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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
Through the glass
Through the glass

Through the glass

By Ihar Sviancicki

Located in Zofingen, AG

Original oil painting on canvas, still life painting made under natural light. This artwork is painted using high-quality fine linen canvas. Signed on the front and back of artwork. ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Emergence, Woman in Floral Robe, Oil on Panel with Gold and Silver Leaf
Emergence, Woman in Floral Robe, Oil on Panel with Gold and Silver Leaf

Emergence, Woman in Floral Robe, Oil on Panel with Gold and Silver Leaf

By Brian O'Neill

Located in Denver, CO

“Emergence” is a contemporary figurative oil painting from 2019, created on panel with white gold and silver leaf. The composition depicts a woman viewed from behind, her arms extended and her face turned upward. Her black floral...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Gold Leaf, Silver

"Les deux miroirs" original etching

"Les deux miroirs" original etching

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original etching. Printed in 1906 at the Alfred Porcabeuf atelier and published in Paris by Gazette des Beaux-Arts. Image size: 6 1/2 x 5 7/8 inches (165 x 149 mm). Signed in...

Category

Early 1900s Realist Art

Materials

Etching

19th Century British "On the Medway. Morning"
19th Century British "On the Medway. Morning"

19th Century British "On the Medway. Morning"

Located in San Francisco, CA

Masterfully executed 19th century British oil on canvas. This fabulous piece depicts a possible battle scene at Medway, which in the 1600s the Dutch had a huge victory against the Br...

Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Light
Light

Light

By Irina Trushkova

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Light" is a painting that pays homage to the natural beauty of apple blossom. Painted with great precision and a keen eye for detail, this work exudes a contemporary realism infuse...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Pinkie's Pizza
Pinkie's Pizza

Pinkie's Pizza

By Terry Thompson

Located in Burlingame, CA

'Pinkie's Pizza', oil on panel, 30 x 40 inches, proudly presented by Andra Norris Gallery in California. Terry Thompson looks for beauty in the often overlooked, painting in a photor...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

QUEEN MARY,  LONG BEACH,  CA -  ORIGINAL ARTIST DESIGN CONCEPT FOR PLACEMENT
QUEEN MARY,  LONG BEACH,  CA -  ORIGINAL ARTIST DESIGN CONCEPT FOR PLACEMENT

QUEEN MARY, LONG BEACH, CA - ORIGINAL ARTIST DESIGN CONCEPT FOR PLACEMENT

Located in Santa Monica, CA

QUEEN MARY, LONG BEACH, CA - ORIGINAL ARTIST DESIGN FOR THE PLACEMENT OF THE SHIP Watercolor and gouache on board, 20 x 36 inches. Signed and dated by the artist - Segroves, 1969. The original artist concept for the placement in Long Beach Harbor in 1969. Subsequently revised several times. The Queen after extensive renovation has just reopened to the public on December 14, 2022 Much larger than the Titanic, At 1,019 feet long and 81,000 tons (310 meters and 73,500 metric tons), the Queen Mary was one of the largest and most elegant ships of the early 20th century. From Wikipedia: The RMS Queen Mary is a retired British ocean liner that sailed primarily on the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard-White Star Line and built by John...

Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache

Original watercolour Victorian children's book illustration by Sowerby

Original watercolour Victorian children's book illustration by Sowerby

By John George Sowerby 1

Located in London, GB

JOHN GEORGE SOWERBY (1849-1914) Tailpiece for “A Rainy Day” Watercolour heightened with white, circular Unframed, in mount only Diameter 7 cm., 2 ¼ in. (mount size 25.5 by 20 cm., 10 by 8 in.) Reproduced: J G Sowerby & Thomas Crane, At Home, Marcus Ward & Co, 1881, p.17. The current work was reproduced in Sowerby and Crane’s 1881 children’s book...

Category

1880s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

The Seated Man – An Intimate Glimpse into Daily Life
The Seated Man – An Intimate Glimpse into Daily Life

The Seated Man – An Intimate Glimpse into Daily Life

Located in Stockholm, SE

This masterfully executed painting by Emerik Stenberg (1873–1927) captures an intimate and atmospheric moment. The composition features a seated man, engrossed in his daily chores, b...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Senses

Senses

By Karen Offutt

Located in Denver, CO

"Senses," is an original oil painting by Karen Offutt. It is unframed, but ready-to-hang.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"La Source" by Ami E. Privat - Oil on Board - 28x37 cm
"La Source" by Ami E. Privat - Oil on Board - 28x37 cm

"La Source" by Ami E. Privat - Oil on Board - 28x37 cm

Located in Geneva, CH

Artwork sold with frame (45 x 54 x 5 cm) Ami Elisée Privat (1831–1885) was a Swiss artist born in Geneva, known for his landscape paintings, watercolors, lithographs, and calligraph...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Single Feather
Single Feather

Single Feather

By Susan Manchester

Located in Burlingame, CA

From her studio in Carmel by the Sea, Manchester draws inspiration from flight and the poetry of the natural world. Her recent Conté and pastel drawings, “Singular Feather,” is portr...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Conté, Pastel, Graphite

Donut - Unique 3 foot Large Frosted  Donut with Sprinkles sculpture/sign
Donut - Unique 3 foot Large Frosted  Donut with Sprinkles sculpture/sign

Donut - Unique 3 foot Large Frosted Donut with Sprinkles sculpture/sign

Located in New York, NY

Donut with Sprinkles – Large 3-Foot Pop Art Sculpture 🍩✨ 📏 Size: 3 Feet (36 Inches) – Oversized Statement Piece 🎨 Style: Pop Art, Americana, Vintage Advertising, Retro Decor 🏗 Material: Durable, Hand-Painted This large, eye-catching donut sculpture...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Steel

Moved Out, Original Painting
Moved Out, Original Painting

Moved Out, Original Painting

By Vic Roschkov

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A ghostly white, weathered house stands in contrast against the dark, looming trees. The worn texture and faded paint of its exterior capture a sense of aband...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

Weather Prophet (Rooster)
Weather Prophet (Rooster)

Weather Prophet (Rooster)

By Mark Morrison

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Mark Morrison (1895-1964) "Weather Prophet", Rooster. ca. 1940. Carved Granite. 7.25" wide, 10.25" deep, height is 19.25" Exhibition History: Whitney Museum, 1949 Annual of Con...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Granite

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

Mexican Girl Returning from the Market
Mexican Girl Returning from the Market

Mexican Girl Returning from the Market

By Diego Rivera

Located in Saratoga Springs, NY

Diego Rivera (Mexican 1886-1957) Mexican Girl Watercolor on paper, behind glass 11 x 16 inches Signed and dated lower right, ‘Diego Rivera 1954’ Provenance: Sold as “Mexican Girl” M...

Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"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

Interiors IV: Hotel Paradise Cafe
Interiors IV: Hotel Paradise Cafe

Interiors IV: Hotel Paradise Cafe

By Peter Milton

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist: Peter Milton (American, 1930-) Title: Interiors IV: Hotel Paradise Café Year: 1987 Medium: Resist-ground etching and engraving on copper Paper: BFK Rives Image size: 23.5 x ...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Etching

"Study"
"Study"

"Study"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

A ballerina, before her performance; the scene depicts her warming up, lit from behind. The first version was sold at auction by Christie’s; this work is the second version, exhibite...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

Platypuses
Platypuses

Mark MorrisonPlatypuses, ca. 1940

$2,000Sale Price|75% Off

Platypuses

By Mark Morrison

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Mark Morrison (1895-1964) Platypuses, ca. 1940 Granite 10.25" wide, 8" deep, height is 20.5" Very heavy, dense stone. Weighs approx. 125-150 lbs. Provenance: Estate of Mrs. M...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Granite

Hyperreal Forest Green Glass Balloon Sculpture
Hyperreal Forest Green Glass Balloon Sculpture

Hyperreal Forest Green Glass Balloon Sculpture

By Dylan Martinez

Located in East Quogue, NY

Dark forest green glass water balloon sculpture by Dylan Martinez. 100% hot sculpted glass. Dylan Martinez’s hyperrealistic water balloons are made of solid sculpted glass sandblas...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Glass, Blown Glass

WESTERN PEAKS
WESTERN PEAKS

WESTERN PEAKS

By Harold Lukens Doolittle

Located in Santa Monica, CA

HAROLD LUKENS DOOLITTLE (1873 - 1974) WESTERN PEAKS c. 1945 Aquatint signed and titled in pencil. 6 3/4 x 8 7/8 sheet 9 5/8 x 12 3/4. Good condition save for just a hint of darkening within the window and small bits if tape on the sheet edge verso. Doolittle was a renaissance man. His day job was as an engineer for the Edison Electric Co. But he produced an outstanding body of prints for 5 decades as well as photographs. His very rare arts and crafts furniture is highly sought after. He was a long time member and officer in the California Print...

Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Aquatint

Window Full Of Flowers Still Life
Window Full Of Flowers Still Life

Window Full Of Flowers Still Life

By Zbigniew Kopania

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

Window Full Of Flowers 2021 Still Life oil on canvas, artist signed lower right canvas 23.5x31.5. Zbigniew Kopania, artist painter, cinematographer, born December 21, 1949, in Łódź Poland. Kopania style of paintings characterized by very high realism, some of them deserve to be called hyperrealism. He often uses thick impasto of paint and numerous glazes that contribute to the final effect of the created works. In his paintings, you can almost always see great color saturation, high contrast, and meticulously refined details. College degree in Cinematography Department of the State Higher School of Film, Television, and Theater in Łódź 1969-74. An operator of feature, documentary, and television films in Poland and abroad 1974-80...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cadzow Forest Scotland - British mid 19thC art Scottish landscape oil painting
Cadzow Forest Scotland - British mid 19thC art Scottish landscape oil painting

Cadzow Forest Scotland - British mid 19thC art Scottish landscape oil painting

By Samuel Bough

Located in Hagley, England

This lovely British Victorian landscape oil painting is by noted artist Sam Bough. It was painted in 1855 after Bough had moved to Hamilton Lanarkshire in Scotland to focus on painting landscapes alongside fellow artist Alexander Frazer. The location is the ancient forest of Cadzow in Lanarkshire which they both favoured. The landscape is of a rough path through ancient oaks heading towards more dense forest with white cattle grazing to the right. A superb balanced composition and an excellent example of Bough's skill in landscape painting. Signed lower left and dated 1855. Provenance. Christie's stencil verso 519GG. James Bourlet & Sons label verso. Condition. Oil on canvas, 28 inches by 18 inches unframed and in good condition. Frame. Housed in an ornate gilt Victorian frame, 35 inches by 25 inches framed and in good condition. Samuel Bough RSA (1822–1878) was an English-born landscape painter who spent much of his career working in Scotland. He was born the third of five children in Abbey Street, Carlisle in northern England, the son of James Bough (1794-1845), a shoemaker, and Lucy Walker, a cook. He was raised in relative poverty, but with a keen encouragement in the arts. He was self-taught but mixed with local artists such as Richard Harrington and George Sheffield, and was strongly influenced by the work of Turner. After an unsuccessful attempt to live as an artist in Carlisle he obtained a job and as a theatre scenery painter in Manchester in 1845, later also working in Glasgow in the same role. Encouraged by Daniel Macnee to take up landscape painting he moved to Hamilton from 1851-4 and worked there with Alexander Fraser. In 1854 he moved to Port Glasgow to work on his technique of painting ships and harbours. His paintings were noted for their sensitivity to atmosphere and light, were often of cloudy shorelines and busy harbours. He also began supplementing his income by illustrating books, before moving to Edinburgh in 1855. On coming to Edinburgh he lived in a terraced house at 5 Malta Terrace in the Stockbridge area of the city. Following Turner's example, he became a skil ful painter of seaports. He was buried in Dean Cemetery Edinburgh on 23 November 1878. The grave bears a bronze medallion of his head by William Brodie...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Signed Italian Oil Painting Realist Flowers in Pewter Vase, Peonies
Signed Italian Oil Painting Realist Flowers in Pewter Vase, Peonies

Signed Italian Oil Painting Realist Flowers in Pewter Vase, Peonies

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Artist/ School: Italian School, signed lower left, 20th century Title: Flowers in a Pewter Vase Medium: oil painting on board , framed Size: framed: 15.5 x 13.5 inches painting: ...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Luminous Night, Original Painting
Luminous Night, Original Painting

Luminous Night, Original Painting

By Renee Noel

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This panoramic scene captures the beauty of clouds drifting above the city at night. Backlit by moonlight, the clouds glow against the darkness, luminous agains...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

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.