Realist Art
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.
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Canvas
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil, Linen, Wood, Cotton Canvas
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil, Board
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
19th Century Realist Art
Oil
19th Century Realist Art
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Emulsion, Watercolor, Engraving, Etching, Monotype
Artist Comments
This still-life arrangement of Granny Smith apples resembles a family portrait. Thoughtfully composed to guide the eye, the grouping of fruit evokes the warmt...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Watercolor
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Woodcut
2010s Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
1980s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Realist Art
Lithograph
1970s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Pastel
2010s Realist Art
Acrylic, Paper
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Lithograph
2010s Realist Art
Watercolor, Lithograph, Monotype
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
1980s Realist Art
Oil, Board
2010s Realist Art
Emulsion, Engraving, Etching, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
1970s Realist Art
Lambda
2010s Realist Art
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Realist Art
Etching
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Oil, Wood Panel, Board
1930s Realist Art
Ballpoint Pen
Mid-20th Century Realist Art
Cardboard, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil
1780s Realist Art
Engraving
Artist Comments
The sea exudes an atmosphere of comfort and peace at sunset. The water mirrors the glorious colors of the sky, creating a captivating display of light. The re...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
1990s Realist Art
Oil
1870s Realist Art
Bronze
Early 19th Century Realist Art
Oil, Canvas
1850s Realist Art
Oil
1910s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
17th Century Realist Art
Oil, Canvas
1990s Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil, Board
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Canvas
1950s Realist Art
Lambda
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
1940s Realist Art
Lithograph
1970s Realist Art
Metal, Copper
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Realist Art
Etching
1930s Realist Art
Watercolor
2010s Realist Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil, Masonite
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Realist Art
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin, Archival Paper
1970s Realist Art
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
The sun pierces through the morning mist, casting a warm, golden glow on the fields and meandering stream below. The aerial view captures the scale, depth, and ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil