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.
Orange VI Still Life Painting, Oil on Board, Hyperrealism, 30cm
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...
Oil, Panel
The Village Bridge, 19th Century Scottish, River, Town, Genre Painting
Located in Wiscasset, ME
William Smeall was a Scottish artist based in Edinburgh. He is best known for his street scenes of the city, though he also painted rural subjects. His work is in the collections of ...
Oil, Board
Robert K. White "Laguna Canyon" 4-Foot Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Miami, FL
ROBERT KENNETH WHITE (b. 1950) – "LAGUNA CANYON" Oil on Canvas ⚜ Hand Signed Lower Right and Titled on Verso ⚜ Frameless Display A GOLDEN CALIFORNIA LANDSCAPE OF LIGHT AND FORM "Lag...
Canvas, Oil
$8,100
Roberto Bompiani "The Confirmation" Museum Quality Large Scale Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Roberto Bompiani (Italy, 1821-1908) "The Confirmation" Museum Quality Oil Painting circa 1871 Extraordinary oil painting by listed Italian artist. T...
Canvas, Oil
Nuvolau (Cortina): a breathtaking Dolomites diptych by Silvia De Bastiani, 2025
Located in Milan, IT
Watercolour on paper, stretched on canvas, inch 66,9 x 102,3 The painting was recently shown at the solo exhibition “Water and Peaks. An Olympic Journey Through the Alps” (February...
Canvas, Paper, Watercolor
"The Peace of Evening Gold" - Original Western Landscape Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Andrzej Skorut's "The Peace of Evening Gold" is an impressive landscape oil painting piece which rests at 36 x 36 inches on stretched canvas and is ready to hang. Biography and Arti...
Canvas, Oil
Japan – A geisha playing the gekkin - Hand-colored Meiji Period photograph
Located in Middletown, NY
Yokohama, Japan: c 1880's. Hand-tinted albumen print, 10 1/8 x 8 inches (258 x 203 mm), unmounted; pencil inscription in Japanese on verso; light cockling [Nagasaki University Libra...
Watercolor, Photographic Paper
"Timeless Dreamer" Whimsical Oil Painting of Mouse
Located in Denver, CO
Claudia Griesbach- Martucci's "Timeless Dreamer" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a mouse perched atop a clock with a crescent moon in the background. About the A...
Oil, Panel
Coastal Oak Tree Landscape
By Deborah Eddy
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderful color photograph of the gnarled trunk of a Coast Live Oak tree by California artist Deborah Eddy (American, b. 1943). Titled "Tree I" on the ma...
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$2,614
Landscape With Mill at Sunset by Swedish Artist Mauritz Lindström
Located in Stockholm, SE
The small yet stirring painting "Landscape With Mill at Sunset" showcases the remarkable talent of Swedish painter Mauritz Lindström. He was a resp...
Oil, Wood Panel
Art Forms in Nature (Plate 79 - Basiliscus) — 1899 Celebration of Nature
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Ernst Haeckel, 'Art Forms in Nature' (Plate 79 - Basiliscus), offset lithograph, 1899. Signed and titled in typeset, upper left. Titled 'Tafel 79 — Basi...
Lithograph
Distant Echoes, Original Painting
By Vic Roschkov
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Bathed in quiet light, a weathered farmhouse radiates a sense of history and solitude. The faded clapboard siding, rusted tin roof, and simple lines stand resil...
Watercolor
Jack Levine American Modernist Social Realist WPA Artist Lithograph Dinner Party
By Jack Levine
Located in Surfside, FL
This is being sold unframed. Reception in Miami. Born to Lithuanian Jewish parents, Levine grew up in the South End of Boston, where he observed a street life composed of European i...
Paper, Color, Lithograph
$2,699
455. Portrait, Original Oil on Board Wildlife Painting, Contemporary Realism Art
By Paul Jansen
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
20. Curious shells
Located in Columbia, MO
Maria Sibylla Merian was born in Germany in 1647 and received early artistic training from her stepfather, an established still life painter. She was fascinated by insects and collec...
Pigment
$8,000Sale Price|60% Off
Portrait of a Man
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Francisco Vazquez Diaz, known as Compostela (1898-1988). Portrait of a Man, 1949. Carved mahogany, measuring 18.75 inches h, 8.5 inches w, 11 in...
Mahogany
Piano Solo
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Piano Solo" 2000 is original mixed media (oil paint on print) on canvas by American artist and musician Mark Keller, b.1955. It is ha...
Mixed Media
British Chalk Pencil Sketches of Cows and Calfs in 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 Ha...
Chalk, Graphite
Overhead, Framed
By Karen Woods
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery, NYC & LA --“I do think the big problem in a way…is how you deal with ordinary life—that is not extraordinary, that does not involve heroism,...
Linen, Oil
$1,455Sale Price|20% Off
Peaches oil/canvas, 40x50cm, 2020
By Igor Maikov
Located in Riga, LV
Igor Maikov (1966) Education: 1981 - 1984 The Art Academy of Latvia 1973 - 1983 Salaspils Primary and Secondary School Exhibitions: 1994 - Group Exhibition «Rol-Art», Latvia ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,023Sale Price|25% Off
F.W. Kirtley (British) - 19th century Scottish Highland landscape painting
Located in Varmo, IT
F.W. Kirtley (British, 19th century) - Mountain Landscape with Sheep. 36 x 56 cm (unframed) - 55.5 x 75.5 cm (framed). Oil on canvas, in a gilded wooden frame. Signed lower right:...
Oil, Canvas
Fragility of Strength -Contemporary Seascape Oil Painting of Breaking Ocean Wave
Located in Zofingen, AG
The moment before everything changes, where strength teeters on the edge of fragility. DETAILS ● 100% original hand-painted ● The painting is textured ● The picture is painted with ...
Canvas, Oil
$864Sale Price|20% Off
Rowing on a Lake in the Irish Mountain Landscape with Lush Green Trees Ireland
Located in Preston, GB
Rowing on a Lake in the Irish Mountain Landscape with Lush Green Trees in Ireland, by 20th Century Artist, William Yeaman. Original, Oil on Canvas prese...
Canvas, Oil
Baby Puma 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: 2026 Style: Classic Art Title: Baby Puma Size: 12 x 16 inch, (...
Paper, Watercolor
$14,209
Yachts in the bay of Bali, Original Seascape Mountainscape Oil Painting, Large
By Simon Kozhin
Located in Zofingen, AG
Catalogue raisonné reference: Publisher: Tvorchestvo (2015) Language: English Russian ISBN-10: 5000280512 ISBN-13: 978-5000280515. Artwork description Original oil painting on canva...
Canvas, Oil
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...
Oil, Wood Panel
$10,003
«Light of Hope» – Hyperrealism Ocean Splash Wave at Sunset Oil Painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Created in March 2022, during the first weeks of the war in Ukraine, Light of Hope carries a deep emotional resonance. This hyperrealistic seascape unites the fiery energy of a sunse...
Oil, Wood Panel, Board
"Streambed III, " Framed Limited Edition Giclee Print, 48" x 80"
Located in Westport, CT
This realistic limited edition print by John Harris features an earth-toned palette and captures a close-up view of water rushing over small rocks in a river bed. Toward the top of t...
Digital, Giclée
My Love, Oil Painting
By Eric Vanasse
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A brightly colored parrot perches on a snow-covered rock before a tranquil lake, with snowy mountains rising in the background. Tropical foliage frames the bird...
Oil
$760Sale Price|20% Off
"A Monument to Soap" Chicago Industrial Architecture Drawing
Located in Soquel, CA
"A Monument to Soap" Chicago Industrial Architecture Drawing Skillfully rendered architecture drawing by Frank Tim Beatty (American b. 1899 d. 1984.) The scene depicts two skyscrape...
Paper, Carbon Pencil
$2,273Sale Price|20% Off
Woman in a Sunlit Italian Courtyard, Oil on Wood, Mid-19th Century
Located in Genève, GE
Dimension with frame : 36,5 x 28,5 x 4,5 cm. A charming 19th-century Italian oil study attributed to Silvestro Lega (1826–1895), depicting a woman seen from behind in a rustic sunli...
