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.
India Madras Painting on board Portrait of Serving Girl with Pot c 1910
Located in Norfolk, GB
Madras School C 1910 Acrylic on board 11.5" x 8" Address on verso This painting dating to the early 20th century, c 1910, shows a young woman, possibly from Madras (see info on reverse), The colours follow the conventions of a genre of art called Company School painting...
Mixed Media, Board
“Portrait of a North African Man, 1872” Orientalist Portrait Black Model 19th C.
Located in Yardley, PA
“Portrait of a North African Man, 1872” by August Holmberg (1851-1911) This striking oil painting by the German painter, August Holmberg, depicts a richly detailed and intimate port...
Canvas, Paper, Oil
$1,075Sale Price|20% Off
Classical Flower Bouquet Oil Painting, 19th Century Floral Still Life
Located in Genève, GE
Dimensions with frame: 55 x 47,5 x 5,5 cm This evocative antique floral still life oil painting depicts a lush bouquet of roses and wildflowers arranged in a delicate porcelain vase...
Oil, Cardboard
Pomegranates
Located in Zofingen, AG
The serene ceramic jar anchors the composition, creating a quiet dialogue between matte surfaces and glossy fruit. The carefully draped striped tablecloth introduces rhythm and movem...
Canvas, Oil
$1,049Sale Price|60% Off
Castlewellan Lake in Northern Ireland by 20th Century British Landscape Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Castlewellan Lake in Northern Ireland by 20th Century British Landscape Artist, Spencer Coleman. Unique Vintage Original, Oil on Canvas...
Oil, Mixed Media, Cotton Canvas, Paint, Cotton, Canvas, Gesso
$420
Extra Large Cyanotype Seascape of Pacific Ocean Currents, Nautical Blue & White
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. "Pacific Ocean Currents (Blue Border)" is a handmade cyanotype print of rough water texture resembling Pacific Ocean swell...
Watercolor, Other Medium, Rag Paper, Lithograph
Ginny Williams, Bird Painting, Blue and White Chinoiserie, Oil on Panel
Located in Atlanta, GA
A colorful bullfinch perches atop a blue and white vessel in Ginny Williams’ charming Bullfinch and Blue. Set against a softly patterned background, the composition combines the endu...
Oil, Board
"What?.." Surreal Figurative Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, Signed
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting invites the viewer into a quiet, surreal moment suspended between reality and dream. A young woman, draped in black, leans forward onto a round wooden table, her postur...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Evening in Tuscany, Original realism lansdcape painting, Oil on Canvas, 122x91cm
Located in London, Chelsea
Gallery service: Complimentary worldwide shipping is offered, with Signet Contemporary Art covering all tariffs, customs duties and import taxes, making international collecting simp...
Canvas, Oil
Roses Original Oil Painting, Realist Style, Framed, Circa 1940
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Antonio Vidal Rolland (Barcelona, 1889 - 1970. Artwork signed by the artist. acrylic on canvas Catalan painter. Disciple of José Ruiz Blasco father of Picasso a Lonja and Aleix Clapé...
Oil
Louis Perrey “Vanity” — A Belle Époque Portrait of Elegance
Located in New York, NY
A refined Belle Époque portrait of a young woman absorbed in her reflection, gracefully holding an oval hand mirror. Louis Perrey captures the intimate ritual of feminine toilette wi...
Canvas, Oil
Tim Thompson, "J Class Fleet", 36x48 Maritime Boating Yacht Oil on Canvas
By Tim Thompson
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
Tim Thompson captures the quiet drama of competitive sailing in this luminous marine scene. A fleet of racing yachts moves across calm blue water, their billowing white sails rising ...
Canvas, Oil
New York City Winter Oil Painting Upper Fifth Avenue Flags Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Upper Fifth Avenue Flags oil/canvas 24 x 20 unframed, 31.75 x 27.75 x 1.5 framed Signed LL Upper Fifth Avenue Flags is an oil painting on linen by award winning contemporary artist ...
Oil
Original Oil Painting on canvas, Still Life, Flowers, Signed, Framed
Located in Palm Coast, FL
Up for sale is a beautiful original oil painting on canvas. This painting is a classical and elegant floral still-life composition, featuring a lush bouquet of vibrant flowers arrang...
Oil
An Artist Working in the Studio 1930
Located in Stockholm, SE
This intimate studio interior from 1930 belongs to the more psychologically engaging side of Carlo Hornung Jensen’s oeuvre. A seated woman has paused beside her easel and turned towa...
Oil, Board
Seascape - Sunlit Waves Crashing against the Rocks on the British Isles
Located in Preston, GB
Seascape - Sunlit Waves Crashing against the Rocks on the British Isles Art measures 32 x 24 inches Frame measures 36 x 28 inches A commanding seascape where light wrestles with wa...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$2,014Sale Price|20% Off
Burning Iceberg at Sea, Hyperrealist Surrealist Climate Change Oil Painting
By Raúl Álvarez
Located in FISTERRA, ES
A monumental iceberg burns beneath a stormy grey sky in this hyperrealist oil painting addressing global warming and planetary destruction. Created by Spanish artist Raúl Álvarez in...
Oil, Canvas
$148Sale Price|25% Off
Folly in a Park, 1989 Lithograph, 13 x 9.75 Archival Print
By Thierry Despont
Located in Union City, NJ
PROJECT FOR A FOLLY IN A PARK 1989 is an impressive, finely detailed architectural drawing image depicting a garden folly structure. PROJECT FOR A FOLLY IN A PARK 1989 presents a fin...
Lithograph
Hyperreal Colored Glass Balloon Sculptures - Set of 5
Located in East Quogue, NY
Set of 5 hyperreal glass water balloon sculpture installation by Dylan Martinez. Made of 100% hot-sculpted glass. Approx. Size: 3.5 × 3.5 × 4.5 inches (each balloon) Dylan Martine...
Glass, Blown Glass
Vienna Opera House
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Vienna Opera House" c.1960., is an original color etching by noted Austrian artist Josef Eidenberger, 1899-1991. It is hand signed in pencil by the artist. The p...
Etching
$1,175
Colossal Statue of Ramses: 19th Century Hand-colored Lithograph by David Roberts
Located in Alamo, CA
"One of Two Colossal Statues of Rameses II. Entrance to the Temple at Luxor" is a framed 19th century hand-colored lithograph by David Roberts from volume I of his monumental 6 volum...
Lithograph
$1,968Sale Price|20% Off
Nude. Abstract realism, Horizontal, Pastel colours, Beige, Nudes across mediums
Located in Oslo, NO
The subject of the painting is just awakened young woman, resting in a bad and enjoying first morning sunlight. The relaxed posture and soft colors express a calm mood, the freshnes...
Canvas, Oil
$680Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary Seascape Oil Painting Sunrise Series by Michael Budden People Jetty
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Sunrise Study Image is 6 x 8 unframed, and 11.75 x 13.75 framed. Signed LR Sunrise Study is a study oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that s...
Oil
$3,200
Ginny Williams, Bird Still Life Painting, Books, Contemporary Oil Painting
Located in Atlanta, GA
Once Upon A Time by Ginny Williams is an intimate contemporary still life that celebrates storytelling, nature and the beauty of collected objects. A small bird perches atop a stack ...
Oil, Board
Quiet day
Located in Zofingen, AG
A poised still life rendered in luminous oil, where light glides across a draped table, revealing the tender gleam of porcelain and the play of silken folds. Two white jugs, a cup a...
Canvas, Oil
Hyperreal Light Blue Glass Balloon Sculpture
Located in East Quogue, NY
Light blue hyperreal glass water balloon sculpture by Dylan Martinez. These hyperrealistic water balloons are made of solid sculpted glass sandblasted and acid-etched to resemble r...
Glass, Blown Glass
Cavalier King Charles at Rest- Otto Eerelman (Dutch, 1839-1926)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Cavalier King Charles at Rest Otto Eerelman (Dutch, 1839-1926) Watercolor on paper 10 1/2 x 8 (18 x 15 1/2 frame) inches Signed lower right. Gallery label on the reverse "Frans Heerk...
Watercolor, Paper
$420
Mediterranean Blue Sea Waves, Handmade Cyanotype Print, Calming Ripples, Limited
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. "Mediterranean Blue Sea Waves" is a handmade cyanotype print of the subtle tidal flow moving in on the Mediterranean Sea. ...
