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.
Shiney Red Pomegranate, Original Painting, Still Life, Fruit Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Shiney Red Pomegranate is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her series featuring life size realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque still life painting. T...
Canvas, Oil
$1,487Sale Price|50% Off
Study of a Pointer Running by Léon Espinasse (French 19th/20th)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"Study of a Pointer Running" Léon Espinasse (French, c. 1870 to 20th century) Watercolor on paper Signed on right 15 x 11 1/2 (28 1/4 x 23 1/2 frame) inches A stunning exercise in ...
Watercolor, Paper
$14,043Sale Price|20% Off
Vincenzo Colleoni (Venetian master) - 19th century Realist masquerade scene
Located in Varmo, IT
Vincenzo Colleoni (Active in Venice in the second half of the 19th century) - Interior scene with masked figures. 110 x 160 cm (without frame) - 145 x 194 cm (with frame). Oil on c...
Canvas, Oil
"From Page to Zion" - Original Western Landscape Pastel Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Artist Statement: I've been working in pastel full-time for the last twenty-nine years and have been teaching workshops for the past fifteen. My artistic influences range from Paleol...
Pastel
"Sea Cliff" by Elisabeth Schlup - Oil on Canvas - 70x85 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Artwork sold with damaged frame (89.5 x 104.5 cm) or without frame Elisabeth Schlup born 1860, was a Swiss painter active in the early 20th century. Though often referred to as Germ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,581Sale Price|45% Off
Study of a Basset Hound by Léon Espinasse (French 19th/20th)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"Portrait of a Basset Hound" Léon Espinasse (French, c. 1870 to 20th century) Watercolor on paper Signed lower left 12 x 9 3/8 (23 ¾ x 21 frame) inches A stunning exercise in comple...
Watercolor, Paper
Venice at Dusk, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The artwork captures the quiet majesty and solemn atmosphere of Venice. The church bells seem to linger in the air, while the fading light glides across the wat...
Oil
$1,404
José María Marqués García Spanish Pastoral Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
José María Marqués García Pastoral Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas. Oil on canvas. Signed by the artist in the lower right corner. Artwork: 68 × 97 cm (26.8 × 38.2 in.). Framed: 80 ...
Canvas, Oil
White Peonies
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Another important direction in the artist’s work is the study—paintings created either from a staged arrangement or directly from nature, en plein air. Study A friend brought a bouqu...
Oil
Flower Market at Rockford Tower
Located in Greenville, DE
Wonderful representation of historic Delaware scene. 29.5" x 35.5" framed Signed lower right
Canvas, Oil
$3,400Sale Price|38% Off
"The Lily Pond" by Sheri Farabaugh– Painting, Serene Pondscape
Located in Denver, CO
"The Lily Pond" by Sheri Farabaugh is an oil painting on canvas, measuring 24 x 36 x 2.50 inches, presented in an elegant frame sized at 25.50 x 37.50 x 3 inches. Ready to hang, this...
Canvas, Oil
$46,810Sale Price|20% Off
"Allegorical Mythological Winter"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Allegorical Mythological Scene Unidentified Artist 17th–18th Century Oil on canvas Framed: 152 x 196 cm Canvas: 131 x 178 cm No signatured Description This masterfully executed B...
Canvas, Oil
"Remember When" (2024) By Matt Talbert, Original Oil Painting, Portrait
By Matt Talbert
Located in Denver, CO
Matt Talbert's "Remember When" (2024) is an original, handmade oil painting on panel that depicts a portrait of a seated brunette in deep contemplation. Artist bio/statement: Matt ...
Oil, Panel
$10,298
«Light of Hope» – Hyperrealism Ocean Splash Wave at Sunset Oil Painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Created in March 2022, during the first weeks of the war in Ukraine, Light of Hope carries a deep emotional resonance. This hyperrealistic seascape unites the fiery energy of a sunse...
Oil, Wood Panel, Board
$120Sale Price|20% Off
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Cow Stood Face On Portrait
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...
Chalk, Graphite
Realist Coastal Seascape with Sailing Boats by Ramón Martí Alsina
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
RAMÓN MARTÍ ALSINA (Barcelona, 1826–1894). "Coastal Seascape with Sailing Boats." Circa 1860 Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. Dimensions: 137 × 97 cm (53.94 × 38.19 in). ; 154 × 1...
Oil
STILL LIFE OF FLOWERS AND FRUIT - Italian School - Oil on Canvas Italy Painting
Located in Napoli, IT
Still life of Flowers and Fruit - Maximilian Ciccone Italia 2002 - Oil on canvas cm.60x90. This oil on canvas painting is an incredible example of the artist's ability to capture bre...
Canvas, Oil
"Lake"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Oleksandr Khrapachov. “Lake,” 2020 Canvas, oil. 51×76 cm --- Oleksandr Khrapachov invites us into the mysterious world of nature, where time seems to stand still and space is fill...
Canvas, Oil
"Farmers by the river"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Unidentified Artist – 19th Century "Farmers by the River" Medium: Oil on canvas Framed Dimensions: 42 x 60 cm Canvas Dimensions: 51 x 70 cm Period: 19th Century This beautifully comp...
Canvas, Oil
$3,240Sale Price|40% Off
Kittens at Play, Antique Animals Painting, Cats, Teddy Bear
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
Josef Heimerl (Austrian, 1867-1918) Signed: Jos. Heimerl (Lower, Right) " Kittens at Play ", circa 1900 Oil on Canvas 14 3/4" x 22 7/8" Housed in a 5 1/2" Ornamented Frame in Go...
Canvas, Oil
Sailboat; Newport, California
By Calvin Liang
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Calvin Liang" on lower left Exhibited Fleeting Moments 2nd Biennale: Works en Plein Air, American Legacy Fine Ar...
Canvas, Oil
The Rendezvous, Original Oil on Linen, Figurative Realism Cityscape painting
Located in London, Chelsea
Gallery service: Complimentary worldwide shipping is offered, with Signet Contemporary Art covering all tariffs, customs duties and import taxes, making international collecting simp...
Canvas, Oil
$575Sale Price|61% Off
Rose in Glass with Marble
By Leon Olmo
Located in Atlanta, GA
Leon Olmo was born in Moron de la Frontera at the end of the 1940's beginning at a young age to study drawing and wax technique. He currently lives in Castilleja de la Cuesta where he paints out of his studio; a place that arouses the senses and inspires Olmo’s magnificent technique. From heightened stimulation incredible still-lifes are produced from the nearby aromas of lemons, jasmine, pomegranates, and medlars, fruits which often appear throughout his paintings. Olmo is a self-taught painter, reaching the status as one of Seville’s most talented artists through strict perseverence in drawing and painting. Working until complete exhaustion, Olmo attempts to capture all of himself with every image he creates. For Olmo, neatness and cleanliness go hand in hand when creating a work of art. Though he denies traditional academicism, Olmo does utilize a methodical approach in each painting that begins with strict preparation of the fibrapan board upon which he paints. Beginning with a primer composed of calcium sulfate and glue, he sands the board’s surface until smooth. This regimented routine is in accord with Olmo’s insistence of maintaining neatness and cleanliness for he has rejected the use of canvas where any imperfection is not up to standard. He then picks juicy fresh fruits from their trees and retrieves wooden boards from a collection that he has acquired over the years during walks with his father. Arranging the objects for the desired effect, the outcome will be a play of shadows between the background and brilliant center of the composition. With the brush he draws simple motifs and leaves layers of paint until he achieves a magic luminosity, where the observer can actually see through space, a transparent quality distinctly from the hand of Olmo. The recreation of natural elements in his paintings is to remind the observer of humanity’s material nature. The symbolic use of jasmine is special to the artist, in order to represent the grandeur of small things, six petals with an incredible scent which contain within them the magic of the artist and of his Andalusian land. Olmo’s dreamlike masterpieces contain human warmth that has an unsurpassable way of working their way into the hearts and minds of his collectors. Leon Olmo and his son Leon Reina make up a father and son painting...
Oil
Lullwater Bridge – Prospect Park
By Nick Savides
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The setting is an arm of the Prospect Park Lake, known as the Lullwater for its stillness. In the foreground is the Prospect Park Audubon Center in the Boatho...
Oil
"Gipsy Musicians"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Kaspar Waldmann (1657–1720) – "Gypsy Musicians" Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 100 x 149 cm (unframed), 102 x 151 cm (framed) Provenance: Private collection Historical Context &...
Canvas, Oil
$795Sale Price|43% Off
Butterfly Watercolor on Silk, Signed, Handmade Paper, 31x40.5cm
Located in Cotignac, FR
One from a set of four watercolours of butterflies on silk, applied to handmade paper, with hand cut edges, by French artist La Roche Laffitte. Signed bottom left. (The other 3 items are available separately) A beautifully observed and detailed study of a butterfly painted...
Silk, Watercolor, Gouache, Handmade Paper, Carbon Pencil
$2,000Sale Price|20% Off
New York City Nocturne Painting Michael Budden Empire Evening
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Empire Evening Image is 16 x 12 unframed, 22.5 x 18.5 framed. An oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a beautiful nocturne in N...