Oil, Wood Panel
Galerie Vivienne, Paris - 21st Century Hyper Realistic oil painting
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Roos van der Meijden Galerie Vivienne, Paris 30 x 25 cm ( framed 38 x 33 cm, frame is included in price ) Acrylic on canvas Dutch artist Roos van der Meijden is famous because of he...
Oil, Panel, Wood Panel
" THE LAST DROP " Charles Schreyvogel (1861-1912) BRONZE SCULPTURE 1903 WESTERN
Located in San Antonio, TX
Charles Schreyvogel (1861-1912) New York / New Jersey Artist Image Size: 12" x 18.50" x 5" Medium: Bronze Sculpture 1903 "The Last Drop" Charles Schreyvogel (1861-1912) New York / Ne...
Bronze
$4,200
Saint-Tropez Beach, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early-1970s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features people sunbathing on the beach at Saint-Tropez, on the French Riviera. This is an estate-stamped and...
Lambda
$1,152Sale Price|42% Off
The four militaries By Hippolyte Bellangé - Antique oil on canvas
Located in Geneva, CH
The work is old, dated from the middle of the 19th century. The artist has been sold more than 300 times in auction houses, mainly in France (origin of the painter), which explains t...
Oil
"Autumn Orange Leaves" (2024) By David Grossmann, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
David Grossman's (US based) "Autumn Orange Leaves" is an oil on linen panel created in 2024 depicting an abstracted birch forest in autumn. About the artist: David Grossmann’s evoc...
Linen, Oil, Panel
$9,500
Miguel Peidro, "Autumn Reflections" 39x39 Fall Trees Pond Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This piece, "Autumn Reflections", is a 39x39 oil painting on canvas by Miguel Peidro. Peidro's use of bold color and contrast stand out against the bright water reflections incorpora...
Canvas, Oil
$1,036Sale Price|20% Off
Antique American School Show Dog Portrait Framed 19th Century Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American school dog portrait oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. Image size, 9L x 9H.
Canvas, Oil
$755Sale Price|20% Off
Mountain Lake Landscape of County Donegal Northern Ireland Vintage Irish Art
Located in Preston, GB
Mountain Lake Landscape of County Donegal Northern Ireland Vintage Irish Art, by Irish Artist, D Dale. Art measures 14 x 10 inches Frame measure...
Oil, Board
"Three Garlics on Quinacridone"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Garlic prevents bacteria from spreading.
Canvas, Oil
Piazza Umberto, Italy, Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early-1980s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features an aerial view of a parasols shading customers at cafes and restaurants in the Piazza Umberto, on the...
Lambda
Ginny Williams, Floral Still Life Painting, Pink Flowers, Chinoiserie
Located in Atlanta, GA
Ginny Williams brings a fresh contemporary sensibility to the traditional floral still life in A Wish for the New Year. A vivid arrangement of deep pink flowers rises from a decorati...
Oil, Board
Compartment No. 1, Realist Acrylic on Canvas, Signed 70 x 95 CM
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting transforms an intimate train compartment into a carefully composed study of ordinary life existing alongside extraordinary danger. The interior is warm, ordered and dee...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Last Shot, Realist Oil Painting on Board, Framed, 21st Century, Signed
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Michael Coleman’s luminous oil painting on board, titled Last Shot, depicts a flock of waterfowl descending over a reflective marshland at dusk, framed by a duck blind tucked into th...
Oil, Board
$3,000Sale Price|70% Off
Rattlesnake
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mark Morrison (1895-1964) Rattlesnake , ca. 1950 Carved pink Texas granite 13.5" wide, 13" deep, height is 7" Repair and conservation to uppermost part of snake's body. Provena...
Granite
If You See Something..., Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Four Great Egrets stand together, all focused on something beyond the scene, while one appears to call out to the others. Artist Emil Morhardt notes that the bi...
Acrylic
$682
Mother and daughter - Original lithograph - 1964 (Buisson #64.287)
Located in Paris, IDF
Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita Mother and daughter Original lithograph Printed signature in the plate Edited by La Guilde internationale de la gravure (Geneva) and printed in Atelier Ré...
Lithograph
$350Sale Price|81% Off
Passion
Located in Atlanta, GA
Item is in excellent condition and has only been displayed in a gallery setting. Item includes frame; Fernando Ibañez Alcaraz was born in Alcoy, Alicante (Spain) in 1969. Growing ...
