Skip to main content

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.

to
1,348
1,863
1,406
1,294
1,154
1,143
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
43
498
1,291
5,028
68
46
47
78
45
61
87
128
149
141
32
42,967
37,601
22,293
8,403
4,017
3,650
3,283
2,515
1,209
1,188
1,050
1,029
451
300
3,464
2,451
871
2,459
1,384
1,261
1,085
742
682
619
574
514
474
426
391
346
317
313
299
293
273
250
249
6,638
5,507
2,585
2,330
802
101
68
51
49
42
3,088
565
3,839
2,312
Style: Realist
"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

Linen, 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

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

Paper, Watercolor

"Cityscape in Yellow", Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Dianne L. Massey Dunbar's (US based) "Cityscape in Yellow" is an oil painting that depicts a busy city street lined with cars and buildings, all cast in a warm yellow light. About...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Rabbi in Prayer
Located in Surfside, FL
20th century Judaica realist oil portrait, synagogue interior.
Category

20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

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

Winter Landscape Oil Painting Michael Budden Lumberville Bucks Co Del. River
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Here is a winter landscape study painting, just touched up, of a home in Lumberville, PA along the Delaware River. I particularly like the play of warm and cool colors produced by th...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Chalk, Block and Mirror, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
David Cheifetz's "Chalk, Block and Mirror" is an oil painting featuring fruit juxtaposed with blocks. About the artist: David is an internationally acclaimed and collected artist ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

The motorcycle
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
The Motorcycle, an oil painting that captures the soul of an era, where history intertwines with nostalgia and the passage of time becomes palpable. At the center of the composition,...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Stardust" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Sara Scribner's (US based) "Stardust" is an oil painting that depicts a realistic portrait of a feminine form in profile wearing blue in a blue interior ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Beth Parcell, "Winter Hunt", 9x12 Snowy Equine Fox Hunt Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This snowy scene, "Winter Hunt" is a 9x12 landscape oil painting on canvas depicting a fox hunt on a winter day. Huntsmen wearing red coats atop their horses among a snow cover fiel...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lava Flow Into Sea - Hawaii - Oil On Canvas - Abstract Painting By Dante Rondo
Located in Carmel, CA
Any novelist battling through writer’s block might be excited to encounter Dante Rondo, whose life has been a collage of free-spirited experiences that would satisfy the most vicario...
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

Cricket: Defending the Wicket, 1930s vintage poster design by A. E. Halliwell
Located in London, GB
A. E. Halliwell (1905-1987) Defending the Wicket Airbrush and pen 13 x 13 cm c.1930 Signed to the bottom right Provenance: Family of the artist A.E. Halliwell (1905–1986) was a Bri...
Category

1930s Realist Paintings

Materials

Ballpoint Pen

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

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Archival Paper, Watercolor

The Ficus, Cat, and She...
Located in Zofingen, AG
The woman sits as if she’s just signed a decree to cancel all problems. Her sunglasses have slid down her nose, revealing a gaze that radiates calm while subtly asking, "What now?" T...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Robert K. White "Unbound Elegance" Oil on Canvas, Large-Scale Figurative Work
Located in Miami, FL
ROBERT KENNETH WHITE – "UNBOUND ELEGANCE" Oil on Canvas ⚜ Signed and Dated Lower Left ⚜ Frameless Display A LUXURIANT STUDY IN MOTION AND FORM Robert Kenneth White’s Unbound Elegan...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of William Shakespeare, Nineteenth Century oil painting
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Unknown Artist (English or American, nineteenth century) William Shakespeare Oil on canvas, mounted on board; 9 x 7 1/4 inches FRAMED: 14 1/2 x 13 inches (approx.) This work depicts...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Until the final bloom - 21st Century Realistic Still-life Painting with a bird
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Jeanine Donkers Until the final bloom 40 x 40 cm ( framed included in price) Measurement with included frame: 44 x 44 cm Oil on wood panel Jeanine Donkers' paintings offer a world ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Daugava river. 1950, oil on cardboard, 46x37 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Daugava river. 1950, oil on cardboard, 46x37 cm Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I) His first professional education was at National University at studies to R.Suta, J. Bine an...
Category

1950s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

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

"FACES" oil on canvas by Ziggy Stardust LP cover artist 44x34" framed
Located in Southampton, NY
In continuing with representing fine artists that are connected to the music industry we are please to represent the paintings of British artist George Underwood...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

