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.
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2010s Realist Art
Paper, Charcoal, Graphite
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Tempera, Permanent Marker
1940s Realist Art
Gouache
19th Century Realist Art
Oil
1920s Realist Art
Bronze
1990s Realist Art
Bronze
1880s Realist Art
Paper, Pencil
Mid-20th Century Realist Art
Ballpoint Pen
1990s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
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
1970s Realist Art
Photographic Paper
2010s Realist Art
Oil
1990s Realist Art
Oil, Canvas
1870s Realist Art
Etching
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Realist Art
Silver Gelatin
1910s Realist Art
Oil
1840s Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Offset, Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
1980s Realist Art
Offset
Mid-20th Century Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Board
2010s Realist Art
Silver Gelatin
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Art
Other Medium
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Paper, Pen, Pencil, Color Pencil
2010s Realist Art
Egg Tempera, Panel
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
1840s Realist Art
Lithograph
1980s Realist Art
Bronze
1840s Realist Art
Lithograph
2010s Realist Art
Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1970s Realist Art
Lambda
2010s Realist Art
Emulsion, Watercolor, Lithograph, Paper
20th Century Realist Art
Oil
18th Century Realist Art
Pigment
2010s Realist Art
Watercolor
Early 20th Century Realist Art
Wood Panel
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Wood Panel
1980s Realist Art
Linen, Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Lithograph
1990s Realist Art
Paper, Pastel
18th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil, Board
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Board
2010s Realist Art
Bronze