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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
Slumber
Slumber

Slumber

By Teresa Oaxaca

Located in Pasadena, CA

Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "ESA" on upper left corner Artist Statement “The 19th century painter Anders Zorn was a big influence for me on this work. I was looking at his 'Dance in Gopsmor Cottage' while painting, and trying to limit myself to brushes no small than an 8. I am quite satisfied with the light effect I achieved. As you can see I really boosted up the highlight on those stockings! It was a case where the sun had streamed in through an east light window (unwelcome at the time), rendering the model's legs impossibly bright. I've used a very thick impasto and even some cadmium lemon to try and convey the impression of light I was seeing. While executing this painting it occurred to me that this was the kind of unusual lighting...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Golf Bug
Golf Bug

Golf Bug

By Andrea Wilkinson

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

Original bronze sculpture by Andrea Wilkinson. Edition #6/30. Signed on bronze sculpture

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

"Spring Aspen, " Oil Painting
"Spring Aspen, " Oil Painting

"Spring Aspen, " Oil Painting

By Stephen Day

Located in Denver, CO

Stephen Day's (US based) "Spring Aspen" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a forest of Pine and Aspen trees coming to life with new green buds of leaves and the thicket of the forest floor beginning to grow. Stephen Day was born in Sheridan, Wyoming, and, while growing up he lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Aspen Colorado, and Durango, Colorado. He always felt the wonderfully unique beauty of the west but until he became an artist he really didn't know how to fully respond to that beauty. Day is now a full-time artist living in Taos, New Mexico. Working mainly in oil he paints various subjects from life but the landscape is his first love. He says of his working philosophy, "I paint almost exclusively from life trying to capture the feeling and the mood of the subject before me. This work philosophy forces me to paint quickly to get a spontaneous and fresh response, because everything around us (including ourselves) is in a constant state of change." Day frequently paints on location and uses these smaller paintings to create larger studio paintings. Artist's Background: 1976 - Bachelor of Arts Degree, McMurry College, Abilene, Texas 1980 - Master's Degree, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas Studied at the Art Students League of Denver with Bruce Cody...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Mountain Goat
Mountain Goat

Mark MorrisonMountain Goat, ca. 1950

$1,950Sale Price|35% Off

Mountain Goat

By Mark Morrison

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Mark Morrison (1895-1964) Mountain Goat, ca. 1950. Carved granite. 6.25" long, 3.25" wide, height is 6.25" Born: Kingfisher, OK Education: University of Missouri John Flannag...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Granite

Sonoma Coast
Sonoma Coast

Sonoma Coast

By Willard Dixon

Located in Burlingame, CA

Warm sand and blue surf featured in this California coastline scene with distant rolling hills. 'Sonoma Coast', oil painting on canvas by Willard Dixon, who is one of the finest American contemporary realist painters today. Dixon has painted coastal landscapes for 35 years, capturing the undeniable beauty of the West with its grand and humble spirit. The same sensitivity can be found in his urban street scenes that offer viewers a resting place to contemplate our rapidly changing world, and his portraiture, which largely focuses on his artist friends and illustrious colleagues. Willard Dixon’s work can be found in numerous distinctive private and public collections, as well as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Oakland Museum of California. Dixon's work is collected worldwide. 'Sonoma Coast' is 36 x 56 inches. Oil on canvas. It is traditionally framed in thin, minimal natural oak with an outer dimension of 37 x 57 inches. Artist signed and dated. Condition is excellent / as new. Painted in late 2020. From Andra Norris Gallery in California. Born: Kansas City MO, 1942 Education: Art Students League, New York, NY Cornell University Brooklyn Museum School San Francisco Art Institute, M.F.A. 1969 Awards and Commissions N.E.A. Fellowship Grant- 1989 California Supreme Court Mural Commission- 1998 Las Vegas Federal Courthouse Commission, G.S.A.-1998 Teaching 1989-90: San Francisco State University 1975: San Francisco Art Institute Realism Seminar 1974-76: Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA 1973-74, 1976: California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA 1971-72: California State University, Hayward, CA One Man Exhibitions 2015: Willard Dixon Portraits College of Marin Fine Art Gallery, Kentfield 2014: SFMOMA Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA. 2008: SFMOMA Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA. 2005: Fischbach Gallery, NYC,NY 2005: Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2004: Fischbach Gallery, NYC, NY. 2002: Earl McGrath Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2002: Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, CA 2001: Hackett Freedman Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2000: Fischbach Gallery, NYC , NY 2000: Hearst Art Gallery, St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA 1998: Hackett Freedman Gallery, SF, CA 1997: Tatistcheff/Rogers Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1996, 1995: Contemporary Realist Gallery (now Hackett Freedman Gallery) 1994: Fischbach Gallery 1993: Contemporary Realist Gallery 1992: Fischbach Gallery 1991: Earl McGrath Gallery, 454 North, Los Angeles, CA 1990: Fischbach Gallery 1989: William Sawyer Gallery, San Francisco, CA 1988: Gallery 454 North, Los Angeles, CA 1987: Fischbach Gallery 1987: Gallery 454 North 1986: William Sawyer Gallery 1985: Fischbach Gallery 1984: Harris Gallery, Houston, Tx 1984: William Sawyer Gallery 1983, 1982: Fischbach Gallery 1981: William Sawyer Gallery 1980,1979: Tortue Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1976, 1975: William Sawyer Gallery 1973, 1972: William Sawyer Gallery Selected Group Exhibitions 2017: SHIFT / with Elizabeth Barlow, Kim Frohsin, Erin Parrish...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

