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Realist Paintings

7,035 Results
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
"GERHARD RICHTER bottle"
"GERHARD RICHTER bottle"

"GERHARD RICHTER bottle"

By Kyrylo Bondarenko

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Academism is dead, in this project I study myself through the prism of time of my vision of the universe of bodies, forms, and colors. I take dry and boring academicism and transfo...

Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor

North Shore and Clark, April 23, 2025, 8:17PM, Oil Painting
North Shore and Clark, April 23, 2025, 8:17PM, Oil Painting

North Shore and Clark, April 23, 2025, 8:17PM, Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A parking lot at Dankha Autobody, 6700 N. Clark, sits at the intersection of North Shore and Clark in Chicago. Low industrial buildings and a brick structure fr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Stones Shall Make a Throne for Me, Oil Painting
The Stones Shall Make a Throne for Me, Oil Painting

The Stones Shall Make a Throne for Me, Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Windows open to a distant city at night, where scattered lights glow against a dark horizon. Inside, a cool purple light fills the room, softening the edges of ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

A Quiet Landscape - After Antanas Žmuidzinavičius, 1980s, Oil on Canvas
A Quiet Landscape - After Antanas Žmuidzinavičius, 1980s, Oil on Canvas

A Quiet Landscape - After Antanas Žmuidzinavičius, 1980s, Oil on Canvas

Located in Soquel, CA

Gorgeous quiet landscape of a river with lush trees on the banks and a village in the distance. Signed and dated lower right "Е НОВИКОВ '80." (E. Novikov) In the style of or after (a copy of) a painting by the Lithuanian art...

Category

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

"HENRI MATISSE NO"
"HENRI MATISSE NO"

"HENRI MATISSE NO"

By Kyrylo Bondarenko

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Academism is dead, in this project I study myself through the prism of time of my vision of the universe of bodies, forms, and colors. I take dry and boring academicism and transform...

Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor

"JEAN SIMÉON CHARDIN"
"JEAN SIMÉON CHARDIN"

"JEAN SIMÉON CHARDIN"

By Kyrylo Bondarenko

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Academism is dead, in this project I study myself through the prism of time of my vision of the universe of bodies, forms, and colors. I take dry and boring academicism and transform...

Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor

Rooster . original painting
Rooster . original painting

Rooster . original painting

By Alina O'Dwyer

Located in Zofingen, AG

This artwork stands out remarkably and captures attention. It is a nostalgic tribute to my childhood memories at the summer house. Those early mornings when the sun rose and I intend...

Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lowell Nesbitt, Shadow Iris, 1982
Lowell Nesbitt, Shadow Iris, 1982

Lowell Nesbitt, Shadow Iris, 1982

By Lowell Nesbitt

Located in Fairfield, CT

This exquisite oil painting by Lowell Nesbitt (1933–1993), titled Shadow Iris, exemplifies the artist’s radical expansion of realism into a realm of monumental scale, heightened perc...

Category

1980s Realist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Festive Village Gathering"

"Festive Village Gathering"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Festive Village Gathering Artist: Unidentified (18th Century) Medium: Oil on canvas Date: Circa late 18th Dimensions: Framed: 91 × 138 cm Unframed (sight): 75 × 124 cm This large, vi...

Category

18th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

LARGE OIL PAINTING by ANTHONY BRANDRETT (NAVY ADMIRALTY 20th CENTURY PIECE
LARGE OIL PAINTING by ANTHONY BRANDRETT (NAVY ADMIRALTY 20th CENTURY PIECE

LARGE OIL PAINTING by ANTHONY BRANDRETT (NAVY ADMIRALTY 20th CENTURY PIECE

Located in Ferndown, GB

LARGE FINE 20th Century Piece Maritime Battle Scene British oil painting in a Gold Gilt Frame FINE RARE MARTINE PAINTING ORIGINAL 20th Century OLD MASTER STYLE OIL PAINTING GOLD GILT FRAME Good condition for age , (see pictures) Description Born in 1940 Anthony Brandrett...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Old Riga. 1956. Watercolor, paper. 23x15 cm. Signed
Old Riga. 1956. Watercolor, paper. 23x15 cm. Signed

Old Riga. 1956. Watercolor, paper. 23x15 cm. Signed

By Janis Brekte

Located in Riga, LV

The central focus of the artwork is on an old town, a historic district known for its antiquated architecture, cobbled streets, and a sense of bygone eras. The combination of waterco...

Category

1950s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Dusk at Tower 26, Oil Painting
Dusk at Tower 26, Oil Painting

Dusk at Tower 26, Oil Painting

By Jesse Aldana

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Blue dusk settles over Santa Monica Bay. A lone lifeguard tower stands watch over the calm waters, while feathery clouds drift above like graceful phoenixes. Th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Artist's Studio - Scottish 1914 Glasgow Boy art exh interior oil painting
The Artist's Studio - Scottish 1914 Glasgow Boy art exh interior oil painting

The Artist's Studio - Scottish 1914 Glasgow Boy art exh interior oil painting

By Alexander Roche

Located in Hagley, England

This superb RSA exhibited Scottish Edwardian interior oil painting is by Glasgow Boy artist Alexander Ignatius Roche. It was painted circa 1914 when Roche was living at 8 Royal Terrace, on Calton Hill, a very prestigious property in Edinburgh, now the Halcyon Hotel. The painting is a view of Roche's studio, quite possibly one of the rooms at the above address. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy the following year, no. 333 entitled The Studio. The painting shows Roche beneath the vast window in his studio against a red wall that meets pale floorboards. Various items and furniture are scattered about. The balance of the white window and pale floorboards with the red wall intersecting is perfect. A really lovely example of this great Glasgow Boy artist's work and a very personal piece showing his inner sanctum. Signed lower right. Provenance. Exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy 1915 no. 333, entitled The Studio. Condition. Oil on canvas, 24 inches by 20 inches and in good condition. Frame. Housed in a gilt frame, 32 inches by 28 inches and in good condition. Alexander Ignatius Roche RSA NEAC RP (1861-1921) was a Scottish artist in the late 19th century and an important figure in the “Glasgow Boys. He was born in the Gallowgate in Glasgow, the son of a milliner, Alexander Roche. He attended St Mungo’s Academy in Bridgeton, Glasgow. He originally trained as an architect, but then changed to art, studying at the Glasgow School of Art and, from 1881, at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Here he studied under Gustave Boulanger and Jean-Leon Gerome. In his time here he befriended William Kennedy, John Lavery, Thomas Millie Dow and William Stott. In the early 1880s he joined a colony of Scots artists in Grez-sur-Loing south of Fontainebleau. On his return to Scotland in 1885 he joined with the Glasgow Boys working on murals for the 1888 International Exhibition. In 1888 he travelled to Capri where he befriended Fabio Fabbi and Harold Speed. In following years he visited both Venice and Florence, and married an Italian girl on the latter trip. This marriage was short-lived and they separated. As both were Catholics there seems to have never been any divorce. In 1896 he moved from Glasgow to Edinburgh and began to distance himself from the Glasgow Boys. His work drifted from largely landscape to portraits. In 1906 he remarried (possibly bigamously), to Jean Alexander, daughter of Robert Alexander. During this period they enjoyed the friendship of Joseph Crawhall...

Category

1910s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait Of Dr. Frederick A. Cook By Albert Operti
Portrait Of Dr. Frederick A. Cook By Albert Operti

Portrait Of Dr. Frederick A. Cook By Albert Operti

Located in New Orleans, LA

Albert Ludwig Operti 1852-1927 Italian-American Portrait of Dr. Frederick Albert Cook Oil on canvas This highly rare portrait of the important Polar explorer, Dr. Frederick Albert Cook, is the work of American artist Albert Ludwig Operti. Renowned in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for his paintings of exploration, namely Arctic scenes, Operti was the only artist to accompany Robert Peary...

