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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
"Miami Beach"
"Miami Beach"

"Miami Beach"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

A series of paintings created during my studies at the Academy. A second life for academism, mothballs, restrictions, prohibitions, conditions, and laws. I take dry and boring academ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Oil

"Season of plums" . Realism. Oil on canvas . Still life . Horizontal
"Season of plums" . Realism. Oil on canvas . Still life . Horizontal

"Season of plums" . Realism. Oil on canvas . Still life . Horizontal

Located in Oslo, NO

In this oil painting, I've captured the rich, velvety essence of plums, nestled amidst the gentle drapery that seems to dance with light and shadow. Every brushstroke embodies my dee...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

Zhou Yu, "Perfection", 20x14 Purple Iris Still Life Oil Painting
Zhou Yu, "Perfection", 20x14 Purple Iris Still Life Oil Painting

Zhou Yu, "Perfection", 20x14 Purple Iris Still Life Oil Painting

Located in Saratoga Springs, NY

This painting is a beautifully composed still life rendered in a realistic, almost classical style. At the center of the composition stands a clear glass vase holding several elegant...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Tango and Fairy Lights

Tango and Fairy Lights

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Andrew Fitzpatrick was born in Greenock in 1966. A plentiful supply of paper from his father’s briefcase encouraged his love of drawing even as a small boy. As he grew older, he was ...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Bicycles and Mushrooms - Original handsigned lithograph
Bicycles and Mushrooms - Original handsigned lithograph

Bicycles and Mushrooms - Original handsigned lithograph

Located in Paris, IDF

Roland Cat Bicycles and Mushrooms Original lithograph Handsigned in pencil Limited /275 copies On vellum 80 x 60 cm (c. 31.49 x 23.62 in) Excellent condition

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Young Penguin
Young Penguin

Mark MorrisonYoung Penguin, ca. 1950

$3,000Sale Price|50% Off

Young Penguin

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Mark Morrison (1895-1964) Young Penguin, ca. 1950 Carved Tennessee Marble 8.5" x 7" by 3.5", height is 13 inches. Provenance: Estate of Mrs. Mark Morrison. Born: Kingfisher, O...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Marble

"SAM HOUSTON" HORN CARVING 1936 TEXAS CENTENNIAL AMAZING WORK
"SAM HOUSTON" HORN CARVING 1936 TEXAS CENTENNIAL AMAZING WORK

"SAM HOUSTON" HORN CARVING 1936 TEXAS CENTENNIAL AMAZING WORK

Located in San Antonio, TX

Dan Super "SAM HOUSTON" (1873-1953) Houston Artist Image Size: 3 3/4 inches tall Medium: Carved Horn of Sam Houston to celebrate the Texas Centennial. Texas Centennial 1936 "Sam Houston Pin Cushion Holder" Biography Dan Super (1873-1953) Dan E. Super, Jr. (1873 – 1953) Dan Super had the eye of a sculptor, envisioning and then creating hundreds of objects from the elongated form of a Texas Longhorn’s tusk. At the age of six, Dan Super carved his first drawing into a piece of the horn of a Texas Longhorn. Over the next 56 years, he made utilitarian pieces like pencil cups, pin cushions, and backscratchers, realistic replicas of animals and birds, and imaginative carvings of elegant nudes. While these carvings resemble the traditional art of scrimshaw, carvings from whale bone, we’ve not been able to identify another carver who used the Texas Longhorn as his material. “My work is done with an ordinary pocketknife, hacksaw file and rasp,” Super wrote in 1937. He used the horn in every way conceivable; whole, allowing the shape to define the object he was making, flattened to make mosaic or inlay work. He incised and pierced it and carved in the round. His own hands polished the horn to a sheen. Daniel Super, Jr. was born in Houston on August 22, 1873. His father owned stock years, D. Super and Brothers Co., providing the young Super with ready access to his raw material. Throughout his life, he worked in the businesses key to the identity and success of young, booming Houston, cattle, oil, real estate and rail. In 1896 he married Lula, and took over the family business, expanding it to include a grocery. He closed the company in 1912 and got into the oil business...