Trees in the park. 1978. Paper, pastel, 37.5x29.5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Trees in the park. 1978. Paper, pastel, 37.5x29.5 cm In 1958 he graduated from the Riga Art School of J. Rosenthal, in 1964 Art Academy of Latvian State, painting department, Head of the diploma work "Working in the forest" E. Kalninsh. He participated in the exhibition since 1966. Member of Artists Union of Latvia since 1970. From 1993-2000 member of the Association "B13". He worked as a teacher at the Riga 19th school and in the 17th evening high school (1961-1965), in the Riga Art School of J. Rosenthal (1965-1981), worked at the Arts Academy of Latvia since 1981 - in charge of Department of Painting (1993- 1998), professor since 1993. From 1997- 2000 Professor at the Evangelical Lutheran Christian Academy of Latvia. At the end of the 60s, in the 70s painted many figurative compositions of the historical genre. Reborn impression of cubism, painted still lifes and landscapes. Paintings by Janis...
Category

1970s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Pastel

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

Bridge to Sunset, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A figure crosses a bridge that overlooks the Hudson River and Jersey City. The vertical stains on the structure mirror the city skyline, while the clouds echo t...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Blue Wood - Oil Acrylic Figurative Painting Ivory Blue White Brown Green
Located in Sofia, BG
" The blue wood " is a modern art line painting by Maestro Dimitar Voynov -Junior, About the artwork: TECHNIQUE: Acrylic, oil on canvas painting STYLE: Realistic, Contemporary E...
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

"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

light. Water., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
light. Water. The shine of the ocean, small waves, the glare of the sun on the water create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. Made in the style of realism. Part of a permanent...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Oil on Canvas Titled: Defines
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
oil on canvas-earlier work Christina Major was born in Concord, New Hampshire in 1982. She has lived all over the world including Hawaii, France, New York and more currently Florida....
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

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

Rural life. 1970s, cardboard, oil, 23.5x36.5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Rural life. 1970s, cardboard, oil, 23.5x36.5 cm Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I) His first professional education was at National University at studies to R.Suta, J. Bine an...
Category

1970s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

"The Rose 03.12.2014" Realist oil painting, rose in vase with black background
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"The Rose 03.12.2014" is a realist oil on linen painting. It depicts a rose reaching up from a glass vase with a dark green and black background. Frame Dimensions 8 x 6inches Fra...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Study for 'Before Grace'" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Raymond Bonilla's (US based) "Study for 'Before Grace'" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a quiet scene of baskets of produce with warm orange afternoon light. Abo...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

In the realm of the forest king. 2017, Oil on canvas, 120x160 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

The Pursuit
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
One of a kind, original oil and gold leaf painting on canvas by Sarah Woods. Signed lower left. Framed Dimensions: 25.75 X 13.75
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Sea. Oil on canvas, 61x70 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Sea. Oil on canvas, 61x70 cm Dontsov German (1916. Saratow, Russia – 2001. Riga, Latvia) His professional carrier began at Art School of Astrakhan (1934 – 1939) and cont...
Category

1950s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Prisoner of Love" Figurative Oil Painting 47" x 47" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Prisoner of Love" Figurative Oil Painting 47" x 47" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy 2019 ATTENTION: Painting ships rolled in a tube. A look through Dmitriy’s designs reveals a glamorous,...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary 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

Train Engine, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Train Engine" is an oil painting created in 2020 by Dianne L. Massey Dunbar depicting a lego train. About the artist: When Dianne Massey Dunbar was ver...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

A pointer and English setter on the scent
Located in London, GB
Eugène Petit (1839-1886) Setters on point oil on canvas 15 x 18 ¼ in. (38.1 x 46.4 cm.) This atmospheric oil painting by Eugène Petit (1839–1886) captures a pair of gundogs—likely a...
Category

19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Gathering Hops, British Realist, William A. Witherington, Genre, Figural
Located in Wiscasset, ME
William Frederick Witherington was born in London in 1785. In 1805, he began his studies at the Royal Academy Schools. He first exhibited at the British Institution in 1808, and at the Royal Academy in 1811, where he continued to exhibit almost every year. He also exhibited for several years at the Birmingham Society of Arts. He travelled around England painting views of rural life in Devon, Kent, Wales and the Lake District. During the 18th and 19th centuries the hop gardens of Kent, Sussex and Surrey provided artists with a rich source of subject matter. The picking season was the English equivalent of the French and Italian grape...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Frari bell tower in the fog
Located in Oslo, NO
The landscape was painted directly from life in Venice. It depicts a typical Venetian canal on a foggy winter day. In the water there are old buildings with peeling plaster exposing ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

