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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1910s Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Acrylic, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Pastel
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
The setting sun transforms an evening walk in an average neighborhood into a vibrant light show. Whispy clouds spread across the sky, reflecting the soft yellow...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
1970s Realist Art
Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil, Board
1870s Realist Art
Wood, Oil
20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Andrew Grant KurtisTranquil Reflections: A Serene Landscape of Mountain Lake by British Artist, 1984
2010s Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Acrylic
20th Century Realist Art
Offset
1990s Realist Art
Paper, Oil Crayon, Oil Pastel, Pastel, Board
1940s Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A banjo rests on a sunlit step beside a glass of wine and a bouquet of flowers. A weathered wooden door and cracked wall behind it add rustic charm. Rich, class...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Other Medium
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
1990s Realist Art
Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Oil, Board
20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Jose Luis Bermudez captures a verdant tapestry of nature where dainty daisies dominate the scene. "This represents na...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
20th Century Realist Art
Lithograph
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Canvas
Artist Comments
A house proudly stands against a fiery sky, its weathered walls and darkened windows hinting at stories left untold. Artist Art Clark drew inspiration from his ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Acrylic
2010s Realist Art
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century Realist Art
Board, Paint, Watercolor
1870s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Realist Art
Lithograph
2010s Realist Art
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Art
Linen, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Platinum
Mid-19th Century Realist Art
Photographic Paper
Mid-19th Century Realist Art
Linen, Oil
1980s Realist Art
Paper, Watercolor
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1950s Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Acrylic, Ink, Watercolor
1890s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Watercolor
20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Peter McKayVintage Lakeland Landscape Painting with Sheep by 20th Century British Artist, 1975 Circa
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil, Board
1880s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
1920s Realist Art
Oil, Board
1940s Realist Art
Paper, Etching
19th Century Realist Art
Oil
19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
1870s Realist Art
Bronze
1980s Realist Art
Lithograph
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Linen, Panel
2010s Realist Art
Linen, Oil
1920s Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Acrylic, Oil, Watercolor
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Watercolor, Photographic Paper
1980s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil