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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
"Birds in Flight" - Oil Painting of Birds on Birch
"Birds in Flight" - Oil Painting of Birds on Birch

"Birds in Flight" - Oil Painting of Birds on Birch

By Terra Novak

Located in Denver, CO

Two birds take flight against an expressive background. This painting is a study of how sanded wood and vibrant paint can create the illusion of movement, capturing the energy and li...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood, Birch

Seabed with Dolphin - Original handsigned lithograph
Seabed with Dolphin - Original handsigned lithograph

Seabed with Dolphin - Original handsigned lithograph

Located in Paris, IDF

Roland Cat Seabed with Dolphin Original lithograph Handsigned in pencil Limited /275 copies On vellum 90 x 63 cm (c. 35.43 x 24.8 in) Excellent condition

Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Igoshev, V. A. – Young Reindeer Herder, Peoples of the Russian North
Igoshev, V. A. – Young Reindeer Herder, Peoples of the Russian North

Igoshev, V. A. – Young Reindeer Herder, Peoples of the Russian North

Located in Firenze, IT

Signed lower left V . Igoshev. Dated 1961 Old labels from soviet period gallery. Painted in 1961, this work belongs to Vladimir Igoshev’s celebrated cycle dedicated to the Indigenous...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Green House, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Green House, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Green House, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Located in Yardley, PA

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

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Hotel de Ville"

"Hotel de Ville"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

The watercolor painting depicts a famous Parisian landmark, the La Belle Époque carousel, located on the square in front of the Hôtel de Ville building. The painting successfully con...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"Monet flowers"
"Monet flowers"

"Monet flowers"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

In this vibrant oil on paper piece, I poured my soul into capturing the essence of a lush field, inspired by oriental art with expressionistic and impressionistic flair. Using vivid ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Oil

Portrait of a Soldier - British 19th century art  military portrait oil painting
Portrait of a Soldier - British 19th century art  military portrait oil painting

Portrait of a Soldier - British 19th century art military portrait oil painting

Located in Hagley, England

This interesting British Victorian military portrait is by artist C Marten. Painted in 1897 it is a three quarter length portrait of a soldier by a brick wall and window with bars. T...

Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

The Gates - New York Central Park

The Gates - New York Central Park

By Christo

Located in Winterswijk, NL

The artwork "The Gates - New York Central Park" by the artist Christo is extraordinary and an eye-catcher for every room Color offset on heavy paper B...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Color, Offset

"Yearling Black Bear, " Oil painting
"Yearling Black Bear, " Oil painting

"Yearling Black Bear, " Oil painting

By Susan McDonnell

Located in Denver, CO

Susan McDonnell's (U.S. based) "Yearling Black Bear" is an original, handmade watercolor and gouache painting of a young bear peeking behind a tree. The painting is 11 x 15" and with the frame it is 15.37 x 19.87". Artist bio: Susan McDonnell is a realist painter who has recently moved back to Minnesota after living in Southern California for 30 years. Her paintings are narratives inspired by her observations of wild animals in their natural habitats. Albrecht Dürer and Otto Marseus van Schrieck...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache

Antique Painting, Oil on canvas, Winter Morning in the Alps Mountains, Zugspitze
Antique Painting, Oil on canvas, Winter Morning in the Alps Mountains, Zugspitze

Antique Painting, Oil on canvas, Winter Morning in the Alps Mountains, Zugspitze

Located in Berlin, DE

OTTO PIPPEL, Painting, Oil on canvas, Winter Morning in the Wetterstein Mountains, Zugspitze (Alps) Beautiful, large painting by the internationally known artist Otto Pippel. Snow...

Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pair of Terriers, Gianni Reggio (Italian, 1898-1961)
Pair of Terriers, Gianni Reggio (Italian, 1898-1961)

Pair of Terriers, Gianni Reggio (Italian, 1898-1961)

Located in SANTA FE, NM

Pair of Terriers Gianni Reggio (Italian, 1898-1961) Circa 1930s Gouache on paper 15 x 14 inches (frame) Signed on the back. Gianni Reggio was an Italian painter and illustrator wh...

Category

1930s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Oxen by Anna Abys-Lotz - Oil on Canvas/Board - 43x30 cm
Oxen by Anna Abys-Lotz - Oil on Canvas/Board - 43x30 cm

Oxen by Anna Abys-Lotz - Oil on Canvas/Board - 43x30 cm

Located in Geneva, CH

Anna Abys-Lotz (1861–1945) was a Swiss painter born on October 10, 1861, in Basel, where she also passed away on July 4, 1945. She specialized in watercolor paintings, focusing on la...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

Girl
Girl

Girl

By Kim McCarty

Located in White Plains, NY

'Girl' 2003 by American artist, Kim McCarty. Watercolor on paper, 29.875 x 22 in. (framed). This work on paper expresses the fragile vulnerability of adolescence. By using a “wet into wet” watercolor medium the artist conveys the transitory and emergent state. The figures heads become too large for their small, narrow bodies, their hands too large for their arms. The translucent watercolor expresses both the flaws and perfection. Kim McCarty is known for her nubile and waif-like figurative watercolors in muted hues, which she likens to “blurry afterimages drifting past closed eyelids.” McCarty began working with the medium in 1993, after a fire destroyed her studio and she could no longer find a space with proper ventilation for working with oil paint and became quickly intrigued with watercolor’s transparency, immediacy, and “unforgiving qualities.” She works in a wet-on-wet technique, in which watercolor is applied to a moistened sheet of paper—a technique that allows for very little control over the final image because of the pigment’s tendency to spread. For McCarty, this style corresponds to the longing, loss, and vulnerability embodied in her subjects. A graduate of UCLA (MFA) and the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena (BFA), McCarty has had many solo exhibitions include Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York and David Klein Gallery...

