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.
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
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
$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
$879Sale Price|25% Off
Seascape with Waves Breaking on Rocks - Oil on Canvas by 20th Century Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Seascape with Waves Breaking on Rocks - Oil on Canvas by 20th Century British Artist, Fletcher Art measures 24 x 20 inches Frame measures 28 x 24 inches This evocative mid 20th cen...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
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
$10,045
«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
Street Corner in Old Riga. 1956. Watercolor, paper. 23x15 cm. Signed
By Janis Brekte
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...
Paper, Watercolor
$869Sale 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
$2,283Sale 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
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
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
$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
$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
$85,614
Paris : Winter Day at Montmartre - Original signed gouache painting - Cerificate
Located in Paris, IDF
Maurice UTRILLO Paris : Winter Day at Montmartre Original gouache painting Signed bottom right 40 x 32 cm at view (c. 16 x 13") Painted c. 1934-36 Presented in a golden wood frame ...
Gouache, Paper
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
Fritillaria
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The Imperial Fritillaria, a close relative of tulips, crocuses, daffodils, and lilies, is cultivated not only for its striking beauty but, paradoxically, also for its unique and unpl...
Oil
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
$1,027Sale 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
$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
$1,461Sale 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
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
$759Sale 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
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
King Fisher, Bird, Watercolor Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
66 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Year: 2023 Style: Classic Art, Subject: King Fisher...
Paper, Watercolor
19th Century Grand Tour Marble Bust of a Young Apollo
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
Grand Tour Marble Bust of a Young Apollo (Late 19th Century) Marble bust on a swivel marble base Unsigned 24 ½" high x 21" wide x 9 1/2 " deep...
Marble
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
"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
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
Five Maiko (Apprentices) Having lunch – Original hand-colored Meiji era photo
Located in Middletown, NY
Yokohama, Japan: c 1890. Hand-tinted albumen print, 8 x 10 1/2 inches (203 x 266 mm), numbered B04 in negative, small spots of fixer on lower right corner, pencil inscription on ver...
Watercolor, Photographic Paper
$684
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
"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
Celie Lithograph, Signed Realist Print, 1986, Edition 65/80, Framed
Located in Astoria, NY
Elizabeth Catlett (American/Mexican, 1915-2012), "Celie", Lithograph, 1986, signed in pencil and dated lower right, titled and numbered edition "65/80" lower left, wood frame. Image...
Paper, Lithograph
"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
$4,500
Blooming in the Mountains, Impressionist Landscape Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Catalog 2018 “Khrapachov O._ Painting.: an album of works.” / – Kyiv. BX[studio], 2018. _ 48 pp. Blooming in the mountains Oleksandr Khrapachov, 2018 Oil on canvas. 80 × 100 cm Th...
Canvas, Oil
$14,269
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
$513
"Botany 6" Original floral painting.Small circular canvas. Gift. Home decor
Located in Oslo, NO
This artwork is a striking circular floral composition, depicting a vibrant bouquet against a textured white background. The centerpiece is a lush arrangement of blue and violet blos...
Canvas, Oil
$4,400
Morning Melody, Bronze Mourning Dove Sculpture, Realist Style, Edition 7/35
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Melissa Cooper’s tender bronze wall-hanging sculpture, titled Morning Melody, portrays a pair of mourning doves huddled closely together along the sweeping branch of a bare bough. Hi...
Bronze
“Samsone & Dalila”
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Antonio Balestra (1666–1740) – "Samson & Delilah" Artist: Antonio Balestra (1666–1740) Title: "Samson & Delilah" Medium: Oil on canvas Framed Dimensions: 147 x 165 cm Can...
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
Japan – Three dancing geisha apprentices – Hand-colored Meiji Period photograph
Located in Middletown, NY
Yokohama, Japan: c 1880. Hand-tinted albumen print, 8 1/8 x 10 1/2 inches (205 x 267 mm), numbered 1625 and captioned "Dancing" in negative at lower right; pencil inscription in Jap...
Watercolor, Photographic Paper
Rooster II, Bronze Sculpture, Realist Style, Signed, Realist, Edition 21/24
By Dan Chen
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Dan Chen’s dynamic bronze sculpture, titled Rooster II, depicts a proud rooster perched precariously on one leg atop a tall, geometric pedestal, with its tail feathers sweeping upwar...
Bronze
Ephemeral Beauty
By Alex Tabet
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist UNFRAMED: 16" x 20" FRAMED: 21.5" x 25.5" x 1" SIGNED: Lower Right Artist Statement "A bloom is at its peak—fragile, alive, fleet...
Oil, Panel
$3,500
Olive Grove with Cypress Trees - Charcoal Drawing, Greece, Island Black & White
By George Tzannes
Located in New York, NY
This 22 x 31.5 inches black and white chalk painting on canvas represents a Greek landscape. Olive and cypress trees populate the landscape. Tzannes is an American painter of Greek origins. In his twenties, he visited Kythera, the Greek island of his father's birth. Since then, the island has become the primary reference of his creativity. Using black and white to represent this landscape gives the mighty hundred-year-old olive trees a monumental presence. The viewer is drawn into the timeless, spiritual quality of the Greek landscape. Despite the absence of color, Tzannes' mastery of drawing creates a tangible effect of the Greek light...
Canvas, Chalk, Charcoal
Buffalos, Animal, Original Oil Painting, One of a Kind, Ready to Hang
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2024 Style: Impressionism, Title: Buffalos, Size: 39 x 59 x1 i...
Canvas, Oil
"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
1992 Gretchen Dow Simpson 'Owl's Head, Maine' USA Serigraph
By Gretchen Dow Simpson
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Owl's Head, Maine by Gretchen Dow Simpson is a stunning limited edition silkscreen print that captures the idyllic charm of this coastal location. Published by Pamplemousse Press and...
Screen
"Study"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
A ballerina before a performance, shown in the moment of warming up, backlit against the light.
Canvas, Oil
Lunch At La Pigna, Italy, 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 US restaurateurs Gilda Cioffi, owner of Mama Gilda in Palm Beach, Guy Avventuiero and his wife, of Gi...
Lambda
$2,739Sale Price|20% Off
Poinsettia. Large still-life Square painting, realism
Located in Oslo, NO
Still life on a square canvas. The objects are life-size. Everything is painted from life. Red flowers with green leaves in a pot and an elegant miniature glass with a golden handle....
Canvas, Oil
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
'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
$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
Herondippity
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original bronze sculpture by artist Stefan Savides. Edition 13/35.
Bronze
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
Strawberries and Asparagus, Signed Realist Mezzotint by Tomoe Yokoi
By Tomoe Yokoi
Located in Long Island City, NY
Strawberries and Asparagus by Tomoe Yokoi, Japanese (1942) Date: circa 1973 Mezzotint, Signed, Titled and Numbered in Pencil Edition of VI/XXX Image Size: 12 x 13.5 inches Size: 19.5...
Mezzotint
$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
$876Sale Price|20% Off
Daffodils.Floral, Abstract realism, rectangular, Yellow, Green, Gray, Medium.
Located in Oslo, NO
There we can see a bunch of beautiful yellow and white Daffodil flowers in a glass vase, presented on the light background. The palette based on analogous colors of vivid yellow an...
Oil
Roses In The Sky Still Life
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Roses In The Sky. canvas 31.5x39 new white gold framed 34x42x1 Zbigniew Kopania, artist painter, cinematographer, born December 21, 1949, in Łódź Poland. Kopania style of paintings ...
Canvas, Oil
Dahl Taylor, "After the Bath", Equine Barn Oil Painting on Canvas, 24x34
By Dahl Taylor
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This realistic equine piece, "After the Bath", by artist Dahl Taylor is a 24x34 oil painting on canvas featuring a brown horse after bath time, coat glistening in the warm sunlight. ...
Canvas, Oil
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