Oil
$11,600Sale Price|20% Off
After American Painter Hugh Bolton Jones 1848-1927 New England Landscape
By Hugh Bolton Jones
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
In the style of Hugh Bolton Jones 1848-1927 New England Landscape oil/canvas board signed LR 16 x 24 unframed, 21 x 29 framed Painting looks and feels lined and in good condition in...
Oil
Berries in a golden bowl
Located in Zofingen, AG
The scene is set with a quiet reverence—a simple golden bowl, brimming with the last treasures of the season. These are not just fruits; they are memories of sunlight, gathered and p...
Canvas, Oil
A flat tire
Located in Paris, FR
BALS Wim 'A flat tire' Oil on wood. Signed. A certifcate on the back signed by the artist. Willem Bals, known professionally as Wim Bals, is a contemporary Belgian painter born in 1...
Oil
$7,425Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of an Edwardian Lady - British American art portrait oil painting
By John Singer Sargent
Located in Hagley, England
This lovely British Edwardian portrait oil painting is attributed to circle of John Singer Sargent. Sargent was born in America then trained in Paris before coming to London. Painted...
Oil
$374Sale Price|20% Off
In early spring. 2000. Paper, watercolor, 59x69 cm
Located in Riga, LV
In early spring. Paper, watercolor, 59x69 cm Landscape with trees in earth colors Zigmunds Šņore was born in 1942 in Latvia. His works has been exhibi...
Paper, Watercolor
$12,800
"Hastily Slumped" wooden sailboat, ships, turquoise sea, nautical, white sails
Located in Edgartown, MA
"Hastily Slumped" shows a white sail being casually taken down on a wood ship. The sea is turquoise blue and the sky blue with fluffy white clouds. One has the perspective of being o...
Linen, Oil
$210
"Alcala, Spain", oil pastel, horizontal, black and white, landscape, cityscape
Located in Oslo, NO
This expressive oil pastel sketch on paper captures the atmospheric essence of Alcalá de Henares, Spain—the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, the legendary author of Don Quixote. Re...
Paper, Oil Pastel
"Cloud Composition 4" Original Realist Skyscape with Clouds
Located in Denver, CO
"Cloud Composition 4" is a realistic capturing of a golden skyscape, created with oil paint on panel. This piece is framed at 9.5 x 9.5 inches and is ready to hang. Jesse Mangerson ...
Oil, Panel
"Lemons - Abstracted" (2025) By Quang Ho, Original Oil Still Life Painting
By Quang Ho
Located in Denver, CO
Quang Ho's "Lemons - Abstracted" (2025) is an oil on board painting that depicts a vibrant lemon tree. About the artist: Quang Ho was born on April 30, 1963, in Hue, Vietnam. He Imm...
Oil
$5,700Sale Price|40% Off
Portrait of a Gentleman in a Scottish Landscape, Romantic, Moody
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
john Pairman (Scottish, 1788 - 1843) Signed: J Pairman 1820 (Lower, Right) " Portrait of a Gentleman in a Scottish Landscape ", 1820 Oil on Canvas 22 1/4" x 18 5/8" Housed in a ...
Canvas, Oil
Golden Ranunculuse
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This piece is part of an ongoing series of round canvases dedicated to the "portraits of flowers." Instead of treating florals as simple decorative elements, I approach each canvas a...
Oil
Carriers On - Three Male Figures, Framed, Original oil painting
Located in Chicago, IL
This oil painting on panel titled "Carriers On", depicts a quiet procession of repeated figures, each bowed forward in a gesture of weight and endurance. Rendered in warm, earthy ton...
Oil, Panel
$1,672Sale Price|30% Off
Painting of Mountain Cottages by River in Ireland by 20th Century Irish Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Painting of Mountain Cottages by River in Ireland by 20th Century Irish Artist Art measures 20 x 16 inches Frame measures 24 x 20 inches This captivating oil painting portrays a ...
Oil, Board
Contact problem.Welcome to NATO, canvas/oil, 80x150 cm, 1976
Located in Riga, LV
Contact problem.Welcome to NATO, canvas/oil, 80x150 cm, 1976
Canvas, Oil
French Pool - original impressionism waterscape artwork - oil painting
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Oil
"The Dark Waters" Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, Signed
Located in Zofingen, AG
This refined contemporary painting combines narrative elegance with a strong visual signature. The striking red boat immediately anchors the composition, floating against richly text...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
"Amsterdam-Street" Realist Netherlands Cityscape Oil Painting on Canvas Framed
Located in New York, NY
A charming, realistic oil painting of a classic street scene in Amsterdam, rendered in a traditional 19th-century academic style with a warm, inviting atmosphere. A tall, elegant Chu...
Canvas, Oil
$1,647Sale Price|20% Off
Caesar on his way to Pompeii. 1999, canvas, oil, 40x50 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Caesar on his way to Pompeii. 1999, canvas, oil, 40x50 cm
Canvas, Oil
19th Century Oil Painting Sussex Coast Fishermen Returning Maritime Scene
Located in Stockholm, SE
This captivating mid 19th century oil on canvas depicts a touching maritime scene along England's Sussex coast, renowned for its dramatic white chalk cliffs and centuries-old fishing...
Canvas, Wood, Oil
$1,053Sale Price|25% Off
F.W. Kirtley (British) - 19th century Scottish Highland landscape painting
Located in Varmo, IT
F.W. Kirtley (British, 19th century) - Mountain Landscape with Sheep. 36 x 56 cm (unframed) - 55.5 x 75.5 cm (framed). Oil on canvas, in a gilded wooden frame. Signed lower right:...
Oil, Canvas
$2,184Sale Price|20% Off
Fine French Still Life Interior Scene Fruit & Table Top Items, Beautiful Details
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: French School, mid 20th century Title: Interior Scene still life Medium: oil on board, framed Framed: 17.5 x 22 inches Board: 13 x 18 inches Provenance: private ...
Oil
El rincón del artista - Óleo sobre tela - Enmarcado
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra va firmada en la parte inferior (desconozco el artista) Se presenta enmarcada la pintura (el marco presenta alguna leve falta) Medidas obra: 46 cm altura x 38 cm ancho. Me...
Oil
Mouse Seeking Butterfly- original realist oil painting-contemporary wildlife art
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Wood, Oil
$650
"Ray of Hope" by Christopher Clark, Original Oil Painting, Sunlit Landscape
Located in Denver, CO
Christopher Clark's "Ray of Hope" is an original, hand made oil and acrylic painting that depicts a highway with a bright shaft of sunlight shining through pink and blue clouds. Chr...
Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Carlos Oviedo “Le Table Royale 2”
Located in San Francisco, CA
Carlos Oviedo is a contemporary Mexican artist who was born in 1970. He studied and worked amongst other master contemporary American artists. he is represented in numerous private c...
Oil
Everything Is Fine. Almost - Acrylic Figurative Painting on Canvas
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work captures an intimate moment in which the psychological experience of war enters the most private space of everyday life. The painting was inspired by my experience of livin...
Acrylic, Cotton Canvas
Pocket Pale Blue Sloes 2, Original Painting, Still Life, Sloes Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Pale Blue Sloes 2 is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil pai...
Canvas, Oil
Cup of coffee and tangerine
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Cup of coffee and tangerine” is a celebration of the beauty that can be found in the simplest of things. The style of the painting is inspired by the Holland masters of the 17th cen...
Canvas, Oil
$273
Pocket Garlic - original oil still life painting - Contemporary Realism art
Located in London, Chelsea
Gallery service: Complimentary worldwide shipping is offered, with Signet Contemporary Art covering all tariffs, customs duties and import taxes, making international collecting simp...
Canvas, Oil
Plow Field at Dawn in Mountain Landscape 18th Century Antique Large Oil Painting
Located in Stockholm, SE
The painting captures a serene moment on the foothill plateau, just as the day is beginning to wake up. The mountains are still wrapped in a soft blanket of morning fog, giving the s...
Canvas, Wood, Oil
King Charles Spaniel puppy bath painting (Oklahoma Artist)
By Jay Weaver
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Jay Weaver (?-1960). Is This Necessary?, 1952. Oil on canvas measuring 12 x 16 inches. Framed measurement: 18 x 22 inches. Signed by artist lower right. 1952 Salmagundi label af...
Canvas, Oil
$680Sale Price|20% Off
New York City Winter Snow Flags Painting Michael Budden Above the Flatiron
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Flags Above the Flatiron, NYC oil/canvas 8 x 6 unframed, 13.5 x 11.5 x 1.25 framed signed LL Above the Flatiron is an oil painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artis...
Oil
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Impressionistic Realistic Moonlight Landscape Oil Painting Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Nightfall II, Moonlight Series oil/panel 8 x 10 unframed 13.50 x 15.50 x 1.5 framed. Signed LL Nightfall II is an oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michae...
Oil
A hyperrealist canvas by Heinz Schönhammer transforms a café classic into an unforgettable still life.
With a solo show at the Denver Art Museum and a commission from the Met, the Cree Canadian painter has become an international sensation.