Category

20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Evening (Ode to B. Foster), " Original Autumn Landscape Oil Painting

"Evening (Ode to B. Foster), " Original Autumn Landscape Oil Painting

By Shawn Krueger

Located in Denver, CO

"Evening (Ode to B. Foster)" by Shawn Krueger (United States) is a handmade landscape oil painting that is painted on a cradled board and ready to hang. Krueger depicts a marsh in the autumn with warm afternoon light. Shawn Krueger, born 1973, is a contemporary landscape painter whose work sits comfortably in both the American Tonalist and Arts & Crafts traditions. Shawn received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Calvin College in 1998, studying under Chris Stoffel...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Celebrating Autumn With the Mother Tree, Original Oil Painting
Celebrating Autumn With the Mother Tree, Original Oil Painting

Celebrating Autumn With the Mother Tree, Original Oil Painting

By Deb Komitor

Located in Denver, CO

"Celebrating Autumn With the Mother Tree" by Deb Komitor (United States) is a handmade landscape oil painting that is framed and ready to hang. Deb Komitor, born in 1957, is a conte...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Puppy Dog, Kitten, Mouse Greeting Card painting (Children's room decor)
Puppy Dog, Kitten, Mouse Greeting Card painting (Children's room decor)

Puppy Dog, Kitten, Mouse Greeting Card painting (Children's room decor)

By Ferd Sondern

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Ferd Sondern (b.1923) Puppy chasing Kitten chasing Mouse, 1977. Pencil, gouache and watercolor on illustration board. Complete panel measures 7 x 15 inches. Signed lower left. Cr...

Category

1970s Realist Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache, Illustration Board

Today We Sing
Today We Sing

Today We Sing

By Garrett Schuh

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

Original Oil Painting signed by the Artist on the lower left corner.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Cherubs
Cherubs

George Henry HallCherubs, 1875

$3,000Sale Price|64% Off

Cherubs

By George Henry Hall

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

George Henry Hall (1825-1913). Cupids, 1875. Oil on canvas, 6 x 9.25 inches; 10 x 13.25 inches framed. Original frame with label verso. Excellent condition with no damage or restoration. Signed and dated lower right. Price on request Biography: Birth place: Manchester, NH Addresses: Primarily in NYC from 1852 Profession: Still-life, genre, portrait painter Studied: between 1849-52 in Paris and Rome; and Düsseldorf Royal Acad. with Eastman Johnson Exhibited: PAFA, 1853-68; Royal Acad., British Inst., Suffolk Street Gal., all in London, 1858-74; Brooklyn AA, 1861-81; NAD, 1862-1900; AIC, 1888; Boston AC, 1881, 1889 Member: ANA, 1853; NA, 1868; Century Assn. Work: MMA; BM; BMFA Comments: Best known for his still-lifes, he specialized in detailed and vividly colored fruit and flower...

Category

19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mountain Landscape (Pyrenees) 1928
Mountain Landscape (Pyrenees) 1928

Mountain Landscape (Pyrenees) 1928

By Fritz Lindström

Located in Stockholm, SE

Fritz Lindström (1874–1962) Mountain Landscape (Pyrenees), 1928 oil on panel unframed 15.5 × 24 cm (6.1 × 9.4 in) framed: 26 × 34 cm (10.2 × 13.4 in) signed on the reverse Frame by...

Category

1920s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

"A bouquet of poppies"
"A bouquet of poppies"

"A bouquet of poppies"

By Roman Dub

Located in Edinburgh, GB

It all began with a sudden burst of energy from within. The fresh poppies, just brought into the studio, blazed with such unbridled energy that it was simply impossible to gaze at th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

"Shepherd scene"
"Shepherd scene"

"Shepherd scene"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Unidentified Artist, 18th Century – "Shepherd Scene" Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions (Framed): 128 x 147 cm Dimensions (Flat): 104 x 117 cm Frame: Elegant black and gold frame wi...

Category

18th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Judaica Miniature Oil Painting Jewish Family Scene
Judaica Miniature Oil Painting Jewish Family Scene

Judaica Miniature Oil Painting Jewish Family Scene

Located in Surfside, FL

Genre: Realism Subject: Family Portrait Medium: Oil Surface: Canvas Dimensions: 12X14 includes frame

Category

20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Felidae. Watchful Tranquility, Oil Painting
Felidae. Watchful Tranquility, Oil Painting

Felidae. Watchful Tranquility, Oil Painting

By Guigen Zha

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Two cheetahs stand in a lush green landscape, with a blue tree and rolling mountains rising behind them. Their alert posture suggests they are attentive to some...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Bottles Patterns in Swimming Pool, Blue & White Kitchenware, Modern Still Life
Bottles Patterns in Swimming Pool, Blue & White Kitchenware, Modern Still Life

Bottles Patterns in Swimming Pool, Blue & White Kitchenware, Modern Still Life

By Gio Bellagio

Located in Barcelona, ES

"Bottles in Swimming Pool II" is a contemporary still-life monotype cyanotype portraying a kitchen scene. This is a unique piece made by layering paper cutouts and different exposure...

Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Monotype, Archival Paper

Serenity at Dawn - beautiful misty morning at a River in the English Countryside
Serenity at Dawn - beautiful misty morning at a River in the English Countryside

Serenity at Dawn - beautiful misty morning at a River in the English Countryside

By Spencer Coleman

Located in Preston, GB

Serenity at Dawn - a beautiful misty morning at a River in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Spencer Coleman. Unique Vintage Original, Oil on Canvas, Signed. A...

Category

1990s Realist Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

The sadness of Maria Magdalena
The sadness of Maria Magdalena

The sadness of Maria Magdalena

By Serghei Ghetiu

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this painting, I sought to capture a tender moment of introspection. The rich light bathes the figure in warmth, emphasizing the reflective mood. Textured shadows and the vibrant ...

Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Purple Haze, Original Painting
Purple Haze, Original Painting

Purple Haze, Original Painting

By Renee Noel

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A euphoric winter night sky stretches across the scene, revealing the vastness and beauty of space. Glowing clouds break through the darkness, offering a sens...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Сoffee tradition
Сoffee tradition

Сoffee tradition

By Ihar Sviancicki

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. ...

Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Winter Mist at a Farm in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist
Winter Mist at a Farm in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist

Winter Mist at a Farm in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist

By Wendy Reeves

Located in Preston, GB

Winter Mist at a Farm in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Wendy Reeves Art measures 40 x 20 inches Frame measures 46 x 26 inches (framed in a high quality ornate gold moulding) Wendy Reeves garnered acclaim for her Scottish Highland and Lakeland paintings. Born in 1944 in Ewell, Surrey, she took to her father Gordon’s craft, deciding early on that she would be a painter. Prior to her famous paintings of the British Isles, artist Wendy Reeves painted scenes from a trip she made to Spain when she was 21. It was during this time that her dream of following in her father’s footsteps became a reality, and when she returned to England she cemented her name as an artist. Wendy Reeves' paintings showcase her talent with natural landscapes and the wildlife that inhabits them. Her work often features ochre and pink lights...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Ficus, Cat, and She...
The Ficus, Cat, and She...

The Ficus, Cat, and She...

By Nataliya Bagatskaya

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

"Cielo" Oil Painting
"Cielo" Oil Painting

"Cielo" Oil Painting

By Kierstin Young

Located in Denver, CO

Kierstin Young's (US based) "Sol" is an oil painting that depicts a green Luna moth and a blue patterned background with organic designs Artist Statement/Bio: (b. The Year of the ...

Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil, 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.