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.
"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 ...
Canvas, Oil
$35,000
"Sudbourne Premier: Suffolk Punch Stallion" Herbert Haseltine, 1927 Bronze
Located in New York, NY
Herbert Haseltine Sudbourne Premier: Suffolk Punch Stallion, 1927 Signed left side: © HASELTINE / MCMXXVII Bronze, dark brown patina, parcel gilding ...
Bronze
Jesus College, Cambridge 1815 engraving by Joseph Stadler for Ackermann
Located in London, GB
To see our other Oxford and Cambridge pictures, including an extensive collection of works by Ackermann, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send us a message if you cannot find the view you want. Joseph Constantine Stadler (1755 - 1828) after William Westall (1781 - 1850) Jesus College...
Aquatint
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...
Oil
"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...
Canvas, Oil
Dachshund. Dog. Black. Small. Animals. Dogs. Realism
Located in Oslo, NO
This small yet delicate and elegant work depicts a portrait of a dog lying on a gray blanket. Its confident and minimalist expression immediately draws attention. The unusual, minima...
Canvas, Oil
$418
“Botany 8” Original botanical painting. Small oval canvas. Gift , home decor
Located in Oslo, NO
This artwork is an exquisite acrylic painting on an oval wood panel, signed by the artist in 2023. It captures an enchanting bouquet of wildflowers in varying shades of purple and pi...
Canvas, Oil
$1,097
Living Waters - original realism oil painting- contemporary landscape artwork
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...
Canvas, Oil
$5,452
REFLECTIVE MOMENTS . Vicente Romero Redon Spanish contemporary artist
Located in Pollenca, Illes Baleares
Vicente Romero Redondo was born in Madrid as the eldest of four sons. Due to the work of his father, he grew up in many different towns all over Spain. The family moved back to Madri...
Pastel
Robin Bird Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Robin Size: 12 x 16 inch, (30x4...
Paper, Watercolor
Marx. Dog. Dachshund. Animals. Dogs. small. Black. White.
Located in Oslo, NO
This small but elegant work is a black-and-white portrait of a dog. It is painted using the signature technique of oil on photographic paper (reverse side). Thick, plasticized photog...
Paper, Oil
$1,400
Brass Coffee Grinder and Bowl, Photorealist Oil Painting by Andras Gombar
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Andras Gombar, French (1946 - ) Title: Still Life 1 Year: circa 1965 Medium: Oil on Canvas mounted to Wood, signed Size: 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.96 cm)
Canvas, Wood, Oil
Temple of Wady Dabod, Nubia: Original 19th C. Lithograph by D. Roberts
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "Temple of Wady Dabod, Nubia" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, published in...
Lithograph
Mick Jagger 1977 Magazine Illustration portrait Drawing
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Gerry Gersten (1927-2017). Mick Jagger, 1977. Pencil on vellum paper. Sheet measures 10.25 x 13.75 inches, Vellum sheet glued down to backing board measuring 10.75 x 16 inches. M...
Pencil
Rainbow Shows Endeavour the Way, Race 5, 1934 America's Cup
Located in Greenwich, CT
Unframed Dimensions: 30 x 40 in. Framed Dimensions: 35 1/2 x 45 1/2 in. Signed lower left The painting depicts Rainbow leading Endeavour in the crucial race five of the 1934 Americ...
Canvas, Oil
$108Sale Price|20% Off
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of Two Dapper Gentleman Fishing On The Riverbank
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 7 x 5.5 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Ha...
Chalk, Graphite
$2,018Sale Price|35% Off
A tranquil mountain lake scene with vivid light, colour and natural beauty
Located in Preston, GB
A tranquil mountain lake scene with vivid light, colour and natural beauty, by 20th Century Artist, William Yeaman. Art measures 30 x 20 inches Frame...
Canvas, Oil
$1,863Sale Price|30% Off
Mountain Lake Oil Painting of a Loch in the Scottish Highlands by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Mountain Lake Oil Painting of a Loch in the Scottish Highlands by British Artist, Andrew Grant Kurtis M.A.(Lon) B.Des.(Hons) L.S.I.A.D. Art measures 16 x 12 inches Frame measures ...