Category

Early 2000s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Silent Stream, Original Painting
Silent Stream, Original Painting

Silent Stream, Original Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A soft winter hush settles over a quiet bend where a dark ribbon of water slips gently through snow-covered banks. Sparse reeds and delicate branches create a m...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

Heidelberg
Heidelberg

Heidelberg

By Luigi Kasimir

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Heidelberg" 1928 is an original color etching by Austrian artist Luigi Kasimir 1881-1962. It is hand signed in pencil at the lower center by the artist and titled, dated November 19 1928 in the plate. The plate mark (image) size is 13 x 10.25 inches, framed is 21.65 x 17.25 inches. It is custom framed in a dark wood frame, with light creme color matting and dark silver filet. It is in excellent condition. Luigi Kasimir was born in 1881 at Pettau, today Ptuj, Slovenia, then a part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. He inherited his talent from his ancestors; his grandfather was a painter and a poet, and his father an officer in the Habsburg army, who later became a professional painter. Kasimir attended the Vienna Academy of Art where he studied under Wilhelm Unger, who introduced him to the technique of the coloured etching, and also to his future wife, the artist Tanna Hoernes.[1] He died in 1962 in Grinzing, a suburb of Vienna.Kasimir was among the first to develop the technique of the coloured etching. Before this, prints were usually hand-coloured with the colour being applied in a casual, haphazard manner. Kasimir would first create a sketch usually in pastel, he then transferred the design on as many as four to six plates, printing one after the other and applying the colour on the plate, all done by hand. Kasimir is mainly famous for his etchings, but he also produced some oil painting, as well as some pastels. One of his favourite genres was the landscape, or veduta. He demonstrated a predisposition street scenes, and tourist landmarks. He depicted places from all over Europe, mainly Italy, Austria, and Germany. He also travelled to the United States to do a series of etchings of famous sights ranging from urban landmarks such as New York City skyscrapers, to natural wonders like Yosemite Valley. Luigi Kasimir’s etchings...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Etching

Cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Located in Granada Hills, CA

465 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Cat Size: 12 x 16 inch, (30...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Shielded
Shielded

Falope IbrahimShielded, 2023

$1,800Sale Price|20% Off

Shielded

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

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

Calm Waters, Original Painting
Calm Waters, Original Painting

Calm Waters, Original Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A gently flowing river reflects the soft glow of a warm summer morning, creating a sense of calm and stillness. A towering tree casts deep shadows over the wa...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

CRYSTAL SILENCE
CRYSTAL SILENCE

CRYSTAL SILENCE

Located in Zofingen, AG

shipped in roll A moment of pure stillness beneath the shimmering surface. This painting captures the meditative beauty of crystal-clear water, where light dances across smooth ston...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Flight Path II, Oil Painting
Flight Path II, Oil Painting

Flight Path II, Oil Painting

By Mandy Main

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Sweeping, layered clouds fill the sky, creating a dramatic contrast between light and shadow. Gentle waves with soft white foam at their crest roll towards the ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Untitled (Seated Man Facing Left)

Untitled (Seated Man Facing Left)

By Mark Beard

Located in New York, NY

Conté crayon on paper Signed and dated, l.r. This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Mark Beard, born in 1956 in Salt Lake City, now lives in New York City. ...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Conté

Landscape. Paper, watercolor, 42x30 cm

Landscape. Paper, watercolor, 42x30 cm

Located in Riga, LV

Landscape. Paper, watercolor, 42x30 cm Dzidra Ezergaile (1926-2013) Born in Riga. School years alternate with summer work in the countryside. In 1947...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Downtown Lookout; Los Angeles
Downtown Lookout; Los Angeles

Downtown Lookout; Los Angeles

By Michael Obermeyer

Located in Pasadena, CA

Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Artist Statement "Lookout Drive is a hidden little road below Dodger Stadium, a spot that I originally saw from the stadi...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Venice at night. Big horizontal painting, Venezia, realism

Venice at night. Big horizontal painting, Venezia, realism

Located in Oslo, NO

The painting does not depict the tourist Venice, but its very outskirts in the area of ​​the island of Saint Helena. The embankment is washed by the sea water of the lagoon, along wh...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Peacock Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Peacock Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Located in Granada Hills, CA

363 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, ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of Small Sheep Laying in the Grass
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of Small Sheep Laying in the Grass

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of Small Sheep Laying in the Grass

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...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

Honeybrook, PA Lancaster County
Honeybrook, PA Lancaster County

Honeybrook, PA Lancaster County

By David Shevlino

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Beautiful landscape by American artist, David Shevlino (b.1962). Oil on wood panel measures 14 x 15.5 inches. Signed and dated lower right. Signed, titled and dated en verso.

Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

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.