Emulsion, Watercolor
19th Century Portrait of a Girl with Dog and Flowers, Signed J. Escacena
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
19th Century Portrait of a Girl with Dog and Flowers, Signed J. Escacena - Oil on Canvas - 123 x 72 cm Oil on canvas. Signed in the lower area “J. Escacena”; the identity of the art...
Canvas, Oil
Sugar kelp/oarweed and bladderwrack/sea oak; from Bilderbuch für Kinder
Located in Middletown, NY
Bertuch, Friedrich Johann Justin Sugar kelp/oarweed and bladderwrack/sea oak; Plate CCCIV (Plate 304) from Bilderbuch für Kinder Weimar: c1810. Copperplate engraving with hand-colo...
Engraving, Lithograph
Sports Car Couple, Estate Edition photograph, midcentury 1950s London
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1955: John Bryant with his AC sports car in Kinnerton Place, London SW1. His passenger is Margaret McAulay. Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide. Undercurrent P...
Lambda
"Late Afternoon Taos Pueblo, " Southwestern Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Late Afternoon Taos Pueblo" by Lorenzo Chavez (US based) is a handmade oil painting that depicts a rural road around the old Taos Pueblo. “Late Afternoon Taos Pueblo” I love explo...
Oil
Hyperreal Bright Yellow Glass Balloon Sculpture
Located in East Quogue, NY
Hyperreal bright yellow glass water balloon sculpture by Dylan Martinez. Dylan Martinez’s hyperrealistic water balloons are made of solid sculpted glass sandblasted and acid-etche...
Glass, Blown Glass
$85,000
Richard Firth, "Endeavour and Rainbow 1934", 30x50 Maritime Yacht Oil on Canvas
By Richard Firth
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
Richard Firth captures the exhilaration and elegance of classic yacht racing in this expansive marine scene. Two majestic sailing yachts dominate the composition, their towering sail...
Canvas, Oil
19th-century Antique Genovese Sailor portrait painting
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Portrait of a Genovese Sailor, ca. 1890. Watercolor on cardboard measuring 4 x 5.5 inches; 9 x 11 inches framed.
Watercolor
$1,200
Impressionistic Seascape Painting Michael Budden Beach Day People Boats Birds
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Beach Day III oil/panel image 8 x 10 unframed, 14.5 x 16.5 framed signed LL Beach Day III is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showca...
Oil
Venice Seascape Oil Painting Market Scene by Michael Budden Venetian Yellow
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Venetian Yellow, Venice oil/panel 6 x 8 unframed 9.75 x 11.75 framed signed LL Venetian Yellow is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that sh...
Oil
$640Sale Price|20% Off
“Flowers in a Vase and Peach” - Oil on Canvas - 87x63 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Artwork sold with frame (76.5 x 100 x 5 cm)
Canvas, Oil
Antique Oil Portrait Young Woman European Lady Gilt Frame 19th Century
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This charming antique oil on board depicts an elegant young woman dressed in a flowing pastel gown and wide-brimmed floral hat, rendered in a soft, romantic style reminiscent of the ...
Oil
Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc, France, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late-1960s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features people waterskiing from the Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes, France. This is an estate-stamped...
Lambda
$1,652Sale Price|50% Off
Peaceful Misty Riverside in the English Countryside with Cows & Tree Reflections
Located in Preston, GB
Peaceful Misty Riverside in the English Countryside with Cows & Tree Reflections by 20th Century British Artist. Unique Vintage Original, Oil on Canvas, Signed. Art measures 30...
Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
SCARCE EARLY OROZCO - CABEZA DE MUJER -
Located in Santa Monica, CA
JOSE CLEMENTE OROZCO (1883 – 1949) CABEZA DE MUJER, ( Woman's Head: Mexican Woman) 1929 (Orozco 9) Lithograph, signed and numbered 23/50. in pencil. Pri...
Lithograph
Pegasus & Apollo
Located in Paris, FR
BALS Wim 'Pegasus & Apollo' Oil on panel. Signed. Signed certificate by the artist on the back of the painting. 50 x 25 cm. Willem Bals, known professionally as Wim Bals, is a co...
