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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Early 20th Century Realist Art
Etching
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil, Panel
19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
18th Century Realist Art
Wood, Oil
19th Century Realist Art
Oil
Mid-19th Century Realist Art
Engraving
Early 1900s Realist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil, Board
1970s Realist Art
Paper, Conté
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Realist Art
Lambda
2010s Realist Art
Photographic Paper, C Print, Giclée, Archival Pigment
1850s Realist Art
Marble, Bronze
Early 2000s Realist Art
Chalk, Pastel, Cardboard, Pencil
1930s Realist Art
Linen, Oil
1970s Realist Art
Lithograph
2010s Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil, Linen
2010s Realist Art
Linen, Oil
1950s Realist Art
Lambda
1970s Realist Art
Oil, Cardboard
1980s Realist Art
Etching
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
1960s Realist Art
Lambda
Artist Comments
Artist Guigen Zha paints a realistic still life of blooming pink peonies. He places the vibrant flowers in a vase, softly lit by the night sky. "The space cut...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil, Cotton, Cotton Canvas, Gesso
1960s Realist Art
Lambda
1920s Realist Art
Etching
Late 18th Century Realist Art
Wood, Oil
1940s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Jose Luis Bermudez presents a tranquil lake bathed in a radiant golden light. "The atmosphere envelops this setting, providing a sense of stability and connection to the earth," says Jose Luis. The water reflects a magical and captivating effect as the sun sits low in the sky, just above the trees. Plants reach for the last rays, vibrant and full of life, while the atmosphere glows with deep yellow hues. Jose Luis invites the viewer to contemplate nature's fleeting beauty and appreciate the magic that can exist in a single moment. The painting arrives with a thin white floating frame.
About the Artist
Artist Jose Luis Bermudez brings to life natural sceneries with breathtaking detail. His realistic oil paintings invite the viewer into a captivating, serene world of golden sunsets and peaceful wetlands. “I offer a fragment of my existence, where you can escape from daily life, visit beautiful scenes and moments, or simply recall a fond memory,†says Jose Luis. Graduating in 2008 with a BA from the San Alejandro School of Fine Arts in Havana, Cuba, he later shared his expertise as a painting teacher at his alma mater. In 2014, he took the leap and moved to Miami, Florida, seeking better opportunities. The decision did not come easy for Jose Luis to leave his home country. Yet, he encountered career obstacles that made him feel artists lacked the resources and opportunities for broader impact, access to more information, and improved working conditions. These challenges became the catalyst for his bold decision to make the move. Today, he paints in a spacious, well-lit studio, which he keeps clean and organized, always accompanied by piano or instrumental music. When he is not painting, he loves connecting with nature. He travels outside the city to places removed from everyday life, breathing fresh air and listening to self-improvement audio books to charge him with energy and continue.
Words that describe this painting: nature, lake, sunset, sun, water, realism, oilpaint, reflection, large, warm, grass, foliage, woods, evening, nature, realism, oil painting, yellow
Golden Glow...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
1960s Realist Art
Lambda
1970s Realist Art
Lithograph, Paper
20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Realist Art
Oil, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Acrylic, Postcard
1980s Realist Art
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-19th Century Realist Art
Laid Paper, Etching
2010s Realist Art
Oil
1960s Realist Art
Lithograph
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil
Mid-20th Century Realist Art
Silk, Watercolor, Gouache, Handmade Paper, Carbon Pencil
19th Century Realist Art
Oil
1910s Realist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Realist Art
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
2010s Realist Art
Gold Leaf