CAY RUNNER Signed Lithograph, Realistic Runner Boat on Calm Water, Marine Art
CAY RUNNER Signed Lithograph, Realistic Runner Boat on Calm Water, Marine Art

CAY RUNNER Signed Lithograph, Realistic Runner Boat on Calm Water, Marine Art

By John Lutes

Located in Union City, NJ

Artist - John Lutes (1926-2001) Title - Cay Runner Medium - Lithograph Year Published - 1980 Print Size - 29 x 22 in. Printer - J K Fine Art Editions Co., NY Cay Runner is an original hand drawn, limited edition lithograph, (not a photographically reproduced or digital print) by the American artist John D. Lutes created using traditional hand lithography techniques, proofed and printed in multiple colors on archival Arches paper 100% acid free. Cay Runner depicts a very detailed realistic rendition of a runner boat in still water, a solid light khaki grey sky serving as the backdrop for this quiet marine boat portrait. This is a rare limited edition lithograph by Mr. Lutes not often seen on the marketplace. Cay Runner is in excellent condition, unframed, pencil signed by John Lutes. Print size - 30 x 22 inches, unframed, excellent condition, hand signed in pencil by John Lutes Edition size - 300, plus proofs Year published - 1980 Printer - J K Fine Art Editions Co. NY John D. Lutes, born 1926 in Chicago, died 2001...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Satyrs and Nymphs in a Landscape"
"Satyrs and Nymphs in a Landscape"

"Satyrs and Nymphs in a Landscape"

By Daniel Vertangen

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Attributed to Daniel Vertangen (1601–1683) – "Satyrs and Nymphs in a Landscape" Artist: Attributed to Daniel Vertangen (1601–1683) Title: "Satyrs and Nymphs in a Landscape" Medium:...

Category

17th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Echo of the Black Cat
Echo of the Black Cat

Echo of the Black Cat

By Nataliya Bagatskaya

Located in Zofingen, AG

This striking, contemporary painting invites the viewer into a space of quiet mystery and irony. A young woman with auburn hair, dressed in a dark, structured dress, stands confide...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Japan – A geisha playing the gekkin - Hand-colored Meiji Period photograph
Japan – A geisha playing the gekkin - Hand-colored Meiji Period photograph

Japan – A geisha playing the gekkin - Hand-colored Meiji Period photograph

Located in Middletown, NY

Yokohama, Japan: c 1880's. Hand-tinted albumen print, 10 1/8 x 8 inches (258 x 203 mm), unmounted; pencil inscription in Japanese on verso; light cockling [Nagasaki University Libra...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Photographic Paper

Satirical French Illustration of Man and Woman
Satirical French Illustration of Man and Woman

Satirical French Illustration of Man and Woman

By Gaston Hoffmann

Located in Soquel, CA

Satirical French Illustration of Man and Woman Comical illustration by Gaston Hoffmann (French, 1883-1967) titled "un bon tien vant amieux que deux tu l'auras" in French, "one real ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Highland Lighthouse, Truro MA
Highland Lighthouse, Truro MA

