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Realist Art

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
British Chalk Pencil Sketches of Two Sheep Standing and Lying on the Grass
British Chalk Pencil Sketches of Two Sheep Standing and Lying on the Grass

British Chalk Pencil Sketches of Two Sheep Standing and Lying on the Grass

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...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

Portrait of Black Dancer (male nude)
Portrait of Black Dancer (male nude)

Portrait of Black Dancer (male nude)

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Roy Blakey (1930-2024). Portrait of Black Dancer, ca. 1972. Mr. Dennis was immortalized in 1975 as the original Richie "Gimme The Ball" Walters in A Chorus Line, after making his B...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Impressionistic Sunrise Seascape Oil Painting Michael Budden Sunrise Sensation
Impressionistic Sunrise Seascape Oil Painting Michael Budden Sunrise Sensation

Impressionistic Sunrise Seascape Oil Painting Michael Budden Sunrise Sensation

By Michael Budden

Located in Chesterfield, NJ

Sunrise Sensation oil/canvas 9 x 12 image unframed, 16.88 x 19.88 framed signed LL Sunrise Sensation is an oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Monet flowers"
"Monet flowers"

"Monet flowers"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

In this vibrant oil on paper piece, I poured my soul into capturing the essence of a lush field, inspired by oriental art with expressionistic and impressionistic flair. Using vivid ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Oil

British Chalk Pencil Sketch Sheep Roaming in and Munching In The Field
British Chalk Pencil Sketch Sheep Roaming in and Munching In The Field

British Chalk Pencil Sketch Sheep Roaming in and Munching In The Field

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 Dou...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

Robin Bird Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Robin Bird Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Located in Granada Hills, CA

Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Robin Size: 12 x 16 inch, (30x4...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Island. Memories of Jiangnan, Oil Painting
Island. Memories of Jiangnan, Oil Painting

Island. Memories of Jiangnan, Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Jiangnan is artist Guigen Zha's birthplace. In this painting, he depicts the region's tranquil environment, with islands perfectly reflected in the calm water. ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Outdoor Market WPA sketch
Outdoor Market WPA sketch

Outdoor Market WPA sketch

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

David Margolis (b.1911). Outdoor Market, ca. 1935. Charcoal on paper, image measures 7 x 9.5 inches. Framed measurement 13 x 15.5 inches. Signed lower right. David Margolis (Septem...

Category

1930s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

Renewal
Renewal

Renewal

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Renewal" is the gentle touch of the ocean where water and soul meet, merging in a dance of light and motion. The waves envelop and carry away into a realm of quiet magic, where ever...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Just Keep the Connection
Just Keep the Connection

Just Keep the Connection

Located in Zofingen, AG

This artwork elegantly blends classic and contemporary elements, depicting a young woman in a stylish black outfit holding a phone to her ear. She stands against an endless blue sky...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

River Landscape Painting of Scottish Highlands by 19th Century British Artist
River Landscape Painting of Scottish Highlands by 19th Century British Artist

River Landscape Painting of Scottish Highlands by 19th Century British Artist

By Alfred de Breanski Sr.

Located in Preston, GB

River Landscape Painting of the Scottish Highlands by 19th Century British Artist, Alfred De Breanski Snr, (1852 - 1928). Signed on the front (l...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood, Cotton Canvas, Linen, Canvas

Realist Portrait, Mid-Century Oil On Card, The Babushka. Oil.
Realist Portrait, Mid-Century Oil On Card, The Babushka. Oil.

Realist Portrait, Mid-Century Oil On Card, The Babushka. Oil.

Located in Cotignac, FR

Mid-Century realist oil on card of a peasant woman, dated 1963 to the reverse. Artist unknown. Presented in gilt and painted wood frame under glass. A charming, grounded painting of...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

coastal landscape, bohuskusten, c. 1920s
coastal landscape, bohuskusten, c. 1920s

coastal landscape, bohuskusten, c. 1920s

Located in Stockholm, SE

Watercolor on paper signed Axel Hilleström unframed 39.5 x 72 cm (15.6 x 28.3 in) framed 50 x 83 cm (19.7 x 32.7 in) This expansive watercolor depicts a sandy shoreline along the Sw...

Category

1920s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"Birds in Flight" - Oil Painting of Birds on Birch
"Birds in Flight" - Oil Painting of Birds on Birch

"Birds in Flight" - Oil Painting of Birds on Birch

Located in Denver, CO

Two birds take flight against an expressive background. This painting is a study of how sanded wood and vibrant paint can create the illusion of movement, capturing the energy and li...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood, Birch

Ephesus. Ruins. Temple of Hadrian
Ephesus. Ruins. Temple of Hadrian

Ephesus. Ruins. Temple of Hadrian

By Simon Kozhin

Located in Zofingen, AG

The beauty of antiquity, its architecture, proportions, ornaments, materials and technologies fascinated me even during my studies. Once in the travaling, I was fascinated by the pre...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Yorklyn Trail
Yorklyn Trail

Yorklyn Trail

By Peter Sculthorpe

Located in Greenville, DE

Oil on panel landscape painting by Peter Sculthorpe. Framed dimensions 15 x 15 inches. Sculthorpe's landscapes have a curious warmth to them, a pervasive quality of light, a range of...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Pigeon

Pigeon

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

Original oil painting signed by the Artist in the lower left corner. Unframed.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

English 20th century portrait of an English Frigate in full sail at sea in oils.
English 20th century portrait of an English Frigate in full sail at sea in oils.