Canvas, Oil
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Wildlife Landscape Painting by Michael Budden Wolves Animals
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
High Vantage, Wolves 8 x 10.5 unframed and 14.5 x 17.5 framed. signed LL High Vantage, Wolves is an acrylic painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden th...
Acrylic
"Izki"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Izki 50×70 Oleksandr Khrapachov reveals one of the Carpathians' most secret treasures — the mountain village of Izki, where every mountain has its own character, its own soul, its o...
Oil, Canvas
$4,304Sale Price|20% Off
In a hotel room. Venice. Big horizontal interior painting, realism
Located in Oslo, NO
The idea for this work arose on the author's birthday, when he specially came to Venice to celebrate it there. In the painting we see the interior of a hotel room with evening Venice...
Canvas, Oil
No Turning Back
Located in Zofingen, AG
This contemplative painting features a solitary female figure viewed from behind, set against a dramatic, shifting sky. Her long braided blond hair and distinctive turquoise baseball...
Acrylic
Maltese. Dog. Animals. Dogs. Small. Black. White. Furry
Located in Oslo, NO
This small but elegant work is a black-and-white portrait of a dog. It is painted using the signature technique of oil on photographic paper (reverse side). Thick, plasticized photog...
Paper, Oil
$680Sale Price|20% Off
Beach & Ocean Impressionistic Seascape Oil Painting Dunes by Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Summer Dunes Oil/panel signed LL 8 x 10 unframed, 13.38 x 15.38 framed Summer Dunes is an oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a ...
Oil
European Cityscape #1
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "European Cityscape" c. 1990 is a oil painting on hard board by Argentinian artist Henry D. Ramirez. It is signed at the lower left corner by the artist. The hard board ...
Oil
$109Sale Price|20% Off
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of Sheep Lying Down With Pricked Ears
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 Ha...
Chalk, Graphite
"Sundays Market", Emil Barbarini (1855-1930)
Located in Riga, LV
"Sundays Market", Emil Barbarini (1855-1930), The end of 19 century, oil on the wood, 36x57 cm. Signed with the pseudo "E.Rovier" Emil Barbarini (1855-...
Wood, Oil
Echo of the Black Cat
Located in Zofingen, AG
This striking, contemporary painting invites the viewer into a space of quiet mystery and irony. A young woman with auburn hair, dressed in a dark, structured dress, stands confide...
Acrylic
$988Sale Price|20% Off
River Meadow with Cattle & Cottage in the English Countryside by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
River Meadow with Cattle & Cottage in the English Countryside by British Artist, Tony Mercier (Born 1945) Art measures 16 x 12 inches Frame measures 20 x 16 inches Signed Vintag...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Reddish cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Reddish Cat Size: 12 x 16 inch, ...
Paper, Watercolor
Miguel Peidro, "The Creek" 26x18 Autumn Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This piece, "The Creek" by Miguel Peidro is an 26x18 original oil painting on canvas. This painting depicts a seasonal creek bed with bright orange an red foliage on the surrounding...
Canvas, Oil
"Satyrs and Nymphs in a Landscape"
By Daniel Vertangen
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Attributed to Daniel Vertangen (1601–1683) – "Satyrs and Nymphs in a Landscape" Artist: Attributed to Daniel Vertangen (1601–1683) Title: "Satyrs and Nymphs in a Landscape" Medium:...
Canvas, Oil
$109Sale Price|20% Off
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Cow with Horns Side Profile
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 Ha...
Chalk, Graphite
Gold Finch Bird Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
399 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Goldfinch Size: 12 x 16 inch...
Paper, Watercolor
$4,800Sale Price|20% Off
New York City Snow Flags Oil Painting Michael Budden Winter On Wall Street
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Winter On Wall Street oil/linen 20 x 24 unframed, 27.75 x 31.75 framed. Winter On Wall Street is an oil painting on linen by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden. I enj...