Highland Lighthouse, Truro MA

By Sandor Bernath

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Sandor Bernath (1892-1984). Highland Lighthouse at Dusk, Truro MA. Watercolor on heavy wove paper, 17 x 17 inches; 18 x 18 inches framed. Excellent condition with no fading. Signed lower right. Silver leaf custom frame. Sandor Bernath was known for his stylized watercolors of sailing ships. He was a student of Edward Hopper. Born in Hungary on December 30, 1892, Bernath immigrated in his youth to the United States, and by the early 1920s had begun to establish himself within New York art circles. In January of 1922, he was given a one-man show at Mrs. Malcolm's Gallery on East 64th Street. Although little is known about Bernath's education and early training, this exhibition of nineteen watercolors included works, which suggest that by 1922, the artist had traveled and studied abroad. "Coast of Normandy" and "Shrine, Czechoslovakia" are two works the subjects of which certainly resulted from time spent in Europe. Other paintings exhibited in the 1922 show, such as "Brooklyn Bridge", "Weehawken Freight Yards" and "East River" reveal that on the whole, Bernath's earliest subjects remained those found in New York. After his show at Mrs. Malcolm's Gallery, Bernath became a member of the American Watercolor Society and later that year, showed six works at their annual exhibition. Unlike the works exhibited on East 63rd Street, the watercolors featured at the AWS show, such as "Grand Manan Coast" and "Fishing Boats", reflected a growing attraction to the subjects offered within the Maine landscape, an attraction which truly took hold in the summer of 1922. Like many of his peers, Bernath worked as a teacher and illustrator to support himself. In order to escape the tedium of these dreaded day-jobs, many retreated to the villages of Maine and Massachusetts where artists' communities such as those at Monhegan Island, Gloucester and Ogunquit had sprung from the modern artist's desire to study natural forms. By 1923, Bernath's fascination with these forms becomes apparent with the complete shift in focus of his subject matter from the sights and scenes of his urban surroundings to the land and seascapes of New...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Portrait of a Young Boy Seen from Behind
Portrait of a Young Boy Seen from Behind

Portrait of a Young Boy Seen from Behind

By Emma Ekwall

Located in Stockholm, SE

This intimate oil painting presents a young boy viewed from a three-quarter rear angle, caught in a quiet, reflective moment. The child’s back is turned gently toward the viewer, ren...

Category

1890s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

"View of Samarkand"
"View of Samarkand"

"View of Samarkand"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Unidentified Artist, 20th Century – "View of Samarkand" Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 106 x 73 cm (unframed), 130 x 92 cm (framed) Signature: Lower left corner (illegible) Pro...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Arch Of Septimius, Rome" Large etching and aquatint.
"Arch Of Septimius, Rome" Large etching and aquatint.

"Arch Of Septimius, Rome" Large etching and aquatint.

By Luigi Kasimir

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Arch of Septimius, Rome" 1923, is a color etching and aquatint on wove paper by noted Austrian artist Luigi Kasimir, 1881-1962. It is hand signed in pencil by t...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Robert Kenneth White "Peaceful Reflection II" Signed 2017 Oil of Villa Garden
Robert Kenneth White "Peaceful Reflection II" Signed 2017 Oil of Villa Garden

Robert Kenneth White "Peaceful Reflection II" Signed 2017 Oil of Villa Garden

By Robert Kenneth White

Located in Miami, FL

ROBERT KENNETH WHITE – "PEACEFUL REFLECTION II" ⚜ Oil on canvas ⚜ Hand signed lower right ⚜ Frameless display CLASSICAL GARDEN INTERIOR WITH MEDITERRANEAN LIGHT In Peaceful Reflecti...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sheep by Mountain Waterfall in Lake District England an Original Oil on Canvas
Sheep by Mountain Waterfall in Lake District England an Original Oil on Canvas

Sheep by Mountain Waterfall in Lake District England an Original Oil on Canvas

By Peter Coulthard

Located in Preston, GB

Sheep by Mountain River Waterfall in the Lake District of England - an Original Oil on Canvas by 20th Century Modern British Artist, Peter Coulthard. Art measures 30 x 20 inches Fra...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

Early 20th Century French Military Portrait, The Brave Soldier
Early 20th Century French Military Portrait, The Brave Soldier

Early 20th Century French Military Portrait, The Brave Soldier

Located in Cotignac, FR

Early 20th Century French pastel portrait of a military officer by Marie Laforge. The painting is signed dated and dedicated bottom right. The subject's name is written but as yet un...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Pastel

Portrait of a Young Man
Portrait of a Young Man

Portrait of a Young Man

By Vito Tomasello

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Vito Tomasello. Portrait of Wayne Herman, 1971. Pasel on paper, 18 x 24 inches. Signed and dated upper left. A lifetime NYC resident, Tomasello is best known for his male nude draw...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Baboon
Baboon

Mark MorrisonBaboon, ca. 1940

$2,500Sale Price|50% Off

Baboon

By Mark Morrison

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Mark Morrison (1895-1964) Baboon, ca. 1940 Carved and weathered Walnut 12" wide, 12" deep, height is 26.5" Please note the bottom surface is not perfectly flat and the piece lean...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Walnut

The Violin Player, Berlin, German Women Artists
The Violin Player, Berlin, German Women Artists

The Violin Player, Berlin, German Women Artists

Located in Grand Rapids, MI

Elise Brennicke (German, Born 1855) Signed: Elise Brennicke 1909 (Lower, Right) " The Violin Player ", 1909 Oil on Canvas 39 3/4" x 30 7/8" Housed in a 2 5/8" Period Ornamented ...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lake landscape – Swiss School early 19th century

Lake landscape – Swiss School early 19th century

Located in Middletown, NY

Brush and brown ink and wash with graphite on cream wove paper, 6 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches (165 x 232mm). Inscribed "Fahlerant, No. 9754, Paisaje--Orillas de un lago" in ink on the verso. ...

Category

Early 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Ink, Handmade Paper, Graphite

Lin Xu Still Life Original Oil Painting "Three Pomegranates"
Lin Xu Still Life Original Oil Painting "Three Pomegranates"

Lin Xu Still Life Original Oil Painting "Three Pomegranates"

By Lin Xu

Located in New York, NY

Title: Three Pomegranates Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 12 x 16 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note: This painti...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Arch of Titus" Large colors etching.
"Arch of Titus" Large colors etching.

"Arch of Titus" Large colors etching.

By Luigi Kasimir

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Arch of Titus" created 1923 is a color etching by Austrian artist Luigi Kasimir 1881-1962. It is hand signed in pencil at the lower center by the artist's estat...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Etching

Shielded Oil Painting on Canvas, Realist Style, 21st Century, Unframed
Shielded Oil Painting on Canvas, Realist Style, 21st Century, Unframed

Shielded Oil Painting on Canvas, Realist Style, 21st Century, Unframed

By Falope Ibrahim

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Falope Ibrahim...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vienna Opera House
Vienna Opera House

Vienna Opera House

By Luigi Kasimir

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Vienna Opera House" c.1930 is a colors etching on wove paper by noted Austrian artist Luigi Kasimir, 1881-1962. It is hand signed in pencil by the artist at the...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Etching

Light show
Light show

Light show

By DARIA DUDOCHNYKOVA

Located in Zofingen, AG

There is so much about the ocean that remains unknown, undiscovered, and mysterious. Yet much of what we are taught instills fear — warnings of riptides, strong currents, towering wa...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Kenosha Colors", Plein Air Colorado Landscape by Tracy Wall
"Kenosha Colors", Plein Air Colorado Landscape by Tracy Wall

"Kenosha Colors", Plein Air Colorado Landscape by Tracy Wall

By Tracy Wall

Located in Denver, CO

Tracy Wall's (Colorado, US based) "Kenosha Colors" is an original, handmade, mixed media painting that depicts Colorado aspen trees in autumn. As an artist, Tracy Wall sheds new light on everyday life, inviting the viewer to see the familiar as if for the very first time. Working with a variety of subjects, Tracy paints interesting viewpoints with compelling value, color, and shapes. Appealing compositions are everywhere, and they make strong impressions from afar even before the subject matter is recognized. She loves to balance representational impressions with more abstracted compositions. Tracy has studied at the Art Students League of Denver under such influential artists as Michelle Torrez, Ken Velastro, Kevin Weckbach, John Lencicki, and Rob Gratiot while also participated in additional workshops from Sally Strand, Carol Marine...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Canvas

Monhegan Morning - Fog and Seagulls, Oil Painting
Monhegan Morning - Fog and Seagulls, Oil Painting

Monhegan Morning - Fog and Seagulls, Oil Painting

By Steve Boggs

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Mist lingers over the distant ocean, softening the horizon and capturing the mystic beauty of Monhegan Island in the early morning. Waves and currents weave thr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Where it all began, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Where it all began, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Where it all began, Painting, Oil on Canvas

By Gardani Art

Located in Yardley, PA

Medium: Oil on canvas Movement & Style: Contemporary Art Original Painting on canvas Size: 39 x 50 in. Condition: Excellent. Artwork: Stretched no framed, ready to han...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Seated Gentleman - British 19th century art portrait oil painting
Portrait of a Seated Gentleman - British 19th century art portrait oil painting

Portrait of a Seated Gentleman - British 19th century art portrait oil painting

By Thomas Lawrence (circle)

Located in Hagley, England

This striking British 19th century portrait oil painting is attributed to the circle of Sir Thomas Lawrence. Painted circa 1820 it is the portrait of a seated gentleman in a brown hi...

Category

Early 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Ulm on the Blau, Germany
Ulm on the Blau, Germany

Ulm on the Blau, Germany

By Josef Eidenberger

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Ulm on the Blau, Germany" c.1950 is a color etching by noted Austrian artist Josef Eidenberger, 1899-1991. It is hand signed n pencil by the artist, inscribed "T...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Etching

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.