English 20th century portrait of an English Frigate in full sail at sea in oils.

Located in Woodbury, CT

English 20th century portrait of an English Frigate in full sail at sea in oils. A very well painted oil on canvas with great detail of a ship cutting through the sea at I'm sure great speed. The piece is an oil on canvas with I think gouache added to the waves to make them a brighter white. The piece is signed Mason and with some investigation, we are attributing this painting to the talented English painter Barry Mason...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique American Marine Seascape Oil Painting Crashing Surf Atlantic Coast Maine
Antique American Marine Seascape Oil Painting Crashing Surf Atlantic Coast Maine

Antique American Marine Seascape Oil Painting Crashing Surf Atlantic Coast Maine

By Frederick Judd Waugh

Located in Portland, OR

A fine antique seascape oil painting on panel by the celebrated marine artist, Frederick Judd Waugh (1861-1940), depicting the Atlantic of the coast of Maine, circa 1910. The painting is finely executed with bold and decisive brush strokes with crisp edges, one can almost hear the roar of the ocean as the surf crashes upon the rocks. The painting is signed lower right "Waugh" and is housed in the original carved & gilded frame. Condition is very good indeed, this fine seascape by one of America's most acclaimed late 19th early 20th century marine artists is ready to grace your wall. The painting will be accompanied with a certicificate of authenticity & provenance. Frederick Judd Waugh was an American artist, primarily known as a marine artist. During World War I, he designed ship camouflage for the U.S. Navy, under the direction of Everett L. Warner. Waugh was the son of a well-known Philadelphia portrait painter, Samuel Waugh. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts with Thomas Eakins, and at the Académie Julian in Paris with Adolphe-William Bouguereau. After leaving Paris, he moved to England, residing on the island of Sark in the English Channel, where he made his living as a seascape painter. In 1898 he was recorded as living in Heath and Reach, Bedfordshire. In 1908, Waugh returned to the U.S., settling in Montclair Heights, New Jersey. He had no studio until art collector William T. Evans (a railroad financier and President of the dry goods firm, Mills Gibbs Corporation) offered him one in exchange for one painting a year. In later years, he lived on Bailey Island, Maine, and in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Waugh’s marinescapes were highly acclaimed, garnering him the Popular Prize at the Carnegie International Exhibition for five years in a row, a feat accomplished by no other artist. In 1914, he was a judge of the art exhibit on Monhegan Island, Maine during the 1914 Ter-Centenary celebration of the Voyage of Captain John Smith. In addition to his marinescapes, Waugh sometimes published work in periodicals, such as The Green Sheaf, to which he contributed at least one illustration. He also produced paintings and sketches on legendary and mythological themes; see, for instance, his 1921 sketch “Levitation in Dream No. 3”, and his c. 1912 painting “The Knight of the Holy Grail”. In 1918, Waugh was recommended to serve as a camouflage artist (or camoufleur) for the U.S. Navy, as a member of the Design Section of its marine camouflage unit. That section was located in Washington, D.C., and was headed by American painter Everett L. Warner. According to a biography of Waugh, “Many large ships, including the Leviathan, were painted according to his designs. Though the enterprise was of course a team effort in which no man played a solo part, he had every reason to be proud of his record. Only one ship with his system of camouflage was lost during the war”. Waugh was known to produce literary work, publishing a short poem in Pamela Colman Smith’s short-lived periodical The Green Sheaf; a fairy tale in The English Illustrated Magazine; and, in 1916, the book The Clan of Munes...

Category

1910s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

PORTAL TO WITHIN
PORTAL TO WITHIN

PORTAL TO WITHIN

Located in Zofingen, AG

shipped in roll For this piece, I wanted to create a sense of diving deep into the self. The sunbeams cutting through the water are like shafts of inner light, illuminating the qui...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Evening at the Lake, Oil Painting
Evening at the Lake, Oil Painting

Evening at the Lake, Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Lush green palms border a lake, creating a serene afternoon scene. Lavender shades blend with coral and pink clouds, reflecting the warm glow of the setting sun...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Cloud Composition 9" Original Realist Skyscape with Clouds
"Cloud Composition 9" Original Realist Skyscape with Clouds

"Cloud Composition 9" Original Realist Skyscape with Clouds

Located in Denver, CO

"Cloud Composition 9" 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 ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Natalie. Nude, oil painting, woman, vertical, realism
Natalie. Nude, oil painting, woman, vertical, realism

Natalie. Nude, oil painting, woman, vertical, realism

Located in Oslo, NO

The portrait depicts a beautiful girl in the prime of her youth, when her whole life is ahead and full of hope. Despite the fact that it depicts a specific person, this portrait can ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Chickadee, Bird, Watercolor Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Chickadee, Bird, Watercolor Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Located in Granada Hills, CA

192 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2023 Style: Classic Art Title: Chickadee Size: 12 x 16 inch...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

“Sunflowers in Glass Vase” Signed Still Life Oil Painting by J. M. Dilekis
“Sunflowers in Glass Vase” Signed Still Life Oil Painting by J. M. Dilekis

“Sunflowers in Glass Vase” Signed Still Life Oil Painting by J. M. Dilekis

Located in Buffalo, NY

A richly painted still life of sunflowers by J. M. Dilekis, signed and dated 1994 in the lower right. Executed in oil on canvas, this classic composition features a lush bouquet of g...

Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Realist art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Realist art 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 art 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 Slim Aarons, Michael Budden, Daniel Pollera, and Su Yu. 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 art, so small editions measuring 0.1 inches across are also available.