Oil
Life Magazine Satirical Society Cartoon Illustration
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Barbara Shermund (1899-1978). Society Satirical Cartoon, ca. 1940s. Gouache on heavy illustration paper, image measures 17 x 14 inches; 23 x 20 inches in matting. Signed lower left. Very good condition but matting panel should be replaced. Unframed. Provenance: Ethel Maud Mott Herman, artist (1883-1984), West Orange NJ. For two decades, she drew almost 600 cartoons for The New Yorker with female characters that commented on life with wit, intelligence and irony. In the mid-1920s, Harold Ross, the founder of a new magazine called The New Yorker, was looking for cartoonists who could create sardonic, highbrow illustrations accompanied by witty captions that would function as social critiques. He found that talent in Barbara Shermund. For about two decades, until the 1940s, Shermund helped Ross and his first art editor, Rea Irvin, realize their vision by contributing almost 600 cartoons and sassy captions with a fresh, feminist voice. Her cartoons commented on life with wit, intelligence and irony, using female characters who critiqued the patriarchy and celebrated speakeasies, cafes, spunky women and leisure. They spoke directly to flapper women of the era who defied convention with a new sense of political, social and economic independence. “Shermund’s women spoke their minds about sex, marriage and society; smoked cigarettes and drank; and poked fun at everything in an era when it was not common to see young women doing so,” Caitlin A. McGurk wrote in 2020 for the Art Students League. In one Shermund cartoon, published in The New Yorker in 1928, two forlorn women sit and chat on couches. “Yeah,” one says, “I guess the best thing to do is to just get married and forget about love.” “While for many, the idea of a New Yorker cartoon conjures a highbrow, dry non sequitur — often more alienating than familiar — Shermund’s cartoons are the antithesis,” wrote McGurk, who is an associate curator and assistant professor at Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. “They are about human nature, relationships, youth and age.” (McGurk is writing a book about Shermund. And yet by the 1940s and ’50s, as America’s postwar focus shifted to domestic life, Shermund’s feminist voice and cool critique of society fell out of vogue. Her last cartoon appeared in The New Yorker in 1944, and much of her life and career after that remains unclear. No major newspaper wrote about her death in 1978 — The New York Times was on strike then, along with The Daily News and The New York Post — and her ashes sat in a New Jersey funeral...
Gouache
$2,000Sale Price|20% Off
New York City Painting Winter Snow Brooklyn Bridge by Michael Budden Ferry Boat
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Brooklyn Bridge Winter oil/panel 12 x 16 image unframed, 18.5 x 22.75 framed signed LL Brooklyn Bridge Winter is an oil painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary arti...
Oil
$675
Aquaduct of the Nile, Cairo, Egypt: Original 19th C. Lithograph by D. Roberts
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "Cairo: The Aquaduct of the Nile from the Island of Rhoda" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the larg...
Lithograph
$2,400
Zermatt Skiing, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1960s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features the apres-ski in Zermatt, Switzerland. This is an estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 ...
Lambda
$1,434
«Sea on Fire» - Hyperrealistic Oil Seascape Painting with Sunset Ocean Waves
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Sea on Fire” is a moment when the sky bursts into flame above the horizon, and the sea catches its light as if holding a secret. The waves whisper in the language of sunset, rolling...
Oil, Cardboard, Canvas
$2,152Sale Price|20% Off
Old Bridge and Fortress. Autumn. Horizontal landscape painting, impressionism
Located in Oslo, NO
The painting was painted from life. It depicts the bridge over the Main Ludwigbrücke and the Marienberg fortress. We see a clear autumn day, which is declining towards evening. The s...
Canvas, Oil
Wien Opernring
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Wien Opernring" 1921, is a color etching by Austrian artist Luigi Kasimir 1881-1962. It is hand signed by the estate in pencil at the lower center. The plate mar...
