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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
Still Life with Cherries Original Oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2025 Style: Impressionism, Title: Still Life wit Cherries Size...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Letter Never Sent" (2024) Original Oil painting with Buffalo
Located in Denver, CO
"Letter Never Sent" is an original oil painting by Brian Keith Stephens depicting a buffalo in profile. It is unframed, but ready-to-hang. Artist Statement How to capture the past,...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Cotton, Oil

The Conversation 1
Located in Natchez, MS
Another in a series of visually arresting still life's from Australian artist Louise Feneley. Exquisitely painted feathers and whimsical smiley face set...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Ocean Beach Triptych Seascape Oil Painting by Michael Budden Coastal Sunrise
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Here is a triptych oil painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a romantic coastal seascape sunrise created in an impressionistic r...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Nantucket Schooner
Located in Greenwich, CT
American, b. 1958 Louis was born in Omaha, NE in 1958. At the age of nine he began painting in oil, and at 14, he began studying painting, drawing, and art theory under Stanley Step...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Yellow (C3H4)n. 570-590
Located in Columbia, MO
Born in Jefferson City Missouri in 1976 Justin Allen attended Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri where he studied filmmaking before studying painting at the Art Students Leagu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Won't Be There
Located in Columbia, MO
Born in Jefferson City Missouri in 1976 Justin Allen attended Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri where he studied filmmaking before studying painting at the Art Students Leagu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Majestic Tiger Tall Grass Realistic Wildlife British Oil Painting Ornate Frame
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Bengal Tiger by Mark Chester, British contemporary Oil on board, framed Framed: 25.5 x 36 inches Board: 21 x 31 inches Provenance: Private collection, UK Condition: This painting is ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Autumn
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original painting signed by the Artist on lower right.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

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

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

Light from Above
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
One of a kind, original oil painting on canvas by Michael Albrechtsen. Signed lower left. Framed Dimensions: 12 X 15
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Photorealist oil painting by Cesar J. Santander, Two Toy Banks
By Cesar J. Santander
Located in White Plains, NY
'Two Toy Banks' 1982 by American artist Cesar J. Santander. Oil on panel, 27.75 x 34.5 in. This painting features a finely detailed monkey and clown piggy ban...
Category

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Girl
Located in White Plains, NY
'Girl' 2003 by American artist, Kim McCarty. Watercolor on paper, 29.875 x 22 in. (framed). This work on paper expresses the fragile vulnerability of adolescence. By using a “wet into wet” watercolor medium the artist conveys the transitory and emergent state. The figures heads become too large for their small, narrow bodies, their hands too large for their arms. The translucent watercolor expresses both the flaws and perfection. Kim McCarty is known for her nubile and waif-like figurative watercolors in muted hues, which she likens to “blurry afterimages drifting past closed eyelids.” McCarty began working with the medium in 1993, after a fire destroyed her studio and she could no longer find a space with proper ventilation for working with oil paint and became quickly intrigued with watercolor’s transparency, immediacy, and “unforgiving qualities.” She works in a wet-on-wet technique, in which watercolor is applied to a moistened sheet of paper—a technique that allows for very little control over the final image because of the pigment’s tendency to spread. For McCarty, this style corresponds to the longing, loss, and vulnerability embodied in her subjects. A graduate of UCLA (MFA) and the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena (BFA), McCarty has had many solo exhibitions include Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York and David Klein Gallery...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Santa Monica - contemporary realism oil painting- cityscape art -modern artwork
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. Nathan Neven’s "Santa Monica Beach" showcases his ability to bl...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Rural Field Landscape Oil Painting of an Idyllic English Countryside Scene
Located in Preston, GB
Rural Field Landscape Oil Painting of an Idyllic English Countryside Scene, by British Artist Dennis Harper, ( b. 1940) Harper is best known for his Rea...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Dollar Tree" – Oil on Wood Panel, Contemporary Realism Retail Scene
Located in Denver, CO
Brad Davis’s "Dollar Tree" is an oil on wood panel painting measuring 20 x 27 inches, framed to 22 x 29 inches, and presented ready to hang. This contemporary realist artwork vividly...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Unrecognized Presence
Located in Zofingen, AG
This artwork presents a striking figure in a black hooded jacket, exuding mystery and confidence. The subject stands with hands in pockets, partially obscured face adding intrigue. S...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

fruit still life oil on canvas painting
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Antonio Pérez Tarrasó (1946) - Fruit still life - Oil on canvas Canvas measures 65x81 cm. Frame measures 77x93 cm. It presents cracked areas as can be seen in the photos.
Category

1990s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Dark Materials - original realism still life oil painting - contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. Natalie Toplass’s Dark Materials is a mesmerizing fusion of th...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Giant Refreshed BOAC Boeing 377 Stratocruiser Canopus Airliner Aircraft Painting
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
David Shepherd. English ( b.1931 – d.2017 ). Giant Refreshed, 1953. BOAC Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, Canopus. Oil On Canvas. Signed & Dated 1953 Lower Right. Image size 19.7 inches x 2...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mid-century oil on canvas portrait painting of a seated woman, by Sierk Schroder
Located in Oostende, BE
Sierk Schröder (1903-2002) is considered to be the most important and most requested Dutch portrait painter of the twentieth century. Many well-known fi...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Rider on Hillside
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original painting signed by the Artist on the lower right.
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Darkness on the High Plains" by Devin Michael Roberts, Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Devin Michael Roberts' ( US based) "Darkness on the High Plains" is an oil painting depicting a brilliant setting sun over a dark endless landscape. Artist bio/statement: Devin Mich...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

AVERROËS, 2016
Located in Atlanta, GA
1972-73 Eastbourne College for Art and Design: Fine Art Foundation Course: studies drawing. Works through the South Coast Period of paintings. Studio: South Coast of England. 1974-8...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Plaster, Paper, Oil

View of the Giudecca Island. Venice.
Located in Oslo, NO
This painting was painted from life on a winter Venetian morning. It is a view from the Zattere embankment onto the Giudecca Canal and the island of the same name in the distance. We...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

After the rain. 2019. Watercolor, paper, 89 x 60 cm
Located in Riga, LV
After the rain. 2019. Watercolor, paper, 89 x 60 cm Harmony at the sea Zigmunds Šņore was born in 1942 in Latvia. His works has been exhibited since 1...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

The Big Turquoise Wave-Original impressionism seascape painting- modern Art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "Silver Ripples" invites you to journey into a realm of coasta...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Brilliance-original modern Ocean-seascape oil painting-Contemporary 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 dynamic and compelling masterpiece "Brilliance" by Nikk...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Still Life of Fruit on Table, Gilt Wood Oval Frame with Convex, Hand Painted Oil
Located in Jacksonville, FL
A sumptuous still life unfolds in this exquisite oil painting, where a bounty of ripe peaches, pears, and grapes is artfully arranged beside an elegant vase. The fruits, rendered in ...
Category

20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

In the Garden
Located in Fairfield, CT
Rooted in the concept of memory born from photographs, Lisa Golightly’s paintings are reconstructions of found film photography as seen through the artist’s eye. Photography remains...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Panel

DEEP INSIDE 26, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
God has no faces. It has colours and forms. And God is love. Colourful love. Series of bright artworks DEEP INSIDE are ready. Feel him in every artwork. DEEP INSIDE - it’s a s...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Wild Waters-original modern impressionism seascape oil painting-contemporary 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 evocative masterpiece "Wild Waters" by Nikki Baxendale,...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

"Madame X" Oil Painting by Claudia Griesbach-Martucci, Whimsical Fox
Located in Denver, CO
Claudia Griesbach- Martucci's "Madame X" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a fox in a blue gown in a fairy tale setting with pumpkins, bats and moths along a lakesid...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Reflecting Stillness - contemporary, realist, waterscape, acrylic on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This acrylic landscape painting captures a peaceful river. In this acrylic and charcoal piece by Ciba Karisik, the Canadian artist evokes an almost tangible sense of the stillness o...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic

Hani Tradition
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original oil painting on canvas by artist Mian Situ. Framed.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Flock and Zinnia (Pink Zinnia Still Life with Sheep and Cloud Landscape)
Located in Hudson, NY
Flock and Zinnia (Pink Zinnia Still Life with Sheep and Cloud Landscape) Made is 2021, by Berkshire based artist Ann Getsinger oil on linen, 14 x 11 inches Signed, lower left Ann G...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, 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

Highway to McHeaven
Located in Zofingen, AG
This artwork portrays a vast desert scene under a vibrant blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds. In the foreground, two young women stand together, one holding a McDonald's bag, clearl...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Prismagourd (Realist Still Life Oil Painting of Green and Orange Gourd on Side)
Located in Hudson, NY
Prismagourd (Realist Still Life Oil Painting of Green and Orange Gourd on Side) Made is 2022, by Berkshire based artist Ann Getsinger oil on linen, 11 x 14 inches Ann Getsinger is ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Fortress Rock, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
The warm rays of the summer sun illuminate a rock formation in the Grand Canyon. Through light and shadow, the landscape reveals its beautiful contours, sculp...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Brown Cow - original realism wildlife portrait oil painting - contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. Brown Cow by Paul Jansen radiates simplicity and serenity, focu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Harbor-Front Sailing, Nantucket
Located in Greenwich, CT
Painting of sailboats by the harbor of Nantucket, MA
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Quo Tendimus (Where are we going)
Located in Burlingame, CA
Quo Tendimus (Where are we going), is a glowing landscape with figures gathering at a summit before a brilliantly abstracted sky. The compelling and highly contemporary dramatic suns...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

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

"Birdie"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The painting shows a woman standing on the balcony of a villa and watching a parrot sitting on her hand. The parrot seems frightening and mysterious, he looks directly at the viewer,...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Canvas

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

Juliet
By Mary Rosamond Coolidge
Located in Milford, NH
A beautiful portrait oil painting of Juliet by American artist Mary Rosamond Coolidge (1884-1978). Coolidge was a well-known portrait painter and a graduate of Massachusetts Normal A...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pears - original realism still life acrylic painting - contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "Pears" offers a luminous still life of considered restraint an...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Board

"Jackson Pollock hedgehog"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
In this vibrant creation I have released a kaleidoscope of emotions through a vibrant spectrum of colors and dynamic shapes. Each curve and shade sings a song of freedom and joy. C...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

When the Blue Shadows Fall
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original painting signed by the Artist on the lower left.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Memories of the Year, 1840 Portrait of a Gentleman Holding a Note, Remarkable
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
Joseph Lavos (Austrian, 1807-1848) Signed: J. Lavos (Lower, Right) " Memories of The Year 1840 ", 1840 (written on the note within the sitter's hand, translated from German) Oil o...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Orchard Antler (Realist Still Life of White Pitcher and Antler with Misty Fog)
Located in Hudson, NY
Orchard Antler (Realist Still Life of White Pitcher and Antler with Misty Fog) Made is 2021, by Berkshire based artist Ann Getsinger oil on linen, 14 x 11 inches Signed, lower right...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Linen

Green Valley, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A gentle stream meanders through a valley, its calm water reflecting the sky and trees. The setting sun cast a soft glow in the distance, leaving the foreground...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Spring Magnolia, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This is a small floral painting with a hint of spring. I love the trees in the fall and spring and am inspired to paint them in all of there beauty. This is a small piece that wou...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Chinese Contemporary Art by Su Yu - On Pregnancy
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

Oil, Canvas

Five Chocolate Caramels
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An (almost) photorealist painting - but painted from life {!} This closeup of five foil wrapped chocolate covered caramels is a study of the textures in the foil, the brilliant color...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Northwest of Heaven, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Time stands still at a derelict farm nestled in a sweeping valley. A meandering stream adds movement and direction to the scene. Towering mountains rise in the ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Robert Kenneth White "Velvet Wrinkles" Signed 2019 Oil of Two Shar Pei Puppies
Located in Miami, FL
ROBERT KENNETH WHITE – "VELVET WRINKLES" ⚜ Oil on canvas ⚜ Signed lower right ⚜ Frameless display ADORABLE SHAR PEI PORTRAIT BY ROBERT KENNETH WHITE In Velvet Wrinkles, Robert Kenneth White masterfully captures the irresistible charm of two Shar Pei puppies, their soft folds rendered with lifelike precision. The artist’s signature realism and attention to texture bring warmth, character, and humor to this endearing composition. Known for blending technical expertise with playful subject matter, White’s works are highly sought after by collectors of contemporary animal portraits. The puppies’ expressive gaze and meticulously painted wrinkles highlight the artist’s ability to elevate everyday subjects into captivating fine art. WHY COLLECT THIS WORK? ✓ Original oil by Robert Kenneth White, renowned for his lifelike portraits and charming animal studies ✓ Depicts two Shar Pei puppies with exceptional attention to texture, expression, and detail ✓ Ideal for collectors of dog art, photorealism, or contemporary figurative works ✓ Ready to hang or frame — perfect for home, office, or gallery display ARTWORK DETAILS: ▸ Title: "Velvet Wrinkles" ▸ Artist: Robert Kenneth White ▸ Medium: Oil on Canvas ▸ Year of Creation: 2019 ▸ Signature: Signed lower right ▸ Country of Origin: United States ▸ Dimensions: — ◼︎ Canvas Size: 20.125 x 24 inches ▸ Condition: Excellent ▸ Framing: Frameless Display – Ready to hang or frame INCLUDED DOCUMENTATION ✓ Certificate of Authenticity ✓ Artist Biography Document THE ARTIST: Robert Kenneth White is an acclaimed American painter celebrated for his detailed landscapes, atmospheric seascapes, and photorealistic animal portraits. Working primarily in oil, White combines technical precision with a painter’s sensitivity to mood and subject, often blending realism with gentle humor. Drawing inspiration from California’s coastal vistas, rural Americana, and domestic life, White’s works resonate with collectors seeking both aesthetic beauty and emotional connection. His signature style has earned comparisons to 20th-century realist painters such as Andrew Wyeth and John Register...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Oil on Canvas Titled "Hopeless Romantic”
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
"The arrows in the back of the figure symbolizes the amount of times the individual has fallen in love" -Artist Statement Carlos Antonio Rancaño...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

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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