmith the desire to paint grew on Dutch artist René Smoorenburg (1954). The attention to detail, which was of great importance in his work as a ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Oil On Canvas " two ballerinas " By Maria Szantho with Frame
Located in Gavere, BE
"Two Ballerinas Oil On Canvas By Maria Szantho Frame" Nice and large painting "two ballerinas", painted by the female artist Maria Szantho (1897 - 1998) Hungarian school. Maria Szant...
Category

1960s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

'Fishermen Boats in Harbour of Cascais' by Kunz Meyer-Waldeck (1859 –1953)
Located in Knokke, BE
Meyer-Waldeck Kunz Mitau 1859 –1953 Neuburg Fishermen Boats in Harbour of Cascais, Portugal German Painter Signature: Signed bottom right Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: Image s...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The taxi is waiting
Located in Oslo, NO
The idea for this work came to the artist when he, waiting for a taxi that was supposed to take him to the airport, decided to warm up in frosty weather with a cup of hot coffee. The...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Christian Haug, 1862 – 1953, Norwegian Painter, Oil on Canvas, Signed and Placed
Located in Knokke, BE
Haug Christian Soleur, Norway 1862 – 1953 Munich, Germany Norwegian Painter Deer in a Winter Landscape Signature: Signed bottom right and placed Mu...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Waves. Watercolor, paper, 55 x 93 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Waves. Watercolor, paper, 55 x 93 cm Zigmunds Šņore was born in 1942 in Latvia. His works has been exhibited since 1969 and are held in private collections in Latvia, USA, Sweden, ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Prickly pear, Painting, Oil on Wood Panel
Located in Yardley, PA
Prickly pears are fascinating to me. So inaccessible but at the same time so beautiful. :: Painting :: Realism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signe...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Sunset 1970, paper/watercolor., 20x24 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Sunset 1970, paper/watercolor., 20x24 cm Herberts Mangolds (1901-1978) Graphic, army officer. In 1920 he graduated from the Artillery Cadet School ...
Category

1970s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Spring Arrives in Hollister, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A stretch of yellow mustard fields contrasts beautifully with the bright blue sky. Fluffy clouds drift overhead, adding depth and movement to the scene. The pai...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Tomahawk Steak - Realist Oil Painting
Located in Tulsa, OK
Abra Johnson's "Tomahawk Steak" is a mouthwatering gem of culinary realism. This 24" x 12" oil painting showcases a perfectly cooked rare Tomahawk steak on a rustic cutting board...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Oxen by Anna Abys-Lotz - Oil on Canvas/Board - 43x30 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Anna Abys-Lotz (1861–1945) was a Swiss painter born on October 10, 1861, in Basel, where she also passed away on July 4, 1945. She specialized in watercolor paintings, focusing on la...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

Strawberry Harvest
Located in London, GB
Image dimensions: 60cm x 50cm Framed dimensions: 73cm x 63cm Signed lower left. Still life of strawberries with an assortment of dinnerware. Born in Antwerp on 17 May 1935, Wil...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Timeless Dreamer" Whimsical Oil Painting of Mouse
Located in Denver, CO
Claudia Griesbach- Martucci's "Timeless Dreamer" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a mouse perched atop a clock with a crescent moon in the background. About the A...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Mountain Ash" (2024) by Anna Wypych, Original Realist Floral Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Currant" by Anna Wypych is an original handmade 8" x 10" realist oil painting. The piece depicts a black cat, tucked behind a branch of holly. This piece is framed in an intricate g...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Portrait of Giuseppe Baretti, Late 18th Century, After Sir Joshua Reynolds
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
After Sir Joshua Reynolds (English, 1723 - 1792) " Portrait of Giuseppe Baretti ", circa late 18th Century Oil on Canvas 30" x 25" Housed in a 2 3/4" Frame Overall Size 35" x 2...
Category

Late 18th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Old McDonald's Farm" Aaron Bohrod, Pun Humor, Magic Realism, Midwestern Rural
Located in New York, NY
Aaron Bohrod Old McDonald's Farm, 1989 Signed lower right Oil on gesso board 14 x 18 inches Aaron Bohrod's work has not been limited to one style or medium. Initially recognized as ...
Category

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Morning Nook" (2025), Original Landscape Still Life Oil Painting on Panel
Located in Denver, CO
"Hosta Party" by Tracy Wall (United States) is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a landscape and is framed and ready to hang. As an artist, Tracy Wall sheds new light ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Swan Lake, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Painting Lake. Swans: a rich palette of green, white swans on the lake, the reflection of the sky in the water, clouds, evoke a feeling of love and gratitude to nature. The picture h...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Bread and Butter" Large Still Life of Bread, Butter and Knife on Gray/Tan
Located in Wellesley, MA
"Bread and Butter," Oil on Canvas, 32 x 48 Inches, is an elegant, large-scale, highly realistic still life of a twisted loaf of bread (like a brioche), butter in its foil wrapper par...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Beach (Triptych) Thailand
Located in Burlingame, CA
Bing Zhang’s The Beach (Triptych), a large-scale oil on canvas painting presented by Andra Norris Gallery in California, is a striking testament to the artist’s command of realist fi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

My Peregrinations 4
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The artist painted this work during his trying times and expressed himself while passing through difficult situations to tell his stories of how he overcame every feature of the pain...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Morning Light - original seascape contemporary coast realism oil painting nature
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. In this shoreline seascape painting, contemporary realist Alex...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Essence of Life
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Hidden within the textured depths of this coffee bean are symbols that unfold like a visual narrative. On the left, a delicate leaf emerges, a symbol of growth and renewal. To the ri...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Red Buoy on the Main
Located in Oslo, NO
The painting depicts a view of the Main and the mountainous opposite bank, on the right of which the famous Chapel by architect Balthasar Neumann is visible. The landscape is painted...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Flamingo, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
A small flock of pink Flamingo gather in the water of the Florida Everglades. This wildlife painting has been created by Anthony Dunphy using professional grade acrylics on a sheet o...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Oil Painting "Winter Skating Scene" by Anton Doll (1826-1877)
Located in Uppingham, GB
Oil Painting, Landscape "Winter Skating Scene" by Anton Doll (1826-1877) ...
Category

1850s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

“LABERINTOS DE SILENCIO“. Contemporary, realism, figurative, oil, landscape, wat
Located in MADRID, ES
Contemporary, realism, figurative, oil, landscapa, waterscape, pastel colors, earth colors
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Wood, Oil

Pomegranate, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The painting depicts large pomegranate seeds in their realistic beauty. By enlarging the size of small objects in art, we can look at them closely, study their nature and constructio...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Evening Light, Florence" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Daud Akhriev's (EUR and US based) "Evening Light, Florence" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a street within the terracotta lined walls of an Italian city. Artist Biography: The Soviet educational system singled out 8-year-old Daud Akhriev for special arts training. He painted and drew under the best painters and instructors for the next fourteen years. This culminated in a master’s degree from the Russian Academy in Leningrad (sic), after an obligatory two years in the Russian army. Though representational in orientation, Russian Academic philosophy encourages sampling, experimenting, and referencing styles and techniques from all of art history. The Russian academic training at its best imparts an artist a wide array of abilities honed to such that technical struggle is greatly reduced, leaving more time for experimentation and creativity. Akhriev, who enthusiastically cultivated all skills and styles while at the Academy, is an artist with public works in mosaic, oil on linen, water media, cast bronze monumental sculpture and ceramics. He is comfortable working in decorative styles, designing fabrics and patterns, and is equally at ease switching into Old Master oil painting. He admires Rembrandt and Schiele, Moser and Mailloll, Velasquez, Sargent and Sorolla. Akhriev is a Master Signature member of Oil Painters of America, the Artists Union of Russia, as well as the Association of Pastel Painters of Spain, the British Association of Modern Mosaicists, and the Society of American Mosaic Artists. He has won numerous prizes from the Salon International and International Masters Exhibitions in Texas, and at OPA regional and national exhibitions. He won Grand Prize from Pastel Magazine’s international 100 competition in 2015 and was twice honored again in 2017. Erlanger Hospital awarded Akhriev and team the creation of their non-denominational chapel which won “Ten Best Mosaic in Situ” in 2016 from the Society of American Mosaic Artists. He is an internationally renowned instructor of figurative and landscape painting and drawing. His work is published in several art books in Russian, Chinese and English. Magazines such as Fine Art Connoisseur, Pastel Journal and Artists Magazine have large features on his work. Currently his pastel paintings are at the Ming Gallery of Pastel Painting in Suzhou, China, by invitation, and are going to be in the inaugural exhibition of the new Chinese museum pastel painting throughout history through the present day. He has served as a juror for Oil Painters of America, and he frequently teaches masterclasses in Italy. The artist is a huge sports fan and loves film and travel. He speaks Russian, Ingush, English, basic Spanish, and can communicate using hand gestures in any other language. His extracurricular passion is teaching young artists. He resides in Tennessee and Andalusia, Spain with his artist wife, Melissa Hefferlin.
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Linen

