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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
Venice Beach Seascape, Long Wave, Nautical Scene in Blue Tones, Limited Edition
Venice Beach Seascape, Long Wave, Nautical Scene in Blue Tones, Limited Edition

Venice Beach Seascape, Long Wave, Nautical Scene in Blue Tones, Limited Edition

By Kind of Cyan

Located in Barcelona, ES

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. This beautiful cyanotype is titled "Long Wave in Venice Beach" and it shows an outstanding wave in one of the most iconic ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Emulsion, Watercolor, Engraving, Etching, Monotype

Just Keep the Connection
Just Keep the Connection

Just Keep the Connection

By Nataliya Bagatskaya

Located in Zofingen, AG

This artwork elegantly blends classic and contemporary elements, depicting a young woman in a stylish black outfit holding a phone to her ear. She stands against an endless blue sky...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Young Penguin
Young Penguin

Mark MorrisonYoung Penguin, ca. 1950

$3,000Sale Price|50% Off

Young Penguin

By Mark Morrison

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

Impressionistic Marine Oil Painting Allen D Cochran Salmagundi Club Gloucester
Impressionistic Marine Oil Painting Allen D Cochran Salmagundi Club Gloucester

Impressionistic Marine Oil Painting Allen D Cochran Salmagundi Club Gloucester

By Allen Dean Cochran

Located in Chesterfield, NJ

Allen Dean Cochran (American 1859-1938) "Quiet Cove - Gloucester"; c. 1950; Oil on Board; 8 x 10 image, 14.25 x 16 framed, Signed Lower Left Bio: Allen Dean Cochran Born: 1888 -...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Cadzow Forest Scotland - British mid 19thC art Scottish landscape oil painting
Cadzow Forest Scotland - British mid 19thC art Scottish landscape oil painting

Cadzow Forest Scotland - British mid 19thC art Scottish landscape oil painting

By Samuel Bough

Located in Hagley, England

This lovely British Victorian landscape oil painting is by noted artist Sam Bough. It was painted in 1855 after Bough had moved to Hamilton Lanarkshire in Scotland to focus on painting landscapes alongside fellow artist Alexander Frazer. The location is the ancient forest of Cadzow in Lanarkshire which they both favoured. The landscape is of a rough path through ancient oaks heading towards more dense forest with white cattle grazing to the right. A superb balanced composition and an excellent example of Bough's skill in landscape painting. Signed lower left and dated 1855. Provenance. Christie's stencil verso 519GG. James Bourlet & Sons label verso. Condition. Oil on canvas, 28 inches by 18 inches unframed and in good condition. Frame. Housed in an ornate gilt Victorian frame, 35 inches by 25 inches framed and in good condition. Samuel Bough RSA (1822–1878) was an English-born landscape painter who spent much of his career working in Scotland. He was born the third of five children in Abbey Street, Carlisle in northern England, the son of James Bough (1794-1845), a shoemaker, and Lucy Walker, a cook. He was raised in relative poverty, but with a keen encouragement in the arts. He was self-taught but mixed with local artists such as Richard Harrington and George Sheffield, and was strongly influenced by the work of Turner. After an unsuccessful attempt to live as an artist in Carlisle he obtained a job and as a theatre scenery painter in Manchester in 1845, later also working in Glasgow in the same role. Encouraged by Daniel Macnee to take up landscape painting he moved to Hamilton from 1851-4 and worked there with Alexander Fraser. In 1854 he moved to Port Glasgow to work on his technique of painting ships and harbours. His paintings were noted for their sensitivity to atmosphere and light, were often of cloudy shorelines and busy harbours. He also began supplementing his income by illustrating books, before moving to Edinburgh in 1855. On coming to Edinburgh he lived in a terraced house at 5 Malta Terrace in the Stockbridge area of the city. Following Turner's example, he became a skil ful painter of seaports. He was buried in Dean Cemetery Edinburgh on 23 November 1878. The grave bears a bronze medallion of his head by William Brodie...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Antoniny"
"Antoniny"

"Antoniny"

By Oleksandr Khrapachov

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Antoniny In the heart of Khmelnytskyi region, among the picturesque landscapes of the village of Antoniny, this sunny canvas was born – evidence of the artist's magical encounter wi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Сoffee tradition
Сoffee tradition

