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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
"Down the Road, " Oil painting

"Down the Road, " Oil painting

By Judd Mercer

Located in Denver, CO

Judd Mercer's (US based) "Down the Road," is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a dirt country road leading down a grassy hill into a farm house and barn. About the Artist: Judd Mercer is a watercolor painter based in Denver, Colorado. After attending art school for industrial design, Judd pursued a career in digital design and user experience and is co-owner of Elevated Third, a Denver-based digital agency. After committing to writing and illustrating a full-length fantasy novel in his spare time, Judd began watercolor painting around 2014, studying with teachers such as Alvaro Castagnet, Joseph Zbukvic...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Light of Villa Vitalba" Oil Painting
"Light of Villa Vitalba" Oil Painting

"Light of Villa Vitalba" Oil Painting

By Daud Akhriev

Located in Denver, CO

Daud Akhriev's (EUR and US based) "Light of Villa Vitalba" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts an interior setting adorned with fine wooden furniture and artwork as su...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

Kabuki actor Nakamura Shikan II by Utagawa Kunisada Edo Japanese Woodblock Print
Kabuki actor Nakamura Shikan II by Utagawa Kunisada Edo Japanese Woodblock Print

Kabuki actor Nakamura Shikan II by Utagawa Kunisada Edo Japanese Woodblock Print

By Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

Located in Soquel, CA

Kabuki actor Nakamura Shikan II by Utagawa Kunisada Japanese Woodblock Print Wonderful portrait of Nakamura Shikan II, a prominent kabuki actor, in the role of Kisen Hoshi Toyokuni ...

Category

1820s Realist Art

Materials

Printer's Ink, Rice Paper, Woodcut

Sleeping Man (portrait)
Sleeping Man (portrait)

Sleeping Man (portrait)

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Douglas Martenson (b.1960). Sleeping Man, 1982. Pencil on paper. Sheet measuring 11 x 15 inches. Framed measurement: 12 x 16 inches. Mahogany custom frame. Signed with artist i...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Pencil

Portrait of Lady Joan Kitchen - British 1940's art oil painting
Portrait of Lady Joan Kitchen - British 1940's art oil painting

Portrait of Lady Joan Kitchen - British 1940's art oil painting

By Herbert James Gunn

Located in Hagley, England

This lovely British portrait oil painting is by noted portrait artist James Gunn. Painted circa 1940 it is a seated portrait of Lady Joan Kitchen who resided in Sussex. She is wearin...

Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Countryside" by J-P George - Oil on cardboard 16x31 cm
"Countryside" by J-P George - Oil on cardboard 16x31 cm

"Countryside" by J-P George - Oil on cardboard 16x31 cm

Located in Geneva, CH

Oil on cardboard sold with frame Total size with frame 24x39 cm Jean-Philippe GEORGE-JULLIARD is an artist born in Switzerland in 1818 and died in 1888. His works have been sold at ...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Mighty Ocean" Oil Painting by Montague Dawson (British, 1890-1973)
"Mighty Ocean" Oil Painting by Montague Dawson (British, 1890-1973)

"Mighty Ocean" Oil Painting by Montague Dawson (British, 1890-1973)

By Montague Dawson

Located in New York, NY

Montague Dawson (British, 1890-1973) Mighty Ocean oil on canvas signed Montague Dawson (lower left); titled and inscribed (on the stretcher) 24 x 36 in. (61 x 91.4cm) Provenance...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

River Landscape of Glenfinnan in the Scottish Highlands by 20th Century Artist
River Landscape of Glenfinnan in the Scottish Highlands by 20th Century Artist

River Landscape of Glenfinnan in the Scottish Highlands by 20th Century Artist

Located in Preston, GB

Original Oil Painting of River Landscape of Glenfinnan in the Scottish Highlands by 20th Century Artist, Robert Egginton. Art measures 30 x 22 inches Frame measures 36 x 28 inches Presented in the highest quality hand-finished off-white Frinton moulding. Robert Egginton was born in Devon in 1943 and is a landscape painter in watercolours and oils. He paints mainly Scottish scenes in an accurate pictorial manner, with a bright palette. He is the grandson of Wycliffe Egginton RI (1875-1951) and nephew of Frank Egginton...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas, Cotton, Cotton Canvas, Board

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

Afternoon. 1959. Cardboard/oil, 19x27.5 cm
Afternoon. 1959. Cardboard/oil, 19x27.5 cm

Afternoon. 1959. Cardboard/oil, 19x27.5 cm

Located in Riga, LV

Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV – 1991.11.I) Alfej Bromults received his first professional education at Tautas University under R. Suta, J. Bīne and G. Šķilters. From 1938 he studied in...

Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Caribbean Sandy Shore, Cyanotype on Watercolor Paper, Beach House Art in Blue
Caribbean Sandy Shore, Cyanotype on Watercolor Paper, Beach House Art in Blue

Caribbean Sandy Shore, Cyanotype on Watercolor Paper, Beach House Art in Blue

By Kind of Cyan

Located in Barcelona, ES

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. "Caribbean Sandy Shore" is a cyanotype of a shoreline on a Caribbean beach. It is a beautiful image for tropical decor and...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Film, Emulsion, Watercolor, Photographic Paper, C Print, Co...

Guglielmo Ciardi (Venetian painter) - 19th century Realism market scene
Guglielmo Ciardi (Venetian painter) - 19th century Realism market scene

Guglielmo Ciardi (Venetian painter) - 19th century Realism market scene

By Guglielmo Ciardi

Located in Varmo, IT

Guglielmo Ciardi (Venice 1842 - Venice 1917) - Market of Badoere. 20 x 27.5 cm (without frame) - 44.5 x 51 cm (with frame). Pencil on paper, within passe-partout, in wooden frame. ...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Pencil

Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums

By Irina Trushkova

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Nasturtiums" is a painting that pays homage to the natural beauty and timeless elegance of this summer flower. Painted with great precision and a keen eye for detail, this work exu...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Red (Floral Still Life)
Red (Floral Still Life)

Red (Floral Still Life)

By Elizabeth Osborne

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Elizabeth Osborne (American/Philadelphia, b. 1936) "Red." Watercolor on paper. 1991/1992. Signed and dated l.r.. Sight: 9" x 12". Frame: 18 1/4" x 21 1/2". Provenance: Purchased from Jane Haslem Gallery in 1994. From the collection of Nancy Elizabeth Stanley. 1936, born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1959, BFA, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1954-58, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania SOLO EXHIBITIONS Berry Campbell, New York, Elizabeth Osborne: A Retrospective, 2022. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Reflections: Painting Memory, 2017. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Watercolors: Five Decades, 2017. The Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware, Elizabeth Osborne: The 1960s, 2016. Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., Color Bloc: Paintings by Elizabeth Osborne, 2015. The James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Veils of Color: Juxtapositions and Recent Work by Elizabeth Osborne, 2015. (Traveled to The Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 2016.) Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Luminous Gestures: New Works by Elizabeth Osborne, 2013. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Osborne: Watercolors, 2011. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New Work, 2011. The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Osborne: The Color of Light, 2009. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Figurative ‘60s, 2007. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Floating Landscapes: 1971-1979, 2006. J. Cacciola Galleries, New York, Works on Paper, 2006. The Print Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Recent Prints, 2005. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2004. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Osborne: 30 Years, Works on Paper, 2002. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Vantage, 2000. Old Main Art Museum, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, 1998. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1997. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1994. Jane Haslem Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1994. North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, North Dakota, 1993-94. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1992. Arronson Gallery, The University of Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Watercolors, 1991. University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1990. Marian Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1988. Fischbach Gallery, New York, 1988. Fischbach Gallery, New York, 1984. Fischbach Gallery, New York, 1982. Fischbach Gallery, New York, 1980. Marian Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1978. Marian Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1976. Gimpel & Weitzenhoffer, Ltd., New York, 1977. Gimpel & Weitzenhoffer, Ltd., New York, 1974. Marian Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Landscapes, 1972. Makler Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1970. American Consulate, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1969. Peale Galleries, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1967. Perakis Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1967. Perakis Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1963. GROUP EXHIBITIONS Avery Galleries, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, The Women of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: Past to Present, 2024. Berry Campbell, New York, Perseverance, 2024. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, From Dusk Till Dawn, 2015. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, “Something Clicked in Philly”: David Lynch and His Contemporaries, 2014. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, It’s Not the Numbers, 2014. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Works on Paper, 2013. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Female Gaze: Women Artists Making Their World, 2013. Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art, Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, Four Visions/Four Painters: Murray Dessner...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Rag Paper

