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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
"The Necklace" Oil on board by Telopa
Located in Carmel, CA
Telopa, the father and son of artists, paints women in an elegant Mannerist style that combines classic beauty and mythological, symbolic allegory. A...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Woman in Blue Hat
Located in Boston, MA
Signed lower right: "S. Simkhovitch". Estate stamp on backing board verso.
Category

1930s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

The Pico/ Aliso Station; First St., Los Angeles
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Artist Statement "Escaping the traffic of the freeway and slipping into downtown from the east, I find so much inspiratio...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

View of Collins Center, Erie County, New York by Charles Lewis Fussell
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Charles Lewis Fussell (American, 1840–1909) Collins Center Oil on canvas, 8 3/4 x 6 3/4 inches FRAMED: 14 x 12 inches (approx.) Collins Center, is a small town in Erie County in nor...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Kakadu
Located in Deddington, GB
A memory of past travels to the beautiful, unspoilt and timeless Kakadu National Park in Australia's Northern Territories. The white egret provides the focal point, flying above the wetlands towards the distant gum trees with their distinctive white trunks. The main colours are blends of blues and greens with a cream strip defining the break between floodplains and land. Helen Robinson, painter, is available for sale online and in our art gallery at Wychwood Art. Helen Robinson's atmospheric oil paintings represent impressionable moments in her life, mostly inspired by her love of travel and the sea. Following a career in town planning, Helen pursued her interest in art and has now been painting regularly for over 15 years. In 2013, she obtained an Honours degree in Art History when she found she was drawn mostly to artists who painted light. Influences include the 17th century Dutch landscape painters...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Outskirts of town. 1959, oil on cardboard, 44x54 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Outskirts of town. 1959, oil on cardboard, 44x54 cm Realistic sunny landscape Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I) His first professional education was a...
Category

1950s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Farmhouse. 1985. Oil on canvas. 80x74 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Farmhouse. 1985. Oil on canvas. 80x74 cm Henri Klebah (b. 1928.24.X Riga - 1998.) – painter. 1946 – 1949 – studied at Secondary Art school of J. Rozentals 1946 – 1949 – Latvian Stat...
Category

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, 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

Landscape Silhouette, Portuguese Bend
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Description Painted on plein air in the artist's community of Portuguese Bend, this is a f...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nineteenth Century Winter Landscape in Pennsylvania by Thomas Birch
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Thomas Birch (American, born England, 1779-1851) Winter Landscape, Pennsylvania Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches FRAMED: 27 x 33 inches (approx.) Thomas Birch was born in Warwickshire, England, son of the enamel and miniature painter William Russell Birch (1755-1834). He and his father settled in Philadelphia in 1794 and produced popular sets of engravings that documented the city's growth such as The City of Philadelphia (1800) and Country Seats (1808). Thomas Birch began to paint portraits around 1806, and soon gravitated to the subjects that made him famous, landscapes, winter scenes, and marine scenes. Birch also painted numerous winter scenes throughout his career, perhaps influenced by the popularity of sleighing and skating in Philadelphia. His landscapes represented the more rustic tradition of English painting and although the subject matter was either the Pennsylvania of New Jersey countryside, Birch’s imagination was oriented toward seventeenth century Dutch painting as he was influenced by artists Jan van Goyen and Salomon van Ruysdael. Birch frequently exhibited his work at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Artists’ Fund Society, formed in 1835. His art was influential in the later development of the Hudson River School of painting and the style of romantic realism...
Category

Early 19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

By the lake. Oil on cardboard, 40x50 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Landscape by the lake. Oil on cardboard, 40x50 cm Arnolds Pankoks (born 1914.21.IX - 2008.) Graduated Art Academy of Latvia (1937 – 43, 1945 – 47) with diploma work "Restoration of ...
Category

1990s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Beth Parcell, "Lush Pasture", 16x20 Equine Horse Field Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This vibrant landscape piece, "Lush Pasture", is a 16x20 featuring three brown horses grazing in a green pasture surrounded by the warm afternoon sun light. Lush green trees fill the...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Still life with flowers. Oil on canvas, 110x80 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Still life with flowers. Oil on canvas, 110x80 cm
Category