Etching
Winter Snow Scene Nocturne by Michael Budden Moonlight Shadows
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Moonlight Shadows oil/canvas 20 x 24 image unframed, 30.5 x 26.5 framed signed LL Moonlight Shadows is an oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden. ...
Oil
Vintage Italian Glazed Terra Cotta Wall Hanging Leopard Head
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Striking mid century Italian life size leopard head crafted in terra cotta, hand decorated and glazed, now and forever caught in mid growl.
Terracotta
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Cow Stood Face On Portrait
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 Ha...
Chalk, Graphite
$90,000
Wa Market
By Mian Situ
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance On consignment to the gallery from a private collector in Newport Beach, California. Signed "Mian Situ" on lower right Artist Statement "The location is in a small town ...
Oil, Canvas
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Cow Posed Lying On The Grass
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 Ha...
Chalk, Graphite
Lake Loleta Morning
By Jim McVicker
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "McVicker" on lower left Artist Statement "This pastoral scene was painted on site over several days at a locatio...
Linen, Oil
Calm Waters, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A gently flowing river reflects the soft glow of a warm summer morning, creating a sense of calm and stillness. A towering tree casts deep shadows over the wa...
Watercolor
Pacific Ocean Currents, Handmade Cyanotype Seascape in Blue, Waves Landscape
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. "Pacific Ocean Currents" is a handmade cyanotype print of rough water texture resembling Pacific Ocean swell. Details: + ...
Paper, Emulsion, Engraving, Etching
$109Sale Price|20% Off
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Horse with White Features Waiting at The Fence
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...
Chalk, Graphite
Fragmented Presence
Located in Zofingen, AG
This visually arresting piece explores identity through a minimalist lens, blending stark realism with geometric abstraction. A figure in black—poised, introspective, and shielded be...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
$4,000Sale Price|20% Off
'Historic Sailing Ship, ' by Unknown, Oil on Linen Painting
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This 19th c. classically realistic oil on canvas painting depicts the majesty of a large sailing vessel on the sea against a light blue sky filled with white cumulus clouds. A gentle...
Linen, Oil
$4,500Sale Price|35% Off
Robert Kenneth White “Dog Cart #6” 2016 Figurative Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Miami, FL
ROBERT KENNETH WHITE (B. 1950) – “DOG CART #6” Oil on Canvas ⚜ Hand Signed Lower Right and Titled on Verso ⚜ Frameless Display A CONTEMPLATIVE FIGURATIVE COMPOSITION WITH SURREAL UN...
Canvas, Oil
'Un étalage de fleurs – At the Florist' by Jean Capeinick (1838 – 1890)
Located in Knokke, BE
Jean Capeinick Ghent 1838 – 1890 Brussels Belgian Painter 'Un étalage de fleurs – At the Florist' Signature: signed lower middle left 'J. Capeinick' Medium: oil on canvas Dimension...
Canvas, Oil
"Light Warms the Cold" by Stephen Day, Original Colorado Landscape Painting
By Stephen Day
Located in Denver, CO
"Light Warms the Cold" by Stephen Day is an original oil painting depicting evergreen and aspen trees on a spring morning, resting across the ridge of a mountainside river stream. St...
Oil, Board
My General
Located in Zofingen, AG
This is how you live, and you're indifferent to your neighbors, because it's Europe, the 21st century, who needs a war? And then, bam, your world turns upside down. The portrait of t...
Acrylic
$108Sale Price|20% Off
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Sheep Munching The Grass
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 Ha...
Chalk, Graphite
Small garden. Dahlia
Located in Zofingen, AG
This composition suggests a garden gathered and brought inside, captured in a rare moment of perfect balance. The interplay of pinks and golds creates a harmonious, almost musical r...
Canvas, Oil
$1,975Sale Price|26% Off
"Luster" (2024) Oil Painting by Karen Offutt, Female Portrait
By Karen Offutt
Located in Denver, CO
Karen Offutt's (US based) "Luster" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a portrait of a woman on an abstracted background. The painting is framed, with overall dimensio...
Oil, Panel