Taped Sky
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original watercolor painting by American artist Catherine Koenig.
Category

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Archival Paper, Watercolor

African Poppy, Realism, Acrylic w/Resin, Floral Painting, Gallery Wrap
Located in Houston, TX
June Arthur is a Scottish artist based in Houston Texas . She studied fine art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, Scotland .Jun...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Resin, Acrylic

"Out in the Cold" - Oil Landscape Painting With Snowy Cabin and Mountains
Located in Denver, CO
Mark Harrison's "Home and Dry" is an original, handmade oil painting that captures a fleeting yet powerful moment in the American landscape. Created in 2024, this horizontal composit...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Still Life Flowers & Ewer, 19th C.
Located in Astoria, NY
19th Century School, Still Life Scene with Flowers and Ewer, Oil on Canvas, unsigned, giltwood frame. Image: 11.5" H x 15.5" W; frame: 19.25" H x 23" W x 2.75" D. Provenance: From a ...
Category

19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Champ, oil, ARC Salon Finalist, Portrait Society of America, Florence
Located in Houston, TX
The Champ was painted over several days in the artist studio in Florence, Italy. The painting measures 16 x 12 with a handmade frame from Italy. This is oil on a linen panel which ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil, Panel

"Liberté", a photorealist side profile of a rooster with a proud red features
Located in Edgartown, MA
Michel Brosseau was born in Nantes and has lived in Bordeaux for many years. Both cities are on the Atlantic coast of France and have rich maritime histories, highlighted by prospero...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Highland Cattle in a Mountain Glen, original oil on canvas, 19thC British
Located in Naples, Florida
This is a stunning artwork entitled a ‘Landscape with Highland Cattle’. It is circa 20th Century and is an original oil on canvas painting by the English Artist William Perring Holly...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"The View Of Jerusalem" 19th-century Realism Orientalist Oil on Panel
Located in Jacksonville, FL
Provenance: Private Collection, Palm Beach, Fl. AB Levy Gallery, October, 2019 Description: Experience the captivating artistry of Anna Richards Brewster (1870...
Category

Early 1900s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Plastic Figure 4" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Jason Walker's (CAN based) "Plastic Figure 4" is an oil painting that depicts a lone pink plastic Cowboy figure toy drawing his weapon in the darkness. ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Miguel Peidro, "Autumn Reflections" 39x39 Fall Trees Pond Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This piece, "Autumn Reflections", is a 39x39 oil painting on canvas by Miguel Peidro. Peidro's use of bold color and contrast stand out against the bright water reflections incorpora...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sunset Dream-original figurative seascape oil painting- sunset modern Art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "In the enchanting masterpiece 'Sunset Dreaming' by Nikki Baxe...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

I'll Keep Waiting, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
One-of-a-kind Realism Original Oil Painting on canvas by Gardani available for you. Hand signed by the Artist front and back, comes with official Gardani Certificate of Authenticity ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Aster flowers 1977 Paper, watercolor. 71x56.5cm
Located in Riga, LV
Aster flowers Paper, watercolor. 71x56.5cm 1977. "Aster Flowers" is a visually captivating and expressive watercolor painting, celebrating the beauty of nature and the artistry of the floral still life genre. Through the use of watercolors on paper, the artist has created a vibrant and enchanting composition, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the timeless allure of colorful aster flowers in a delicate and graceful vase arrangement. Janis Brekte...
Category

1970s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

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

Saving Time, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
I like to collect anything that is colorful and would be fun to paint in a still life. I had saved some watch boxes and arranged them into a still life in my studio with some bright...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Hallway's Venus
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
One of a kind, original oil painting on board by Zhaoming Wu. Signed lower right. Framed Dimensions: 21.75 X 24.75
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

The lakeshore. 1972, oil on cardboard, 30x35 cm
Located in Riga, LV
The lakeshore. 1972, oil on canvas end board, 30x35 cm Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I) His first professional education was at National Unive...
Category

1970s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Painted by the Breeze, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Andres Lopez captures a mesmerizing scene of glistening water with a vibrant orange reflection. The painting captures the play of light on the ocean's su...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of A Bull Lying Down
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 5.5 x 7 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Ha...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

“Flowers in a Vase and Peach” - Oil on Canvas - 87x63 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Artwork sold with frame (76.5 x 100 x 5 cm)
Category

Late 19th 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.

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