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.
Summer Approaching, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Hugo Pondz
Located in Yardley, PA
This original artwork is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. - All of my works are hand-painted by me, using the best professional grade oil paints made by Blockx ( ) a...
Oil
"A Sunny Summer's Day"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The heavenly apples have ripened. Written in autumn – the season when even the red viburnum has ripened.
Canvas, Oil
$2,102Sale Price|20% Off
Tranquil Australian Landscape with Eucalyptus Trees - Vintage 20th Century Art
Located in Preston, GB
Tranquil Australian Landscape with Eucalyptus Trees adjacent to a Lake - Vintage 20th Century Art. Original Painting, Signed Artwork. Art measures 36 x 24 inches Frame measures 40...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
$106Sale Price|20% Off
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Cow with Horns Side Profile
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
$1,800
"Amber Ray" (2017) - Female Burlesque Portrait - Original Photorealist Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Lacey Lewis's (US based) "Amber Ray" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a female model sitting on a red couch, with big dark hair, and pasties over her nipples. Thi...
Oil, Panel
"Autumnal Evening" - Oil on Linen Panel, Atmospheric Nocturne 2025
Located in Denver, CO
Michael Miller’s "Autumnal Evening" is a captivating oil painting on linen panel that embodies the quiet stillness of rural landscapes at night. Measuring 12 x 12 inches unframed (17...
Linen, Oil, Panel
Near the monastery. Oil painting, impressionism, horizontal, landscape
Located in Oslo, NO
The painting was painted from life on a sunny summer day. In the middle is the monastery of the Assumption of Mary in Würzburg, located on the banks of the Main. We see its wall with...
Canvas, Oil
"Sparrow" - Oil Animal Painting on Wood
By Terra Novak
Located in Denver, CO
About the Artist: Terra Novak is a contemporary realist painter and art educator based in Colorado whose work explores the beauty, strength, and emotional depth found in both people ...
Wood, Oil
$1,224Sale Price|20% Off
Snail. Ocher. Light. Minimalism. Original. Animals. Small.
Located in Oslo, NO
This is a small yet impressive oil painting that imitates a wall with a snail on it. The snail left a glistening trail of slime on the wall. The trace is made with varnish and gives ...
Canvas, Oil
$4,000
Shell from oil Viareggio on copper, Style of Realism, Florence, Sound of Sea
Located in Houston, TX
Shell from Viareggio inspired by the moment you put your ear to a shell and hear the sound f the sea. If you are silent and close your eyes and believe, you may hear it. The Painting...
Copper
$2,319Sale Price|20% Off
Venetian Vedutist - 19th century landscape painting - View of Venice Colleoni
Located in Varmo, IT
Venetian painter (second half of the 19th century) - Venice, view of Campo SS. Giovanni e Paolo with the Colleoni equestrian statue. 40 x 22 cm (without frame) - 59.5 x 41.5 cm (wit...
Canvas, Oil
$1,120Sale Price|20% Off
Impressionistic Cityscape Oil Painting by Michael Budden Shadow and Light
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Shadow & Light oil/panel 9 x 12 image unframed, 14.5 x 17.5 framed Here is an oil painting that showcases a cityscape dressed in a beautiful quality of light with subtle shifts of wa...
Oil
Exit Inward Between Memory and Embodiment
Located in Zofingen, AG
ust one more second — and she will open her eyes. And the game will begin again. She will once again enter the matrix of her next incarnation. The pendant with the magical eye around...
Canvas, Oil
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
Ocean Beach Triptych Seascape Oil Painting by Michael Budden Coastal Sunrise
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Coastal Sunrise 25 x 29 framed, each panel signed as seen in photo graphs Here is a triptych oil painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that sho...
Oil
The Cardinal Fine Antique Portrait Oil Painting in Ornate Gilt Frame
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Cardinal's Letter Otto Eichinger (1922 - 2004) signed oil painting on board, framed framed: 15 x 12 inches board: 12.5 x 10 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: v...
Oil
"Festive"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Flowers are like a festival.
Canvas, Oil
$2,000
Ciel et Terre, Original Oil on Linen, Contemporary Seascape, French Coastal
Located in AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FR
Ciel et Terre « Sky and Earth » is an original oil painting on Stretched Linen by French contemporary artist Gabriel Riesnert. Measuring 65 x 50 cm (25.6 x 19.68 inches). Ready to Ha...
Canvas, Linen, Oil
"A ray of sunshine"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
"Sunbeam" – Oleksandr Khrapachov ## Light that awakens the ages There are places where the very air is steeped in history, where every stone remembers the prayers of many generatio...
Canvas, Oil
"Gairnshiel Bridge, " Oil painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "Gairnshiel Bridge," is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a stone bridge extending over a rocky river and leading to a small countryside shire or town. About the Artist: Judd Mercer is a watercolor painter based in Denver, Colorado. After attending art school for industrial design, Judd pursued a career in digital design and user experience and is co-owner of Elevated Third, a Denver-based digital agency. After committing to writing and illustrating a full-length fantasy novel in his spare time, Judd began watercolor painting around 2014, studying with teachers such as Alvaro Castagnet, Joseph Zbukvic and Herman Pekel...
Canvas, Oil
"Multicoloured"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
A variety of colourful items in a bag to suit every taste.
Canvas, Oil
$1,400
"Cactus Wren and Desert Bloom" - Realist Animal Portrait, Oil Painting on Wood
By Terra Novak
Located in Denver, CO
About the Artist: Terra Novak is a contemporary realist painter and art educator based in Colorado whose work explores the beauty, strength, and emotional depth found in both people ...
Wood, Oil
"Williamsburg Bridge" oil painting, realist, iconic build, lower east side NYC
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Williamsburg Bridge" is a collaborative realist painting by Stephen Bauman & Steven Forster. It depicts the Williamsburg Bridge in New York City at sunset. The painting shows the bo...
Canvas, Oil
$3,900
Museology 17
Located in Atlanta, GA
Bio Aaron M. Brown was born in Wichita, KS. He received a BFA from the University of Kansas, MFA from Syracuse University. Awards include grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation...
Oil
Blue mojibake
Located in Edinburgh, GB
In "Blue mojibake", an enigmatic and fantastical anthropomorphic figure stands with folded arms against a dark, atmospheric background touched with hints of gold and red. Executed th...
Oil
"Prickly Pear in Flower" - Realist Animal Still-Life, Oil Painting
By Terra Novak
Located in Denver, CO
"Stellar Jays flock to tree branches against a dark, evocative background. The wood grain peeking through enhances the composition, grounding the scene org...
Wood, Oil
«The Calm Before the Rain» — Hyperrealistic Oil Landscape Painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
The sky slowly gathers its weight, holding the promise of rain. Clouds breathe in silence — light still lingers in their folds, yet the depth beneath them darkens. The sea remains c...
Canvas, Oil
"Evening Perch" - Oil Animal Painting on Birch (2025)
By Terra Novak
Located in Denver, CO
This painting captures a striking contrast between resilience and delicacy. A bluebird perches on top of a post wrapped in harsh barbed wire. The birds soft feathers and calm presenc...
Wood, Oil, Birch
"Venetian Harbor Scene"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Venetian Harbor Scene Artist: Karl Kaufmann (Austrian, 1843–1902) Date: Late 19th century Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: Framed: 40 × 72 cm Unframed (sight): 34 × 63 cm Signature:...
Canvas, Oil
2 PM Shift Change
Located in Greenwich, CT
Men at work by a Brooklyn East District Terminal locomotive during an afternoon shift change. For over 100 years, the Brooklyn East District Terminal was responsible for floating fre...
Oil, Panel
"Light Warms the Cold" by Stephen Day, Original Colorado Landscape Painting
By Stephen Day
Located in Denver, CO
"Light Warms the Cold" by Stephen Day is an original oil painting depicting evergreen and aspen trees on a spring morning, resting across the ridge of a mountainside river stream. St...
