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Realist Art

15,292 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
Serene Countryside Scene with Trees, a Tranquil Pond and a Charming Cottage
Serene Countryside Scene with Trees, a Tranquil Pond and a Charming Cottage

Serene Countryside Scene with Trees, a Tranquil Pond and a Charming Cottage

Located in Preston, GB

Serene Countryside Scene with Trees, a Tranquil Pond and a Charming Cottage by 20th Century German Artist, Krahn. Art measures 20 x 16 inches Frame measures 24 x 20 inches This pa...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Oil

Large Surreal Latin American Oil Painting
Large Surreal Latin American Oil Painting

Large Surreal Latin American Oil Painting

Located in Rochester, NY

Surreal hyper realistic trompe l'oeil oil painting by Latin American artist Victor Del Castillo. Peaches, grapes and cherries in rich brilliant colors and incredible detail. Measures...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Magnolia. Original oil painting
Magnolia. Original oil painting

Magnolia. Original oil painting

By Irina Trushkova

Located in Zofingen, AG

These stunning magnolia placed in a transparent vase. A dark background helps to reveal delicate forms of flowers and capture the reactions of light with glass. The medium used is oi...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

LE PETIT CAVALIER SUR BOIS.
LE PETIT CAVALIER SUR BOIS.

LE PETIT CAVALIER SUR BOIS.

By Jean Baptiste Corot

Located in Santa Monica, CA

JEAN-BAPTISTE CAMILLE COROT (1876 - 1875) LE PETIT CAVALIER SUR BOIS. 1854 (1921) (Delteil 42) Cliché-verre on thin vellum. Signed in plate at bottom. 8 1/4 x 6 5/16” (sheet size)....

Category

1850s Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Etching

A seascape with waves III
A seascape with waves III

A seascape with waves III

By Serghei Ghetiu

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this painting, I poured my passion into capturing the relentless energy and beauty of the sea. The waves’ movement and light play embody both power and serenity, inviting you to f...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Samsone & Dalila"
"Samsone & Dalila"

"Samsone & Dalila"

By Antonio Balestra

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Antonio Balestra (1666–1740) – "Samson & Delilah" Artist: Antonio Balestra (1666–1740) Title: "Samson & Delilah" Medium: Oil on canvas Framed Dimensions: 147 x 165 cm Canvas Dime...

Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Baa-Relief" Aaron Bohrod, Pun Humor, Magic Realism, Sheep, Lamb
"Baa-Relief" Aaron Bohrod, Pun Humor, Magic Realism, Sheep, Lamb

"Baa-Relief" Aaron Bohrod, Pun Humor, Magic Realism, Sheep, Lamb

By Aaron Bohrod

Located in New York, NY

Aaron Bohrod Baa-Relief, 1986 Signed lower left Oil on gesso panel 8 x 10 inches Aaron Bohrod's work has not been limited to one style or medium. Initially recognized as a regionalist painter of American scenes, particularly of his native Chicago, Bohrod later devoted himself to detailed still-life paintings rendered in the trompe l'oeil style. He also worked for several years in ceramics and wrote a book on pottery. Born in 1907, Bohrod began his studies at Chicago's Crane Junior College in 1925, and two years later enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago. But it was at the Art Students League in New York City, from 1930 to 1932, that he studied under the man believed to be his most significant early influence, John Sloan. Sloan's romantic realism is reflected in the many depictions of Chicago life...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Oriental Figure Study in Red and White
Oriental Figure Study in Red and White

Oriental Figure Study in Red and White

Located in Stockholm, SE

Attributed to John Arsenius (1818–1903) Sweden Oriental Figure monogrammed lower left JA oil on panel unframed 26.5 × 15.5 cm (10.4 × 6.1 in) framed 34 × 23 cm (13.4 × 9.1 in) Pro...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Dreams-original modern abstract landscape trees oil paintings- contemporary Art
Dreams-original modern abstract landscape trees oil paintings- contemporary Art

Dreams-original modern abstract landscape trees oil paintings- contemporary Art

By Kate Salenfriend

Located in London, Chelsea

This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Late 20th-century Central Asian Sport Watercolor by Asan Raimkulov
Late 20th-century Central Asian Sport Watercolor by Asan Raimkulov

Late 20th-century Central Asian Sport Watercolor by Asan Raimkulov

Located in San Francisco, CA

On offer is a dramatic sporting watercolor of a traditional Central Asian equestrian game, "Ulak Tartysh" or "Kokbaru", depending on whether it’s being played in Kyrgyzstan or Kazakh...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Awakening, Oil Painting
Awakening, Oil Painting

Awakening, Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Richard Johnson shows a profound connection to the oceans through his work. In this realistic seascape, he captures the intricate texture of sea foam and...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Alone Together, Original Painting
Alone Together, Original Painting

Alone Together, Original Painting

By Emil Morhardt

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A pair of sandhill cranes stand on opposite sides, their intense eyes seemingly watching each other's backs. Their stoic stance accentuates as the pond they inhabit fades into the grayish rainy mist of California's Central Valley in early winter. Rendered with a loose, watercolor-like technique, the birds' portrayal carries an expressive touch.


About the Artist
Emil Morhardt is an acrylic painter from Santa Barbara, California who expresses his passion for birds through realistic acrylic paintings. He paints at home in a studio room that has large windows and a north-facing view of the mountains. He observes the animals from this window, watching roadrunners, foxes, bobcats, deer, and coyote run by. Surrounded by this wildlife, Emil paints bird portraits reminiscent of those by artist John James Audubon. He bases his paintings off hundreds of photographs he takes of birds in the wild and at wildlife recovery centers. Emil captures the freedom and inquisitiveness that birds display...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Leucippus Fallax (Buffy Hummingbird) — Original Hand-colored Lithograph
Leucippus Fallax (Buffy Hummingbird) — Original Hand-colored Lithograph

Leucippus Fallax (Buffy Hummingbird) — Original Hand-colored Lithograph

By John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter

Located in Myrtle Beach, SC

John Gould, 'Leucippus Fallax' (Buffy Hummingbird), original lithograph with hand-coloring (not a reproduction), c. 1850. Signed in typeset 'J. Gould and H. C. Richter, del et lith.'...

Category

1850s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Night Watch. Limited Edition 3/5 - Bronze Sculpture
Night Watch. Limited Edition 3/5 - Bronze Sculpture

Night Watch. Limited Edition 3/5 - Bronze Sculpture

Located in Riga, LV

Dimensions: 36 W x 38 H x 13 D cm Weight: 8,2 kg Material: Bronze, patina Edition: 3/5 + 1 AP, signed on base Condition: Excellent, certificate Free worldwide shipping in a branded b...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Portrait of Man in Denim
Portrait of Man in Denim

Portrait of Man in Denim

By Victor Arimondi

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Victor Arimondi (1942-2001). Portrait, ca. 1975. Period print measures 9 x 12 inches. Artist studio stamp on verso. Victor Arimondi (November 8, 1942 – July 24, 2001) was an Italian American photographer and model who lived and worked in Europe before moving to the United States in the late 1970s. His early fashion photography, his portraits of Grace Jones and other artists, and his male nudes photographed in New York and San Francisco captured the pre-AIDS culture of the 1970s and early 1980s. Arimondi's nudes were collected in several books, including David Leddick's award-winning[1] The Male Nude, (New York: Taschen 1998, 2005 and 2015). The photographer's later work documented homeless individuals in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood and the toll of the AIDS epidemic on the city. His photographs, featured in several posthumous exhibitions, also are in the collections of Sweden's museum of modern art, Moderna Museet, and San Francisco's GLBT Historical Society. Biography Arimondi was born Vittorio Maria Tevitti to his unwed mother, Alessandra Calligaris, in Bologna, Italy on November 8, 1942. His mother struggled financially, which left an impression on her only child. In 1948, she temporarily left him at a children's boarding school and orphanage in Italy to move to Sweden for a job. There she met and married Bruno Arimondi, who adopted her son. The family returned to Naples, Italy in 1952 where Victor graduated from high school.[1] In 1960, Arimondi returned to Sweden to study at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, although he did not graduate. Meanwhile, he worked at several blue collar jobs, including as a mailman, before he gave up on traditional full-time work to pursue what he considered more essential— a life of creative expression. He created costume-like clothing for himself and friends and at age 19 became a fashion model. Even as a teenager, the Italian born photographer who spent his 20s and 30s primarily based in Sweden, noted that he preferred fantasy to the trials of real life.[1] That conflict, and his passion for beauty as well as his sexual energy, were major factors in his life and his work.[2] From 1965 through 1972 Arimondi worked as model in London, Milan, Germany, New York and Stockholm, appearing in catalogs and fashion magazines including Vogue , Harper's Bazaar and Esquire and on the runway in several Valentino fashion shows. In 1972 he decided to try working on the other side of the lens as a photographer to better express his creativity.[2] Arimondi moved to New York in 1979 and continued to build his photography portfolio. Portrait of Bearded Man, New York City, 1979 Two years later, in 1981, he moved to San Francisco where he lived and worked for twenty years until his death of AIDS at age 58 on July 24, 2001. The year he moved to San Francisco, Arimondi opened a photo gallery in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood for a short time. When he struggled financially, he gave up on trying to earn a living through commercial fashion photography and closed the gallery.[3] Arimondi returned to modeling for the financial benefits, though he did so on less of an international scale than in his early years. He continued to create photographic portraits of the denizens of the San Francisco gay and arts cultures, to shoot male nudes and publish his work in magazines, and he began to compose and photograph evocative still lifes using his own photographic images. Many of them touched on the death of dozens of his former photography models from AIDS. Arimondi was in the midst of a new photography project that brought together his background as a fashion photographer and his more recent social documentary work when he died several months after he learned he was HIV-positive.[4] The project featured his former colleague, haute couture cover model Ivy Nicholson,[5] who he found living homeless in San Francisco. Several of the haunting portraits he took of her were later included in a noted group exhibit at SF Camerawork. Art Arimondi's early photography in the 1970s in Stockholm included portraits of the stars of Sweden's fashion, theater and dance worlds. His first two photography exhibits were in Stockholm and met with mixed reviews. But as he matured as a photographer and tapped into his fashion world contacts, Arimondi landed a number of commercial fashion jobs, including shooting for the Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A.'s I.Magnin department store ad that ran in Vogue. Marlboro Man Nude, New York City,1980. He also shot other artists and models for his own portfolio, including Grace Jones, the Norwegian actress, Liv Ullmann, and the American writer, Norman Mailer. Arimondi's aesthetic vision was focused on fantasy and drama, and he prided himself on pushing limits.[6] Although less well-known than his San Francisco contemporary...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

The harbor
The harbor

The harbor

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "The Harbor" c.1990, is an acrylic painting on canvas by noted American artist Robert (Bob) Logrippo, 1947-2021. It is signed at the lower left corner by the artist. The canvas size is 24 x 36 inches, framed size is 31 x 43 inches. Framed in a wooden gold frame, with fabric liner and gold color bevel. It is in excellent condition. About the artist: Bob LoGrippo's paintings have appeared on magazine, book and album covers, as well as calendars, greeting cards and puzzles. The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Readers Digest, Six Flags...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Japan – Samurai - Hand-colored Meiji Period photograph

Japan – Samurai - Hand-colored Meiji Period photograph

Located in Middletown, NY

Yokohama, Japan: c 1890. Hand-tinted albumen print, 10 1/8 x 7 3/4 inches (258 x 198 mm), numbered B 1161 and captioned in negative at lower right; very light cockling, brightly col...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Photographic Paper

Polaroid Photograph by Andy Warhol
Polaroid Photograph by Andy Warhol

Polaroid Photograph by Andy Warhol

By Andy Warhol

Located in Indianapolis, IN

Flowers would appear interspersed throughout every decade of Andy Warhol’s illustrious career. He penned drawings of flowers as early as the 1950s, studying floral compositions and v...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Photography

"Exhale" by Brian O'Neill, Oil painting, Male Nude
"Exhale" by Brian O'Neill, Oil painting, Male Nude

"Exhale" by Brian O'Neill, Oil painting, Male Nude

By Brian O'Neill

Located in Denver, CO

Brian O'Neill's (US based) "Exhale" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a nude male figure stooped over and keeling on the ground, with his back exposed and bowing his...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Silver, Gold Leaf

Foamy Clouds Diptych in Blue, Stormy Sky Scene, Handmade Cyanotype Print, Paper
Foamy Clouds Diptych in Blue, Stormy Sky Scene, Handmade Cyanotype Print, Paper

Foamy Clouds Diptych in Blue, Stormy Sky Scene, Handmade Cyanotype Print, Paper

By Kind of Cyan

Located in Barcelona, ES

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype diptych of foamy gorgeous clouds. Details: + Title: Floating Clouds Diptych + Year: 2023 + Edition Size: 20 + Stamped and ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Film, Emulsion, Watercolor, C Print, Color, Dye Transfer, L...

Golden Glow, Oil Painting
Golden Glow, Oil Painting

Golden Glow, Oil Painting

By Jose Luis Bermudez

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Jose Luis Bermudez presents a tranquil lake bathed in a radiant golden light. "The atmosphere envelops this setting, providing a sense of stability and connection to the earth," says Jose Luis. The water reflects a magical and captivating effect as the sun sits low in the sky, just above the trees. Plants reach for the last rays, vibrant and full of life, while the atmosphere glows with deep yellow hues. Jose Luis invites the viewer to contemplate nature's fleeting beauty and appreciate the magic that can exist in a single moment. The painting arrives with a thin white floating frame.


About the Artist
Artist Jose Luis Bermudez brings to life natural sceneries with breathtaking detail. His realistic oil paintings invite the viewer into a captivating, serene world of golden sunsets and peaceful wetlands. “I offer a fragment of my existence, where you can escape from daily life, visit beautiful scenes and moments, or simply recall a fond memory,” says Jose Luis. Graduating in 2008 with a BA from the San Alejandro School of Fine Arts in Havana, Cuba, he later shared his expertise as a painting teacher at his alma mater. In 2014, he took the leap and moved to Miami, Florida, seeking better opportunities. The decision did not come easy for Jose Luis to leave his home country. Yet, he encountered career obstacles that made him feel artists lacked the resources and opportunities for broader impact, access to more information, and improved working conditions. These challenges became the catalyst for his bold decision to make the move. Today, he paints in a spacious, well-lit studio, which he keeps clean and organized, always accompanied by piano or instrumental music. When he is not painting, he loves connecting with nature. He travels outside the city to places removed from everyday life, breathing fresh air and listening to self-improvement audio books to charge him with energy and continue.


Words that describe this painting: nature, lake, sunset, sun, water, realism, oilpaint, reflection, large, warm, grass, foliage, woods, evening, nature, realism, oil painting, yellow


Golden Glow...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Pocket Pomegrate-original still life oil painting - contemporary realism artwork
Pocket Pomegrate-original still life oil painting - contemporary realism artwork

Pocket Pomegrate-original still life oil painting - contemporary realism artwork

By Dani Humberstone

Located in London, Chelsea

We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cheval Libre (Free Horse)
Cheval Libre (Free Horse)

Cheval Libre (Free Horse)

By Pierre Jules Mêne

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist: After Pierre Jules Mene (French, 1810-1879) Title: Cheval Libre (Free Horse) Year: 1868 Medium: Cast bronze sculpture with dark brown patina Edition: Unknown Size: Inclu...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Green Frog
Green Frog

Mark MorrisonGreen Frog, ca. 1940

$1,750Sale Price|30% Off

Green Frog

By Mark Morrison

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Mark Morrison (1895-1964) Green Frog, ca. 1940 Carved green soapstone 6.5" wide, 5" deep, height is 3.25" Provenance: Estate of Mrs. Mark Morrison. Born: Kingfisher, OK Educ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Stone

Morning Surf, Garrapata
Morning Surf, Garrapata

Morning Surf, Garrapata

By Michael Godfrey

Located in Pasadena, CA

Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Godfrey" on lower right FRAMED: 14.25" x 14.25" x 1.75" UNFRAMED: 8" x 8" Exhibited Monumental Miniatures 2022...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Tigre couché à l'entrée de son antre  (Tiger Lying at the Entrance to its Lair)

Tigre couché à l'entrée de son antre (Tiger Lying at the Entrance to its Lair)

By Eugène Delacroix

Located in Middletown, NY

Etching, drypoint, and roulette on watermarked Hallines cream laid paper, 3 3/4 x 5 7/8 inches (95 x 148 mm), full margins. A very good impression of this charming image, with all of...

Category

Early 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Laid Paper, Drypoint, Etching

TIMEWELL
TIMEWELL

TIMEWELL

By Robert Gadomski

Located in Three Oaks, MI

Oil on canvas, signed, dated, and titled verso, unframed (gallery wrapped).

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"In love"
"In love"

"In love"

By Madalena Zampassi

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Self-portrait of the artist, painted at the moment of falling in love. The painting radiates femininity, love, warmth.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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.