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Realist Black and White Photography

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
Magenta Swimming - Vibrant Noir Photography
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Magenta Swimming - Vibrant Noir Photography
Magenta Swimming - Vibrant Noir Photography

Pico Garcez
Magenta Swimming - Vibrant Noir Photography, 2014

Vibrant Swimming Motion Paris France by Photographer Pico Garcez
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Paris France - Vibrant aqua blue. Photography Edition Print. Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from chil...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Vibrant Swimming Motion Paris France by Photographer Pico Garcez

Pico Garcez
Vibrant Swimming Motion Paris France by Photographer Pico Garcez, 2014

NEON Lighting Noir Swimming - Vibrant Photograph by Pico Garcez
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

NEON Lighting Noir Swimming - Vibrant Photograph by Pico Garcez
NEON Lighting Noir Swimming - Vibrant Photograph by Pico Garcez

Pico Garcez
NEON Lighting Noir Swimming - Vibrant Photograph by Pico Garcez, 2014

NEON Swimming - Vibrant Noir Photograph
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

NEON Swimming - Vibrant Noir Photograph
NEON Swimming - Vibrant Noir Photograph

Pico Garcez
NEON Swimming - Vibrant Noir Photograph, 2014

Nova Car - Marfa Texas - Vintage Car Photograph
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Nova Car - Marfa Texas - Vintage Car Photograph

Pico Garcez
Nova Car - Marfa Texas - Vintage Car Photograph, 2014

Nova Car - Marfa Texas - Vintage Car Photograph
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Nova Car - Marfa Texas - Vintage Car Photograph

Pico Garcez
Nova Car - Marfa Texas - Vintage Car Photograph, 2014

Floating Market Asia
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Floating Market Asia

Pico Garcez
Floating Market Asia, 2014

Untitled - Abstract Modern Architecture Photograph
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Untitled - Abstract Modern Architecture Photograph

Pico Garcez
Untitled - Abstract Modern Architecture Photograph, 2014

Pico Garcez 'Black Ship, Bahia Brazil' - Black & White Photograph
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing freedom of look and intuition, seeking aesthetic challenges linked to the observation of the image in subjects such as: solitude, reflections of emptiness and behavior. Awarded by The Art of Intuitive Photography in NY for 4 times, Pico also find his work in the permanent collections of: The Rio Art Museum (MAR), Museum of Modern Art of Bahia (MAM-BA) and Museum of Photography of Fortaleza among other international collections. Having contact with a work of art has to be transformative. This photographic essay by Pico Garcez leads us to this, puts the gaze, sees and sees in constant dispute. The meaning is hidden and this leads us to be co-authors. In Pico's UNCONSCIOUS-NEST, work is not the aesthetics or the colors that speak the most, instead they fog our critical eye, trying to distract us in the central core of which it treats. It is an experience to observe these images. Pico puts us & leaves us in a void where our own inner solitude surfaces - Not having to share with. Where is life, if not ours? We are part of this work for empathy, and in that, Pico was generous - letting us in. UNCONSCIOUS-NEST is not a geographical place, instead it lives in us and everywhere. It shows what we've done for ourselves - it's a pool without a ledge. – “I can but I will not ... - I am here! I want to die and die where I've touched my heart.” Black and White Ship Photography...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Pico Garcez 'Black Ship, Bahia Brazil' - Black & White Photograph
Pico Garcez 'Black Ship, Bahia Brazil' - Black & White Photograph

Pico Garcez
Pico Garcez 'Black Ship, Bahia Brazil' - Black & White Photograph, 2014

Frank Sinatra, 1959 - Bob Willoughby (Portrait Photography)
By Bob Willoughby
Located in London, GB
Frank Sinatra, 1959 - Bob Willoughby (Portrait Photography) Archival pigment print Printed on 20 x 24 inch paper From an edition of 25 Also available in alternative sizes Bob Wi...
Category