SOLSTICE
Located in Pollenca, Illes Baleares
Colin Fraser's remarkable tempera still-life and landscapes have a luminosity that seems to irradiate from them. It’s an effect that conjures a remembering of the timeless moment or ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Egg Tempera

In the vicinity of Main in winter
Located in Oslo, NO
The work is in an unusual vertical format for a landscape. Fallen snow is depicted. A rare phenomenon for Europe. A provincial town in Bavaria on the banks of the Main, to which the ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mediterranean Breeze - original surreal realism seascape floral oil painting
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. Luis Fuentes brings the tranquil elegance of the Mediterranean...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Half Length Portrait of Mr. Robertson of Edinburgh
Located in Miami, FL
Half Length Portrait of Mr. Robertson Sir. Henry Raeburn ( Scottish 1756 - 1823 ) Half Length Portrait of Mr. Robertson 29x 24 Purchased, J Leger & Son,...
Category

18th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Boat on the river bank. 1980. Oil on cardboard, 54x41 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Boat on the river bank. 1980. Oil on cardboard, 54x41 cm Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I) His first professional education was at National University at studies to R.Suta, J...
Category

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

"Good Dog" Animal Portrati Contemporary Moden American Folk Oil Painting
Located in Wellesley, MA
Good Dog Oil on Panel 9 3/4 x 16 Inches Charlotte Gibbs recently had the distinct honor of being awarded First Prize in The Roddy Compeition held at th...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"The Schoolroom" oil painting by Theophile Emmanuel Duverger
Located in Mere, GB
"The Schoolroom" by Theo Duverger Theophile-Emmanuel Duverger 1821 - 1886 was a leading French genre painter, exhibitor at the Paris salon and in the Musee D'Orsay. Oil on Panel, sig...
Category

19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Michelangelo's David" - Original Oil of Nude Male Sculpture by Kirsten Savage
Located in Denver, CO
Kirsten Savage’s “Michelangelo's David” (2023) is a perfect encapsulation of the anatomical marvel that is Michelangelo's famed sculpture of the biblical David. Her unique perspectiv...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

European Cityscape #4
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "European Cityscape" c. 1990 is a oil painting on hard board by Argentinian artist Henry D. Ramirez. It is signed at the lower right corner by the artist. The hard board...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"September Tree Colors Near Pinyon Mesa" By David Grossmann, Original Painting
Located in Denver, CO
David Grossman's (US based) "September Tree Colors near Pinyon Mesa" is an oil on linen panel created in 2025 depicting an abstracted Colorado landscape. About the artist: David G...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil, Panel

Dreamers Never Die, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
I have been an artist for most of my life. Throughout my creative journey, I have had the pleasure of studying with many established artists. My current studies are under private men...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Mini Pencil
Located in Fairfield, CT
Kenneth Toohey, also known by his online moniker Chewyangelo, is an up and coming American painter who draws inspiration from everyday objects and animals. His paintings often featur...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Mini Pencil
Mini Pencil
$576 Sale Price
20% Off
Ken Otsuka, "Sunny Day Song", 30x36 Ocean Beach Comber Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This realistic piece, "Sunny Day Song", is a 30x36 oil painting on canvas by artist Ken Otsuka featuring a bright ocean shoreline in the midafternoon sun. Smell the sea salt air as the tide washes over the sand below, bringing seashell treasures and other findings with it's pull. Sun dries the tops of uncovered rocks, warm from the afternoon light. About the artist: Ken Otsuka delivers timeless beauty to canvas with each masterful stroke of his brush. Ken is world renowned for his breathtakingly realistic landscape paintings...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sean Farrell, "Fresh Pick", 10x8 Peach Fruit Still Life Oil Painting on Board
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
"Fresh Pick", is a 10x8 oil painting on board by artist Sean Farrell. Featured is an arrangement of three freshly harvested peaches, still on the stem with their leaves. The gentle o...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Beach with dunes oil paint on board seascape
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Born in Valencia but with German and Mediterranean roots, his artistic work has been focused on exhibitions around the idea of ​​"landscape", within a formal pictorial and drawing po...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

"Plastic Figure 7" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Jason Walker's (CAN based) "Plastic Figure 7" is an oil painting that depicts a lone red plastic Native American figure toy aiming his bow and arrow into the darkness. Group photo...
Category

2010s 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.

Recently Viewed

View All