1870s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Trio, Painting, Oil on MDF Panel
Located in Yardley, PA
Cheese, bread and wine. What a trio. :: Painting :: Realism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: No :: Signed: Yes...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Tropical Paradise
Located in Zofingen, AG
I have completed a new still life. Some of the props were given to me for my birthday, they were fruits. That prompted me to put on a still life. The frame for the painting has alrea...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lullabye, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
The warm colors of an August sunset spread across the vibrant Pacific sky. Gentle reflections dance on the calm ocean surface. The scene radiates a serene energ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

At the sea. 2020, Watercolor, paper, 61 x 62 cm
Located in Riga, LV
At the sea. 2020, Watercolor, paper, 62,5 x 85 cm Zigmunds Šņore was born in 1942 in Latvia. His works has been exhibited since 1969 and are held in private collections in Latvia, ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"Docked in the Evening Light" Realist oil painting, boats reflecting on water
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Docked in the Evening Light" is a realist oil on linen painting. It depicts the evening light reflecting on water that has several small boats floating. Blue boats are tied with rop...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

The Rabbit Hutch, Charles Hunt, Jr, British, Children, Animals
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Charles Hunt, Jr. was born in Kensington, London, in 1829 and was part of a dynasty of painters. He was the son of the genre painter Charles Hunt (1803-1877) and father to four sons ...
Category

19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Sunflowers in a Mediterranean Landscape
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 ...
Category

20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Dandelions are blooming. 1981. Oil on cardboard, 40x50 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Dandelions are blooming. 1981. Oil on cardboard, 40x50 cm Realistic sunny landscape with dandelions and lilacs Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I) His first professional educat...
Category

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

A Pair of Pheasants in a Sussex Landscape, Oil Painting by Alfred Oliver
By Alfred Oliver
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Alfred Oliver, British (1886 - 1921) Title: A Pair of Pheasants in Sussex Landscape Year: circa 1910 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. Size: ...
Category

1910s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Ken Otsuka, "Quiet Conversation" 38x46 Rocky Ocean Shore Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This serene piece, "Quiet Conversation", is a 38x46 oil painting on canvas by artist Ken Otsuka featuring a unique perspective, looking straight down on a p...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Tranquility" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Mia Bergeron's (US based) "Tranquility" is an oil painting that depicts a lone white bowl filled with pomegranate seeds sitting with a halved pomegranate on a white surface. Mia Be...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Linen, Panel

Yearning, oil painting, Classical Realism, Norweigan Artist, Florence Academy
Located in Houston, TX
Yearning is painted in the style of Classical Realism in Florence Italy. Yearning was mastered in the Realist style while studying at The Florence A...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Chinese Contemporary Art by Su Yu - Flowers are Crying
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas Su Yu is a Chinese artist born in 1987 who lives & works in Beijing in China. He was an old student of prestigious art teachers as Shi Liang & Chen Danqing at Oil Pain...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Rene Pablo Louise Still Life Spider" Contemporary Realist Interior Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Realist still life painting by contemporary Houston artist Scott Woodard. The work features art historical references to iconic artists such as Rene Magritte, Pablo Picasso, and Loui...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

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

New Year's Day, Y2K : artwork in the genre of narrative realism
Located in New York, NY
Painting by a contemporary artist Audrey Ushenko. Audrey Ushenko works in the genre of narrative realism. Her works are rich, complex figurative and still life paintings. They are stories of recurring human issues often prompted by a twisted reality. Ushenko’s earlier works where primarily mythological and allegorical. Her later works are focused on depicting human situations and interactions of people who are both living and dead. These paintings represent social situations, timeless stories and enduring issues that are rendered with a contemporary twist. Always a significant element in Ms. Ushenko’s work is her integration of Venetian Renaissance methods of paint application with Impressionist color and light theory. The combination of the old masters’ technique of glazing the canvas and carefully layered surfaces of paint enhance the luminosity of Ushenko’s work. Audrey Ushenko has exhibited her work extensively throughout the United States including several shows at Denise Bibro Fine Art, NYC; the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, IN; The National Academy of Design, NYC; University Museum, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bouquet. 1995, oil on canvas, 44, 5x42 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Bouquet. 1995, oil on canvas, 44,5x42 cm
Category

1990s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

On the Roof with a Cat
Located in Zofingen, AG
A mesmerizing fusion of elegance and mystery, this painting captures a woman draped in flowing turquoise fabric, standing on a rooftop, her presence seamlessly merging with the city’...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Street view at spring. Oil on cardboard, 97x130 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Small town view at spring. Oil on cardboard, 97x130 cm
Category

Early 2000s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Autumn landscape. 1978. Paper, watercolor, 53x62 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Autumn landscape. 1978. Paper, watercolor, 53x62 cm Dzidra Bauma (1930) Dzidra Bauma works in watercolor technique. She paint figural compositions, portraits, landscapes, flowers a...
Category

1970s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Blue Ribbon Coffee
Located in Tulsa, OK
Materials: oil painting on custom cut Birchwood Abra Johnson's "Blue Ribbon Coffee" transforms a vintage tin into a mesmerizing work of art. This oil painting, painstakingly rendered...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Birch, Oil, Wood Panel

Ego, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
David Cheifetz's "Ego is an oil painting featuring a dark skull contrasted with a light background. About the artist: David is an internationally acclaimed and collected artist wh...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Valencian Flower Pickers ", Early 20th Century Oil on Canvas by José Mongrell
Located in Madrid, ES
JOSÉ MONGRELL Spanish, 1870 - 1937 VALENCIAN FLOWER PICKERS signed “J. Mongrell” lower left oil on canvas 29-1/4 x 45 inches (74 x 114 cm.) framed: 42-3/...
Category

1910s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Goldfish
By Julie Fleming-Williams
Located in London, GB
From glorious observations of the everyday, Julie Fleming-Williams’ work is as eclectic as it is engaging. Julie has exhibited at the Royal Academy and her paintings have sold at Chr...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Morning 1965, paper/watercolor, 15x21 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Morning 1965, paper/watercolor, 15x21 cm Herberts Mangolds (1901-1978) Graphic, army officer. In 1920 he graduated from the Artillery Cadet School of Latvian and many military cour...
Category

1960s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"Faun and Fawn" Aaron Bohrod, Realist Still Life, Deer and Putti
Located in New York, NY
Aaron Bohrod Faun and Fawn, 1984 Signed lower right Oil on gesso board 16 x 12 inches Aaron Bohrod's work has not been limited to one style or medium. Initially recognized as a regionalist painter of American scenes, particularly of his native Chicago, Bohrod later devoted himself to detailed still-life paintings rendered in the trompe l'oeil style. He also worked for several years in ceramics and wrote a book on pottery. Born in 1907, Bohrod began his studies at Chicago's Crane Junior College in 1925, and two years later enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago. But it was at the Art Students League in New York City, from 1930 to 1932, that he studied under the man believed to be his most significant early influence, John Sloan. Sloan's romantic realism is reflected in the many depictions of Chicago life, which comprised most of Bohrod's early work. Under Sloan's tutelage, Bohrod came to subscribe to the belief that painters should find the subjects of their art in the immediate world around them. These paintings emphasized architecture unique to north Chicago and featured Chicagoans engaged in such everyday activities as working, playing or going to the theatre. The romantic aspect was conveyed by the use of misty colors, and the realism by attention to detail. In 1936, Bohrod won the Guggenheim Fellowship award in creative painting...
Category

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Composition with jars and fruit. Realistic Oil painting still-life Bright colors
Located in Segovia, ES
Composition with jars and fruit. Realistic Oil painting still-life Bright colors. Oil on panel by Spanish artist Álvaro Toledo. Measurements in centimeters: 44 x 71 x 1 cm / Framed...
Category