Сoffee tradition

By Ihar Sviancicki

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

Early 20th Century Photograph Landscape --Looking Through The Sky
Early 20th Century Photograph Landscape --Looking Through The Sky

Early 20th Century Photograph Landscape --Looking Through The Sky

By Sigismund Blumann

Located in Soquel, CA

Early 20th Century Photograph Landscape --Looking Through The Sky "Looking Through", a lithobrome photograph by Sigismund Blumann (American, 1872-1956). Signed "Sigismund Blumann" lower right. Unframed. Titled "Looking Through" on verso. Image size, 13.25"H x 11.5"W. Sigismund Blumann (1872–1956) was a prominent tastemaker in Californian photography during the 1920s and 1930s. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area for his entire career, he edited magazines, wrote books, and made creative photographs. From 1924 to 1933 Blumann edited Camera Craft, the leading West Coast photographic monthly. Subsequently he established his own periodical, Photo Art Monthly, which he published until 1940. In these two magazines — for over fifteen years — Blumann found a large audience of mainstream pictorial photographers. In addition, he wrote five instructional books on photography...

Category

1920s Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

"Galantes Paar" by Henri Druard - Oil on Canvas - 100x81 cm
"Galantes Paar" by Henri Druard - Oil on Canvas - 100x81 cm

"Galantes Paar" by Henri Druard - Oil on Canvas - 100x81 cm

Located in Geneva, CH

Artwork sold with frame (100 x 120 x 7.5 cm) Henri Druard (1821–1877) was a French painter known for his genre scenes and depictions of everyday life in 19th-century France. Born in...

Category

1840s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Still Life"
"Still Life"

"Still Life"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Johann Rudolf Feyerabend, called Lelong (1749-1814) – Still Life Medium: Reverse painting on glass Dimensions: 16 x 23 cm Signature: Lower right corner Provenance: Private collection...

Category

18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Realist Balinese Indonesian Beauty Princess Portrait of a Girl
Realist Balinese Indonesian Beauty Princess Portrait of a Girl

Realist Balinese Indonesian Beauty Princess Portrait of a Girl

Located in New York, NY

Beautiful Balanise Portrait of a girl with garlands of flowers in her hair by DULLAH (1919-1996). Dullah was an Indonesian artist who painted many portraits and is in all museums. ...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Anoop's Place" Oil Painting

"Anoop's Place" Oil Painting

By Raymond Bonilla

Located in Denver, CO

Raymond Bonilla's "Anoop's Place" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts the façade of a brick building with balconies as the morning light hits its surface. About the Artist: Raymond Bonilla is a nationally recognized illustrator and fine artist in Buffalo, NY. Raymond graduated from the State University in New York at Fredonia in 2005 with a degree in New Media and Illustration. He continued his studies at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco where he completed his Masters of Fine Art in 2009. He was awarded Best in Show in the Great Lakes Emerging Artist Competition, was a finalist in the Artists Magazine Annual Art Competition, has been awarded Gold Medals in advertising from both Society of Illustrators of New York and Los Angeles, and juried into the Communication Arts Illustration Annual. He currently lives in Buffalo, New York where he spends his time painting and teaching part-time at SmART School and Visual Arts Passage. He is represented by Principle Gallery in Alexandria...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Silent Hunter" - Oil Animal Painting on Wood (2025)
"Silent Hunter" - Oil Animal Painting on Wood (2025)

"Silent Hunter" - Oil Animal Painting on Wood (2025)

By Terra Novak

Located in Denver, CO

"Silent Hunter" shows a cougar in a stalking stance, tail low and gaze focused. The green, wood-grain background enhances the quiet tension and natural presence of this powerful pred...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Wood, Oil

"The Disciples" (2023) by Deb Komitor, Original Oil Painting
"The Disciples" (2023) by Deb Komitor, Original Oil Painting

"The Disciples" (2023) by Deb Komitor, Original Oil Painting

By Deb Komitor

Located in Denver, CO

"The Disciples" by Deb Komitor (United States) is a handmade oil painting depicting 3 owls perched in a tree. The piece is on a cradled board with the painting continuing on the side...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Portrait of a Young Lady in a Feathered Hat, Signed and Dated 1907
Portrait of a Young Lady in a Feathered Hat, Signed and Dated 1907

Portrait of a Young Lady in a Feathered Hat, Signed and Dated 1907

Located in Stockholm, Stockholm

A portrait of a young lady in a feathered hat, mixed media on canvas. Signed and dated B. Kronstrand -07. This refined half-length portrait depicts an elegantly dressed young woman w...