1950s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Frank Sinatra, 1959 - Bob Willoughby (Portrait Photography)
Frank Sinatra, 1959 - Bob Willoughby (Portrait Photography)

Bob Willoughby
Frank Sinatra, 1959 - Bob Willoughby (Portrait Photography), 1959

Marfa Texas Water Tower - Photography by Pico Garcez
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Marfa Texas Water Tower - Photography by Pico Garcez

Pico Garcez
Marfa Texas Water Tower - Photography by Pico Garcez, 2014

Worship Prayer Flags Bhutan - Abstract Landscape Photography
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Worship Prayer Flags Bhutan - Abstract Landscape Photography
Worship Prayer Flags Bhutan - Abstract Landscape Photography

Pico Garcez
Worship Prayer Flags Bhutan - Abstract Landscape Photography, 2014

Big Hair Vintage Sign, Marfa Texas by Brazilian Photographer Pico Garcez
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Big Hair Vintage Sign, Marfa Texas by Brazilian Photographer Pico Garcez

Pico Garcez
Big Hair Vintage Sign, Marfa Texas by Brazilian Photographer Pico Garcez, 2014

NEON Swimming - Vibrant Noir Abstract Photography
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
NEON Swimming - Vibrant Noir Abstract Photography. Swimming Pool - Bright Orange and Black Noir. Photography. Edition Print. This Photography work 23.5 inches by 35.5 inches. Pico...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

NEON Swimming - Vibrant Noir Abstract Photography
NEON Swimming - Vibrant Noir Abstract Photography

Pico Garcez
NEON Swimming - Vibrant Noir Abstract Photography, 2014

Prayer Flags Bhutan - Abstract Photography
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Prayer Flags Bhutan - Abstract Photography
Prayer Flags Bhutan - Abstract Photography

Pico Garcez
Prayer Flags Bhutan - Abstract Photography, 2014

Prayer Flags Bhutan - Abstract Photography
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Bhutan Religious Photography - Open Sky Neutral Blue, Silver, and Yellow Tones. Photography. Edition Print. Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Braz...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Prayer Flags Bhutan - Abstract Photography
Prayer Flags Bhutan - Abstract Photography

Pico Garcez
Prayer Flags Bhutan - Abstract Photography, 2014

Ocean Force, Photography by Pico Garcez
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Ocean Force, Photography by Pico Garcez

Pico Garcez
Ocean Force, Photography by Pico Garcez, 2014

Nova Car - Marfa Texas - Vintage Car Photograph
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Nova Car - Marfa Texas - Vintage Car Photograph

Pico Garcez
Nova Car - Marfa Texas - Vintage Car Photograph, 2014

Bhutan Prayer Flags - Abstract Photography By PICO GARCEZ
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Bhutan Prayer Flags - Abstract Photography By PICO GARCEZ

Pico Garcez
Bhutan Prayer Flags - Abstract Photography By PICO GARCEZ, 2014

French Vibrant Swimming Motion
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

French Vibrant Swimming Motion

Pico Garcez
French Vibrant Swimming Motion, 2014

Vibrant Swimming France
By Pico Garcez
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Vibrant Swimming France

Pico Garcez
Vibrant Swimming France, 2014

Faded Flowers
By Reka Nyari
Located in New York, NY
“Ink Stories”, which was introduced at Nyari’s very first solo gallery exhibit, consists of large-scale nude photographs that explore the concept of self-identity and female empowerment. The series joins six women together...
Category

2010s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Arc...

Faded Flowers

Reka Nyari
Faded Flowers, 2019

Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, 1962
By Bob Willoughby
Located in London, GB
Archival pigment print Printed on 20 x 24 inch paper From an edition of 15 Also available in alternative sizes Bob Willoughby is best-loved for his photojournalistic motion pictu...
Category

1950s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, 1962
Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, 1962

Bob Willoughby
Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, 1962, 1962

Palazzo Pitti, Sala Bianca I, Firenze
By Massimo Listri
Located in New York, NY
Palazzo Pitti, Sala Bianca I Firenze, 2008 The photographer is based in Florence, and is fascinated how his architectural subject matter allows him to c...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

C Print

Palazzo Pitti, Sala Bianca I, Firenze

Massimo Listri
Palazzo Pitti, Sala Bianca I, Firenze, 2008

Mount Everest in Morning Light, from Camp at 22, 500 ft. - Landscape Photography
By George Leigh Mallory
Located in London, GB
A modern platinum print from The Royal Geographical Society's first expedition to Mount Everest's summit. Made with extraordinary skill and care by Belgi...
Category

1920s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Platinum

Mount Everest in Morning Light, from Camp at 22, 500 ft. - Landscape Photography

George Leigh Mallory
Mount Everest in Morning Light, from Camp at 22, 500 ft. - Landscape Photography, 1921

Cairns at a Rest Stop on the Way to the Kharta Glacier - Landscape Photography
By George Leigh Mallory
Located in London, GB
A modern platinum print from The Royal Geographical Society's first expedition to Mount Everest's summit. Made with extraordinary skill and care by Belgi...
Category

1920s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Platinum

Cairns at a Rest Stop on the Way to the Kharta Glacier - Landscape Photography

George Leigh Mallory
Cairns at a Rest Stop on the Way to the Kharta Glacier - Landscape Photography, 1921

Mount Everest in Cloud from Summit North of Advanced Base - Landscape Photograph
By George Leigh Mallory
Located in London, GB
A modern platinum print from The Royal Geographical Society's first expedition to Mount Everest's summit. Made with extraordinary skill and care by Belgi...
Category

1920s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Platinum

Mount Everest in Cloud from Summit North of Advanced Base - Landscape Photograph

George Leigh Mallory
Mount Everest in Cloud from Summit North of Advanced Base - Landscape Photograph, 1921

Everest Summit and Great Couloir in Centre of North Face - Landscape Photography
By George Leigh Mallory
Located in London, GB
A modern platinum print from The Royal Geographical Society's first expedition to Mount Everest's summit. Made with extraordinary skill and care by Belgi...
Category

1920s Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Platinum

Everest Summit and Great Couloir in Centre of North Face - Landscape Photography

George Leigh Mallory
Everest Summit and Great Couloir in Centre of North Face - Landscape Photography, 1921

Petit's Mobil
By George Tice
Located in Westwood, NJ
This11x14" selenium toned silver gelatin print by noted American photographer George Tice is considered among the iconic American photographs of the 20th Century. Taken with an 8x10 ...
Category

20th Century Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Petit's Mobil

George Tice
Petit's Mobil, 1973

Palazzo Pitti, Sala Bianca I, Firenze
By Massimo Listri
Located in New York, NY
Palazzo Pitti, Sala Bianca I Firenze, 2008 The photographer is based in Florence, and is fascinated how his architectural subject matter allows him to c...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

C Print

Palazzo Pitti, Sala Bianca I, Firenze

Massimo Listri
Palazzo Pitti, Sala Bianca I, Firenze, 2008

Antarctica, Iceberg, "The Castle"
By Sebastião Salgado
Located in New York, NY
Having seen deforestation in his native Brazil, acclaimed photographer Sebastião Salgado went to five corners of the earth in pursuit of a portrait of the natural world. Sebastião...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Antarctica, Iceberg, "The Castle"

Sebastião Salgado
Antarctica, Iceberg, "The Castle", 2005

Realist black and white photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Realist black and white photography 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 black and white photography created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Pico Garcez, Slim Aarons, Ron Tarver, and Kind of Cyan. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and Silver Gelatin Print 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 black and white photography, so small editions measuring 3.94 inches across are also available. Prices for black and white photography made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $159 and tops out at $65,000, while the average work sells for $1,700.

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