1990s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

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

Oil, Linen, Panel

"Stretched back" nude acrylic paint on bristol paper 65x49cm
Located in Saint Pol de Léon, Bretagne
"Fascination" abstract acrylic paint on bristol paper linen panel 54x81cm 2014 The title is enough on its own… tonic color chords.
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Apples, Onions, Blue Bowl, realism, colorful contemporary still life
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Doug Newton says of this work, "Inspired by some red and yellow apples and onions from our local market. The blue bowl was borrowed from my daughter, Rachel. I hope the colors can br...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

German Wild Turkey Chicken Oil Painting Animal Farm Antique Von Wille 1868
Located in Buffalo, NY
An antique German animal painting by Clara Von Wille which features Wild Turkeys and chickens in a whimsical setting. Original period frame.
Category

1860s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Óleo sobre tabla - Bodegón con elementos chinescos - Año 1929
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Excepcional obra del prestigioso pintor holandes Albert Boven (Bruselas, act. sig. xix - xx) Se trata de un oleo sobre tabla de gran tamaño y calidad Representando un bodegon con e...
Category

1920s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"The Light on Jupiter" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Robin Cole's (Us based) "The Light on Jupiter" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a man in foliage in dappled sun. Nature and those that ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

River in May, 2022., oil on canvas, 60x80 cm
Located in Riga, LV
"I like to observe nature, animals, birds, landscapes. I depict my observations in paintings. Painting helps me to see, feel and understand the world, to be part of the world." -Jānis Ziņgītis...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Resist" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Mia Bergeron's (US based) "Resist" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a woman, with straight across bangs, in profile where the bright light from a window casts her s...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Baltic Sea. 2018, acrylic on canvas, 30x40 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Baltic Sea at Liepaja. 2018, acrylic on canvas, 30x40 cm Janis Zingitis born in 1973 in Riga, Latvia (then Soviet Union). Attended Janis Rozentals Riga...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Bondage-Medusa, male figure, classical architecture details mythical realism
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mythical realism, grey tones, semi- nude male, homo-erotic figure
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Doll with Pals, childhood toys, realistic oil painting
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Realist artist Doug Newton says, Inspired by a doll and stuffed animals from my grown daughter's childhood. I enjoy painting the textures and patterns of the stuffed animals and the ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Nude Painting by Andre Belichenko (Russian).
Located in Uppingham, GB
Nude with Silks by Andre Belichenko ( Russian) Andrei Belichenko was born in 1974 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. He is a graduate of the Republican Art Schoo (1990). Andrei studied in t...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Painter. 2011, oil on canvas, 80x60 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Painter. 2011, oil on canvas, 80x60 cm
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sea, 1980. Cardboard, oil, 56x68 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Painter, art teacher Valters Uzticis was born on 19 July 1914 in Daugavpils into a family of labourers. From 1932 to 1936 he studied at the Liepāja Art Secondary School. In 1943 he graduated from the master workshop of figurative painting of Professor Ludolfs Liberts...
Category

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Beautiful day at the Sea. 2018. Paper, watercolor, 21x30 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Beautiful day at the Sea. 2018. Paper, watercolor, 21x30 cm Zigmunds Šņore was born in 1942 in Latvia. His works has been exhibited since 1969 and are held in private collections i...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

My garden flowers. 1974, oil on cardboard, 100x77 cm
Located in Riga, LV
My garden flowers. 1974, oil on cardboard, 100x77 cm Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I) His first professional education was at National University at studies to R.Suta, J. Bi...
Category

1970s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Red Boat Moored, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
boat moored in river on Cape Cod :: Painting :: Realism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: Yes :: Signed: Yes :: ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Contemporary portrait "Dress Code: Desert"
Located in Zofingen, AG
This artwork throws three impeccably dressed figures into the middle of a vast, sun-drenched desert—because nothing says "existential crisis" like wearing all black under the scorchi...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

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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