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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21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Gold Leaf
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Tempera, Permanent Marker
1970s Realist Art
Lithograph
2010s Realist Art
Linen, Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A calico cat displays its endearing charm. Painted in a realist style, artist Shuxing Fan portrays the curious gaze of his son's feline friend, with its eyes ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil, Panel
1970s Realist Art
Mulberry Paper, Engraving
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1840s Realist Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Paper, Pencil
2010s Realist Art
Board, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Acrylic, Alkyd, Panel
1990s Realist Art
Gouache
1910s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1930s Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Glass, Blown Glass
1980s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1870s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
Mid-19th Century Realist Art
Lithograph
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
1990s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Realist Art
Lambda
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Watercolor
Early 2000s Realist Art
Oil, Wood Panel
Early 2000s Realist Art
Paper, Pastel
1990s Realist Art
Lithograph, Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 1900s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Realist Art
Oil
1960s Realist Art
Lambda
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Canvas
Early 18th Century Realist Art
Engraving
1990s Realist Art
Screen
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Wood, Oil
1920s Realist Art
Oil
1940s Realist Art
Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Gouache, Pencil
1870s Realist Art
Black and White
1930s Realist Art
Wood, Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Oil, Board
17th Century Realist Art
Wood, Oil, Canvas
1960s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Tempera, Permanent Marker
Early 20th Century Realist Art
Etching
1990s Realist Art
Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Acrylic, Board
1970s Realist Art
Paper, Pastel