Oil, Board
View Over Baggensfjärden, Stockholm, 1922
Located in Stockholm, SE
OSKAR BERGMAN (1879–1963) Sweden BAGGENSFJÄRDEN, STOCKHOLM, 1922 signed and dated lower right pencil on paper unframed 18 × 26.5 cm (7.1 × 10.4 in) framed 23.5 × 32 cm (9.3 × 12.6 ...
Laid Paper, Pencil
Where Colors Dream Again - Original Painting, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Gardani Art
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 ...
Oil
Modernist Portrait by African American Artist Charleston Wilson
Located in New York, NY
Charleston Wilson (1919-?) Untitled (Modernist Portrait), 1970 Oil on board 19 1/4 x 14 3/4 in. Framed: 25 1/4 x 21 1/4 in. Signed lower left: Charleston Wilson '70 Charleston Wilson was born 1919. Death date and place are unknown. He was a portrait sketch artist...
Oil, Board
Still Life with Pitcher and Fruit
By Franz Nowak
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Board Dimensions: 10.00" x 8.00" Signature: Signed Upper Left A still life image of wine and fruit (pitcher and fruit). There are two pictures.
Oil, Board
$6,800Sale Price|20% Off
Nothing Gold Can Stay 11, Oil painting, portrait of woman in red dress
By Al Saralis
Located in Dallas, TX
Al Saralis – "Nothing Gold Can Stay II" Oil on Canvas 47.2 x 39.4 inches (120 x 100 cm) A poised woman in a flowing red dress sits quietly against a softly glowing, golden-toned ba...
Canvas, Oil
Pina. Snail. Ocher. Light. Minimalism. Original. Animals. Small.
Located in Oslo, NO
This is a small yet impressive oil painting that imitates a wall with a snail on it. It's a part of the Series, yet each painting is unique. The snail left a glistening trail of slim...
Canvas, Oil
"Bow Mar Skies" - Original Oil Landscape Painting on Linen
Located in Denver, CO
Michael Magrin b.1978 Since moving to Colorado from New York in 2001, I have sought to capture the elements ubiquitous to the Western landscape through oil painting, with an emphas...
Linen, Oil
$1,800Sale Price|20% Off
Shielded Oil Painting on Canvas, Realist Style, 21st Century, Unframed
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Falope Ibrahim...
Canvas, Oil
"Puppy & the Beast" - Original Animal Painting, Oil on Panel
By Dana Hawk
Located in Denver, CO
Artist Statement I grew up in a small town west of St. Louis, MO. To be more specific, I grew up in the woods outside of that small town. Not having many human children around, my...
Oil, Panel
Eternal Venice: Antique Landscape Oil Painting of The Floating City
Located in Jacksonville, FL
Immerse yourself in the timeless allure of "Eternal Venice," an Antique Landscape Oil Painting delicately presented on an Oval Convex Wood Frame measuring 27.5" x 39". This masterful...
Wood, Oil
HRDR.FSTR, SMTR Steven Navarro, PanAm Games, Olympics 2024, Team USA
Located in Houston, TX
HRDR.FSTR,SMTR is an oil painting by V...Vaughan of Steve Navarro of California. In late November Steven Navarro is participating in the PanAmerican games in Cali, Colombia after winning the Gold Medal at the PanAmerican Games in Guadalajara. He is ranked #1 in his weight division of 114 lbs.He most likely will qualify for the Paris 2024...
Oil
Goal. Green. soccer. sport. football. oil. red. white
Located in Oslo, NO
This is a bright, colorful, picturesque oil painting depicting a group of soccer players celebrating a goal. The players are running and shouting, with scarlet flashes waving behind ...
Canvas, Oil
Pine grove Realist painting 2005 Oil on board 25 x[ 35 cm Framed New
By Simon Kozhin
Located in Zofingen, AG
The artist painted this plain air sketch during his creative trip to the city of Plyos in 2005 in one session in the Alla Prima style. This stunning landscape painting captures the s...
Oil, Cardboard
Appaloosa
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original Oil Painting signed by the Artist in the lower right corner.
Oil
"Porte Saint-Denis, Paris", Early 20th Century Oil on Canvas by Joaquín Pallares
Located in Madrid, ES
JOAQUÍN PALLARÉS ALLUSTANTE Spanish, 1853 - 1935 PORTE SAINT - DENIS signed "J. Pallares" (lower left) oil on canvas 10-1/2 x 15-3/4 inches (26.5 x 40...
Canvas, Oil
$14,500
Adrian Rigby, "Majestic", 36x48 Black Horse Portrait Oil Painting on Canvas
By Adrian Rigby
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This piece, "Majestic", is a 36x48 equine oil painting on canvas by artist Adrian Rigby. Depicted is a dramatic black horse caught mid gallop against a deep green background. The a...
Canvas, Oil
Dark Materials: 75 x 75 Oil Painting in Surreal Realism Style
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
$2,412Sale Price|20% Off
Girl with wild flowers. 2002, canvas, oil, 64x64 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Girl with wild flowers. 2002, canvas, oil, 64x64 cm
Canvas, Oil
453 Portret, Photorealistic Cow Portrait, 50 x 60 Oil on Canvas
By Paul Jansen
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
Still life with meat
Located in Zofingen, AG
Original oil painting on canvas, still life painting made under natural light. This artwork is painted using high-quality fine linen canvas. Signed on the front and back of artwork. ...
Canvas, Oil
$4,959Sale Price|20% Off
Edwardian Portrait of a Young Girl - Scottish 1909 art portrait oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This lovely Scottish Edwardian portrait oil painting is by noted artist William Alexander Cuthbertson. It was painted in 1909 before Cuthbertson left Scotland on a travel scholarship...
Oil
$960Sale Price|20% Off
La loge, Swiss by Charles Bourquin - Oil on canvas
Located in Geneva, CH
Came to America some time before 1844, when he was first listed in the Philadelphia directory. He may have been in NYC before this, since his wife, Eliza C. Bourquin, was born there ...
Oil
$7,546Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of a Seated Gentleman - British 19th century art portrait oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This striking British 19th century portrait oil painting is attributed to the circle of Sir Thomas Lawrence. Painted circa 1820 it is the portrait of a seated gentleman in a brown hi...
Oil
"Before the performance"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Two young ballerinas warming up before their performance
Oil, Cardboard
Buttercups. Realistic Still life Small Scale Oil Painting, Polish artist
Located in Warsaw, PL
Gabryela Wasowicz is a Polish painter born in 1947. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts of Warsaw and then at the Gerrit Rietveld Akademie in Amsterdam. Once she graduated in 197...
Wood, Oil
“Botany” Original botanical painting. Small size. Circular canvas. Gift.
Located in Oslo, NO
This artwork skillfully depicts a trio of hellebore flowers on a rustic, circular canvas, invoking a sense of natural elegance. The textured, earthy background accentuates the delica...
Canvas, Oil
Tango - Contemporary Portrait Oil Painting, Realistic, Polish artist
By Janusz Szpyt
Located in Warsaw, PL
Janusz Szpyt was born in 1960, he is a Polish painter. He graduated from the Graphic design faculty and painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. 1983 onward, he became the m...
Canvas, Oil
Light show
Located in Zofingen, AG
There is so much about the ocean that remains unknown, undiscovered, and mysterious. Yet much of what we are taught instills fear — warnings of riptides, strong currents, towering wa...
Oil, Canvas
"Gerhard Richter nein"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
I take , dull, dry academicism. I transform academicism into bright, exuberant contemporary art! Academism is dead, in this project I study myself through the prism of time of my vis...
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor
Dog Lake, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A ballerina leaps into the air with a dog behind her, seemingly following her steps. In this painting, artist Keith Thomson drew inspiration from Pyotr Ilyich T...
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.