Category

1930s Realist Art

Materials

Other Medium

Black Swan
Black Swan

Mark MorrisonBlack Swan, ca. 1950

$7,500Sale Price|70% Off

Black Swan

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Mark Morrison (1895-1964) Black Swan , ca. 1950 Carved and polished black pearl granite 7" wide, 11.5" deep, height is 29" Provenance: Estate of Mrs. Mark Morrison. Born: Kin...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Granite

Yellow laces
Yellow laces

Yellow laces

Located in Zofingen, AG

Original oil painting on canvas, still life painting made under natural light. This artwork is painted using high-quality fine linen canvas. Signed on the front and back of artwork. ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Paris Rainy Cafe" by Christopher Clark, Original Oil Painting, French Cityscape
"Paris Rainy Cafe" by Christopher Clark, Original Oil Painting, French Cityscape

"Paris Rainy Cafe" by Christopher Clark, Original Oil Painting, French Cityscape

By Christopher Clark

Located in Denver, CO

Christopher Clark's "Paris Rainy Cafe" is an original, hand made oil and acrylic painting that depicts a night scene of a bustling cityscape in France. Christopher has been an artist since early childhood, when he would watch Bob Ross on PBS and mimic the famed oil painter’s art with crayons. He considers himself a self-educated artist, with his studies ranging from personal training with contemporary masters, to classical academic art technique, with much inspiration from 19th Century art and the Impressionist Movement. Christopher lived in Italy for a time, immersing himself in Italian culture and art, which continues to influence his painting. His fan base has grown considerably since his return to the US, gaining the attention of Lucasfilm and Marvel Fine Art, which both signed him as an officially licensed artist in 2016. Other clients include George Lucas, Major League Baseball, Louisville Slugger, and Fender Guitars. Christopher’s painting skills are not his only talent in the arts. He has won several national swing dance championship competitions, and also studies tango and blues dancing. He has played guitar since the age of 12, and during his time as lead guitarist for a rock band, he opened for Blue Oyster Cult and Eddie Money...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Mountain Lake Oil Painting of a Loch in the Scottish Highlands by British Artist
Mountain Lake Oil Painting of a Loch in the Scottish Highlands by British Artist

Mountain Lake Oil Painting of a Loch in the Scottish Highlands by British Artist

By Andrew Grant Kurtis

Located in Preston, GB

Mountain Lake Oil Painting of a Loch in the Scottish Highlands with two boys fishing with their dog, by British Artist, Andrew Grant Kurtis M.A.(Lon) B.Des.(Hons) L.S.I.A.D. Art measures 24 x 18 inches Frame measures 27 x 21 inches As an artist of both classical and traditional style, Andrew Grant Kurtis excels in his paintings of english landscape...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lilac
Lilac

Lilac

Located in Zofingen, AG

This oil painting presents an opulent bouquet of lilacs in full bloom, arranged in a softly rounded ceramic vase. Cascading clusters of white, lavender, and deep violet blossoms fill...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Still Creek in the Forest - Silver Gelatin Print
Still Creek in the Forest - Silver Gelatin Print

Still Creek in the Forest - Silver Gelatin Print

Located in Soquel, CA

Still Creek in the Forest - Silver Gelatin Print This photo depicts a shallow creek running through the woods by san Francisco photographer Florencio E. Monteverde (Italian/American...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Peaks of Europe Spain oil on canvas painting spanish landscape
Peaks of Europe Spain oil on canvas painting spanish landscape

Peaks of Europe Spain oil on canvas painting spanish landscape

By Carlos Sempere

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Frameless. Carlos Sempere, although born in Valencia, settled in Asturias in 1978, eclipsed by the beauty of its natural landscape. After years of training in his youth and working...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Vienna Opera House
Vienna Opera House

Vienna Opera House

By Josef Eidenberger

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Vienna Opera House" c.1960., is an original color etching by noted Austrian artist Josef Eidenberger, 1899-1991. It is hand signed in pencil by the artist. The p...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Etching

OIL PAINTING 19th CENTURY Gold Gilt Frame
OIL PAINTING 19th CENTURY Gold Gilt Frame

OIL PAINTING 19th CENTURY Gold Gilt Frame

Located in Ferndown, GB

OIL PAINTING 19th CENTURY The harbour GGF Description 19th Century Good condition canvas ..Piece has been cleaned , no repairs , Frame is in Good condition for age (see pictures) ...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Beneath Ingram Falls Morning (2004), Realist Mountain Pastel Landscape Painting
Beneath Ingram Falls Morning (2004), Realist Mountain Pastel Landscape Painting

Beneath Ingram Falls Morning (2004), Realist Mountain Pastel Landscape Painting

By Bruce A Gómez

Located in Denver, CO

Artist Statement I've been working in pastel full-time for the last twenty-nine years and have been teaching workshops for the past fifteen. My artistic influences range from Paleol...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Pastel, Archival Paper

Feeling of spring. Paper, pastel 21x23 cm
Feeling of spring. Paper, pastel 21x23 cm

Feeling of spring. Paper, pastel 21x23 cm

Located in Riga, LV

Feeling of spring. Paper, pastel 21x23 cm Victor Karnauh (1950, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR – 2012, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine) – a painte...

Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Pastel

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

Old Town Street. 1956. Watercolor, paper. 23x15 cm. Signed
Old Town Street. 1956. Watercolor, paper. 23x15 cm. Signed

Old Town Street. 1956. Watercolor, paper. 23x15 cm. Signed

Located in Riga, LV

The central focus of the artwork is on an old town, a historic district known for its antiquated architecture, cobbled streets, and a sense of bygone eras. The combination of waterco...

Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

The Picnic
The Picnic

The Picnic

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "The Picnic" c.1990, is an oil painting on canvas board by Irish artist Val McGann, 1928-2016. It is signed at the lower left corner by...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Culture 9 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Fashion, Eyes
Culture 9 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Fashion, Eyes

Culture 9 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Fashion, Eyes

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

"Colorado Skies, " Colorado Landscape Oil Painting by Sparky LeBold
"Colorado Skies, " Colorado Landscape Oil Painting by Sparky LeBold

"Colorado Skies, " Colorado Landscape Oil Painting by Sparky LeBold

Located in Denver, CO

"Colorado Skies" by Sparky LeBold (US and Portugal based) is a handmade oil painting that depicts a moody Colorado cloud landscape. ARTIST STATEMENT Sparky LeBold has made a name ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Cloud Composition 1" Original Realist Skyscape with Clouds
"Cloud Composition 1" Original Realist Skyscape with Clouds

"Cloud Composition 1" Original Realist Skyscape with Clouds

Located in Denver, CO

"Cloud Composition 1" 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

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

"Sergei" - Oil on Canvas Realist Portrait Painting 2016
"Sergei" - Oil on Canvas Realist Portrait Painting 2016

"Sergei" - Oil on Canvas Realist Portrait Painting 2016

Located in Denver, CO

"Sergei," an original oil painting on canvas created in 2016 by Viktoria Savenkova, is an expressive realist portrait rendered with skillful precision and emotional depth. Measuring ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Fantasy Landscape"
"Fantasy Landscape"

"Fantasy Landscape"

By Bartolomeo Pedon

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Bartolomeo Pedon (1665-1732) – Fantasy Landscape Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 84 x 121 cm (unframed), 98 x 132 cm (framed) Provenance: Private collection This captivating oil ...

Category

18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mexican Girl Returning from the Market
Mexican Girl Returning from the Market

Mexican Girl Returning from the Market

By Diego Rivera

Located in Saratoga Springs, NY

Diego Rivera (Mexican 1886-1957) Mexican Girl Watercolor on paper, behind glass 11 x 16 inches Signed and dated lower right, ‘Diego Rivera 1954’ Provenance: Sold as “Mexican Girl” M...

Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"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

"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

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

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.