Oil
When We Stay Very Quiet
Located in Zofingen, AG
There is something almost peaceful about this room. A young woman sits in a black rocking chair, dressed in a white blouse, voluminous black wrap, striped socks and vivid red ankle b...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Lacquer
Seventies Psychedelic Flowers, Pink Lilys Bouquet, Modern Still Life, Giclée
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive limited edition color Giclée print, printed on matte photographic paper. The print measures 36 x 24 inches total, with an image size of 32 x 20 in. and a 2 inch...
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, C Print, Giclée
$942Sale Price|30% Off
Small Oil of Cottages beside a Lake in Mountains on the Antrim Coast in Ireland
Located in Preston, GB
Small Oil of Cottages beside a Lake in Mountains on the Antrim Coast in Ireland, by Contemporary Artist, Derek Quann Art measures 10 x 8 inches Frame measures 17.5 x 15.5 inches Th...
Canvas, Oil
$1,180Sale Price|30% Off
Children Fishing by a River with Wild Flowers & Farmhouse in English Countryside
By Les Parson
Located in Preston, GB
Children Fishing by a Riverside with Wild Flowers & Farmhouse in the English Countryside by British Artist, Les Parson Art measures 20 x 16 inches Fram...
Canvas, Oil
Cherry Pie
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Sensual acrylic painting for those who recognize no limits. She lay perfectly still, as though the painting itself had been born from silence and a warm half-dream. On her skin, whe...
Acrylic
“Manchester Terrier, 1854” George Armfield Dog Portrait in Landscape Oil 19th C.
Located in Yardley, PA
A fantastic example of George Armfield’s renowned portraits of dogs. This work depicts a Manchester Terrier excitedly standing outside a rabbit hole on the edge of a forest. The ter...
Canvas, Oil
Looking West
By Scott Yeager
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original Oil Painting signed by the Artist in the lower right corner.
Oil
Gone Fishing, Original Painting
By Dwight Smith
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A weathered wooden boathouse rests quietly above calm, gray water. A bright green bicycle leans against its side, hinting at the presence of someone who has ste...
Watercolor
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" Realist Acrylic Painting, Signed
Located in Zofingen, AG
This sophisticated narrative painting presents a contemporary allegory rooted in timeless symbolism. A woman dressed in black faces seven black cats seated formally at a long white t...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Portrait of a Couple (San Francisco 1970's Gay Castro photo)
By Fisher Ross
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Fisher Ross Portrait of a Couple, ca. 1977. Print measures 8 x 10 inches. Framed measurement: 10 x 12 inches. 2026 digital print from the original in the Fisher Ross Archive. Fr...
Photographic Paper
Spring Has Arrived. Stillife, Spring flowers, Oil on Canvas, Horizontal
Located in Oslo, NO
Spring Has Arrived (A Small Spring Bouquet) The bright orange Tulips, yellow and white Daffodils, purple Hyacinth, sky blue Puschkinia flowers, and bright yellow Forsythia branches...
Canvas, Oil
$880
Realist Skyscape Triptych in Blue Tones of Serene Cloudy Sky, Handmade Cyanotype
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This series of cyanotype triptychs showcases the beauty of nature scenes, including stunning beaches and oceans, as well as the intricate textures of water, forests, and skies. These...
Paper, Emulsion, Lithograph
$106Sale Price|20% Off
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of Small White Sheep Lying Down
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
Peacock Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
360 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2024 Style: Classic Art Title: Peacock Size: 12 x 16 inch, ...
Paper, Watercolor
"Sailing at Sunset" Realist Oil Painting on Canvas Board of Sailboat in Open Sea
Located in New York, NY
George Nemethy finds his inspiration in moments of quiet and solitude. Where he finds himself one with the sea and the sky and the tranquil world which he freely escapes to. Trained from an early age by his father Albert Nemethy, a world-renowned painter known best for his large scale steamer boats, George found and nurtured his passion for miniature sailboats...
Oil, Board, Canvas
Daffodils in a milk jug
Located in Zofingen, AG
These daffodils picked in my garden set in a milk jug. The various shades of yellow-white color and the choice of details made it possible to convey the beauty of flowers. The blue p...
Canvas, Oil
Antique European Old Master Style Flower Still Life Framed Interior Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique European still life oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Measuring: 27 by 21 inches overall, and 22 by 16 painting alone. Excellent condition, ready to hang and enjoy.
Oil, Canvas