Oil, Board
'River Landscape' by Ludwig Knaus; Framed 22" x 20.5" Oil on Board, 19th Century
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This framed 20.5" x 22" river landscape by German artist Ludwig Knaus features a mature tree stretching out over a calm body of water on a clear day. Knaus portrays sunlight and shad...
Oil, Board
"Cloud Composition 9" Original Realist Skyscape with Clouds
Located in Denver, CO
"Cloud Composition 9" 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 ...
Oil, Panel
That's Saying Something, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A realistic animal painting depicts three great blue herons. Two of the herons are scanning their surroundings, seemingly in search of good fortune, trouble, or...
Acrylic
$1,975
Pink Hummingbird, Miniature Realist Bird Painting On Black Ground, Oil on Copper
By Dina Brodsky
Located in New York, NY
In Small Pink Hummingbird, Dina Brodsky captures a fleeting moment of stillness within a creature defined by motion. The tiny bird, rendered in luminous shades of rose, coral, and go...
Copper
Cup of coffee and tangerine
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Cup of coffee and tangerine” is a celebration of the beauty that can be found in the simplest of things. The style of the painting is inspired by the Holland masters of the 17th cen...
Canvas, Oil
"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 ...
Oil, Panel
London Tower Bridge
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "London Tower Bridge" 1924 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 mark (image) size is 12.15 x 17.25 inches, framed size is 21 x 26 inches. Custom framed in a wooden gold frame, with beige matting and gold color bevel. It is in excellent condition. About the artist. Luigi Kasimir was born in 1881 at Pettau, today Ptuj, Slovenia, then a part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. He inherited his talent from his ancestors; his grandfather was a painter and a poet, and his father an officer in the Habsburg army, who later became a professional painter. Kasimir attended the Vienna Academy of Art where he studied under Wilhelm Unger, who introduced him to the technique of the coloured etching, and also to his future wife, the artist Tanna Hoernes.[1] He died in 1962 in Grinzing, a suburb of Vienna.Kasimir was among the first to develop the technique of the coloured etching. Before this, prints were usually hand-coloured with the colour being applied in a casual, haphazard manner. Kasimir would first create a sketch usually in pastel, he then transferred the design on as many as four to six plates, printing one after the other and applying the colour on the plate, all done by hand. Kasimir is mainly famous for his etchings, but he also produced some oil painting, as well as some pastels. One of his favourite genres was the landscape, or veduta. He demonstrated a predisposition street scenes, and tourist landmarks. He depicted places from all over Europe, mainly Italy, Austria, and Germany. He also travelled to the United States to do a series of etchings of famous sights ranging from urban landmarks such as New York City skyscrapers, to natural wonders like Yosemite Valley. Luigi Kasimir’s etchings...
Etching
The Seated Man – An Intimate Glimpse into Daily Life
Located in Stockholm, SE
This masterfully executed painting by Emerik Stenberg (1873–1927) captures an intimate and atmospheric moment. The composition features a seated man, engrossed in his daily chores, b...
Canvas, Oil
Peaceful Venetian Canal Scenes in a Pair of Mid 20th-C. Paintings
Located in San Francisco, CA
This pair of timeless scenes of Venice are both by Venetian painter, Luigi Zugolo, who, according to Italy’s Ministry of Culture, was working in the early 20th century. Would we call...
Canvas, Oil
Impressionistic Marine Oil Painting Michael Budden Resting Boats
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Resting Boats oil/canvas 18 x 24 unframed, 24 .25 x 30.25 framed signed LR Resting Boats is a plein air oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden tha...
Oil
$5,400
Nicholsons, New York, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1950s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Cafe Nicholson in New York. This is an estate-stamped and hand-numbered edition of 150 with a cert...
Lambda
"Portrait of Long Haired Girl" (2023) By Bunyod Suvonov, Original Drawing
Located in Denver, CO
"Portrait of Long Haired Girl" (2023) by Bunyod Suvonov is original handmade drawing made with charcoal and graphite on toned paper. This piece depicts a portrait of a woman with lon...
Paper, Charcoal, Graphite