Category

Early 1900s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

Japan – Samurai - Hand-colored Meiji Period photograph

Japan – Samurai - Hand-colored Meiji Period photograph

Located in Middletown, NY

Yokohama, Japan: c 1890. Hand-tinted albumen print, 10 1/8 x 7 3/4 inches (258 x 198 mm), numbered B 1161 and captioned in negative at lower right; very light cockling, brightly col...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Photographic Paper

Contemporary portrait "Full Moon"
Contemporary portrait "Full Moon"

Contemporary portrait "Full Moon"

By Nataliya Bagatskaya

Located in Zofingen, AG

This artwork captivates with its blend of cultural and surreal elements. The central figure, a poised woman in a traditional East Asian kimono, radiates elegance through intricate fl...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

"Doorway" Ken Davies, Realist House Porch Architecture
"Doorway" Ken Davies, Realist House Porch Architecture

"Doorway" Ken Davies, Realist House Porch Architecture

Located in New York, NY

Ken Davies Doorway, circa 1970 Signed lower left Oil on board 11 x 15 inches Provenance: The Heritage Gallery Inc., Columbus, Ohio, 1975 Private Collection, Columbus Acquired from the estate of the above Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Kenneth Davies...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Vintage Italian Glazed Terra Cotta Wall Hanging Leopard Head
Vintage Italian Glazed Terra Cotta Wall Hanging Leopard Head

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.

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Terracotta

"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

European Cityscape #1
European Cityscape #1

European Cityscape #1

By Henry Ramirez

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 ...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Contemporary Dessert Painting by Michael Budden Eclairs
Contemporary Dessert Painting by Michael Budden Eclairs

Contemporary Dessert Painting by Michael Budden Eclairs

By Michael Budden

Located in Chesterfield, NJ

Eclairs Image is 6 x 8 unframed, 11.5 x 13.5 framed. Signed LR An oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a pair of eclairs. This is...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

Young Man with Two Dogs in a Landscape - British Edwardian art oil painting
Young Man with Two Dogs in a Landscape - British Edwardian art oil painting

Young Man with Two Dogs in a Landscape - British Edwardian art oil painting

Located in Hagley, England

This superb British Edwardian figurative landscape oil painting is by noted animal artist Edwin Noble. Painted in 1904 it is a large and detailed painting of a young man, kneeling in a grassy thicket with his two dogs, a lurcher and terrier. He is restraining the dogs whilst his ferret goes down a rabbit hole in the hedgerow. Two dead rabbits are already lying on the grass beside them. Beyond is a county landscape of fields and trees. The young man in his stripped shirt and waistcoat and the two white dogs really stand out in the mass of greenery around them as do the white wild flowers at their feet. The detail and brushwork are superb. This is an excellent example of Edwin Noble's work as an animal painter in the Edwardian period and also depicts country pursuits. Signed and dated Edwin Noble 04 lower right. Provenance. From the collection of Derek Parker and Peter Wynne Morris, Interior designers, antique dealers and collectors over sixty years. Condition. Oil on canvas. Image size 50 inches by 40 inches and in good condition. Frame. Housed in a complementary frame, 54 inches by 44 inches and in good condition. John Edwin Noble (1876-1961). Painter and illustrator who worked as Edwin Noble. He was the son of the artist John Sargent Noble...

Category

Early 1900s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Picasso Muse, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Picasso Muse, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Picasso Muse, Painting, Oil on Canvas

By Gardani Art

Located in Yardley, PA

One-of-a-kind Realism Original Oil Painting on canvas by Gardani available for you. Hand signed by the Artist front and back, comes with official Gardani Certificate of Authenticity ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

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.