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

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

"The Pincio Fountain in Rome"
"The Pincio Fountain in Rome"

"The Pincio Fountain in Rome"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Jozefina Kirchner (1890–1931) "The Pincio Fountain in Rome" (1923)** This atmospheric oil painting on canvas by Jozefina Kirchner, completed in 1923, captures a captivating view of t...

Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Beginning of Spring"
"Beginning of Spring"

"Beginning of Spring"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

“Beginning of Spring” (3rd quarter of the 20th century) Oil on canvas 100 × 150 cm Signed lower right Born in Golitsyno in 1916 into the family of Russian painter Konstantin Kirillo...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Roses Original Oil Painting, Realist Style, Framed, Circa 1940
Roses Original Oil Painting, Realist Style, Framed, Circa 1940

Roses Original Oil Painting, Realist Style, Framed, Circa 1940

Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL

Antonio Vidal Rolland (Barcelona, 1889 - 1970. Artwork signed by the artist. acrylic on canvas Catalan painter. Disciple of José Ruiz Blasco father of Picasso a Lonja and Aleix Clapé...

Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Sunset over the Sea; Crescent City, CA
Sunset over the Sea; Crescent City, CA

Sunset over the Sea; Crescent City, CA

By W. Jason Situ

Located in Pasadena, CA

Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist UNFRAMED: 9" x 12" FRAMED: 12.5" x 15.5" x 1" SIGNED: Lower Right Artist Statement "Sunset is the favorite subject I like to pain...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Masonite, Oil, Panel

Bee . original painting
Bee . original painting

Bee . original painting

By Alina O'Dwyer

Located in Zofingen, AG

The sight of a golden bee stirs memories of my childhood, evoking the warm summers spent at our family's summer house surrounded by a quaint green garden. Next door, our neighbors te...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Still Life"
"Still Life"

"Still Life"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Johann Rudolf Feyerabend, called Lelong (1749-1814) – Still Life Medium: Reverse painting on glass Dimensions: 16 x 23 cm Signature: Lower right corner Provenance: Private collection...

Category

18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage Silver Gelatin Print of a Mushroom by Alexander Lowry
Vintage Silver Gelatin Print of a Mushroom by Alexander Lowry

Vintage Silver Gelatin Print of a Mushroom by Alexander Lowry

Located in Soquel, CA

Vintage Silver Gelatin Print of a Mushroom by Alexander Lowry High-contrast silver gelatin print showing the underside of a mushroom on the forest floor by Alexander Lowry (1937-201...

Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin, Photographic Paper

Metsälampi (Forest Pond), 1942
Metsälampi (Forest Pond), 1942

Metsälampi (Forest Pond), 1942

Located in Stockholm, SE

Metsälampi (Forest Pond) is a 1942 oil painting on panel by the Finnish artist Ragnar Ungern, depicting a forest pond with overhanging trees reflected in its still waters. Created in...

Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Sleeping Bobcat
Sleeping Bobcat

John FlannaganSleeping Bobcat, 1943

$3,900Sale Price|35% Off

Sleeping Bobcat

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Mark Morrison (1895-1964) Sleeping Bobcat, 1943. Carved stone 9.5" by 8", height is 4.25" Signed and dated 1943. Provenance: Estate of Mrs. Mark Morrison. Born: Kingfisher,...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Stone

Portrait of a Rabbi, Judaica Oil Painting, Purim

Portrait of a Rabbi, Judaica Oil Painting, Purim

Located in Surfside, FL

In this painting the artist depicts a Rabbi in a formal manner, from a 3/4th view angle, and the portrait has been rendered using controlled brushstrokes, and in a realistic way. The...

Category

20th Century 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.