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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
The Port of Newcastle Upon Tyne - British 1914 marine art oil painting
The Port of Newcastle Upon Tyne - British 1914 marine art oil painting

The Port of Newcastle Upon Tyne - British 1914 marine art oil painting

By Joseph Henry Kirsop

Located in Hagley, England

This lovely historically interesting British marine oil painting is by Newcastle artist Joseph Henry Kirsop. Painted in 1914, the location of the painting is the port of Newcastle up...

Category

1910s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Venice I
Venice I

Juan Álvarez CebriánVenice I, 2023

$1,866Sale Price|27% Off

Venice I

Located in CAMPO REAL, ES

I painted this view of the Venice canal on a foggy gray morning, playing with the chromaticism of the scene to alter the colors and create a special luminosity. I used soft tones to ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

Swanson Crush on Rooti
Swanson Crush on Rooti

Swanson Crush on Rooti

By Terry Thompson

Located in Burlingame, CA

'Swanson Crush on Rooti', oil on canvas, 40 x 60 inches, proudly presented by Andra Norris Gallery in California. Terry Thompson looks for beauty in the often overlooked, painting in...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Yellow Tower, Oil Painting
The Yellow Tower, Oil Painting

The Yellow Tower, Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
In his Reflections series, artist Andres Lopez studies the everyday moments around his home in Miami, Florida. After the rain, streets turn into mirrors, reflec...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Graffiti Break
Graffiti Break

Griselda FerrandezGraffiti Break

$950Sale Price|83% Off

Graffiti Break

Located in Atlanta, GA

This item is in excellent condition, only shown in a gallery. Griselda Ferrandez was born in the city of Barcelona, a cosmopolitan and open city. From her balcony she could contempla...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Magnolia. Original oil painting
Magnolia. Original oil painting

Magnolia. Original oil painting

Located in Zofingen, AG

These stunning magnolia placed in a transparent vase. A dark background helps to reveal delicate forms of flowers and capture the reactions of light with glass. The medium used is oi...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

El Tavern (Vacancy IV)
El Tavern (Vacancy IV)

El Tavern (Vacancy IV)

By Terry Thompson

Located in Burlingame, CA

'El Tavern (Vacancy IV)', oil on canvas, unframed and 40 x 60 inches. Terry Thompson looks for beauty in the often overlooked, painting in a photorealistic style various "Pop" cultur...

Category

Early 2000s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Antonio and Kleopatra"
"Antonio and Kleopatra"

"Antonio and Kleopatra"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Unidentified Artist – "Antonius and Kleopatra" Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions (Framed): 91 x 75 cm Dimensions (Flat): 77 x 59 cm Signature: Monogrammed “LE” lower left, indistin...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Chrysanthemums. 1954. Oil on canvas. 72x57 cm
Chrysanthemums. 1954. Oil on canvas. 72x57 cm

Chrysanthemums. 1954. Oil on canvas. 72x57 cm

Located in Riga, LV

Valnere Rita 1929 - 2015 Rita Valnere was born on September 21, 1929, was a Latvian painter and art teacher. In 1949, she graduated from the Janis Rozentals Riga Art Secondary Scho...

Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nearing Dusk, Original Painting
Nearing Dusk, Original Painting

Nearing Dusk, Original Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Dark silhouettes of bare trees create a quiet, moody landscape at dusk in the countryside. The glowing sunset illuminates the horizon. Deep tones fill a marsh b...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

Pathway to the Past, Original Painting
Pathway to the Past, Original Painting

Pathway to the Past, Original Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A rustic blue cottage, weathered by time, nestles among vibrant wildflowers. It was once the home of a widow who lost her loving h...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Conversation
Conversation

Conversation

By Aldo Luongo

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Conversation" 1988 is a color lithograph on Arches paper by noted Italian/Argentinian artist Aldo Luongo, b.1941. It is hand signed and numbered 103/275 in pencil by the artist. The image size is 20 x 25 inches, sheet size is 25 x 29 inches. It is in excellent condition. About the artist: Aldo Luongo was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, of Italian heritage. Since as far back as he can remember, Luongo had two great passions: art and soccer. Shortly after his graduation from the Academy of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires, Luongo came to the U.S. to play professional soccer for the New York Generals. After his athletic career was cut short due to an injury, he arrived in New York City with a dream to pursue his artwork full time. In the 70’s, he had his first major success with multiple reproductions of his black & white drawings. Not only were these prints released to great critical acclaim, they were a huge commercial success as well (hundreds of thousands of pieces sold within several years). Aldo had put himself on the map as a major international artist. Aldo Luongo has continued his reign at the top of the contemporary art world for almost four decades – a distinction that puts him in a class of his own. He has received numerous awards and honors, including being named a 3-time official Olympic Artist (Summer 1988, Summer 1996, and Winter 2002); an official World Cup Artist (1998); an official U.S. Women’s World Cup Artist (1999); and the 1999 Sports Artist of the Year (U.S. Sports Museum). He also has twice been chosen to paint eggs for the White House Easter Egg Hunt which now reside in the Smithsonian Institute. SELECTED PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS & COLLECTIONS 2018 Chloe Gallery Summer Art and Winemakers’ Dinner Exhibition Chloe Gallery, San Francisco, California The Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. The Museum of Science and Industry, Los Angeles, California The Juarez Museum, Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico The John F. Kennedy Museum, Boston, Massachusetts The Olympic Museum, Lausanne, Switzerland The Olympic Village Collection, Colorado Springs, Colorado The Sports Museum, Daphne, Alabama PRIZES, HONORS, & AWARDS International Olympics, “Official Olympic Artist,” (Summer 1988, Summer 1996, Winter 2002, Winter 2010) World Cup of Soccer, “Official World Cup Artist” (1998) U.S. Women's Soccer World Cup, “Official Artist” (1999) 1999 “Sports Artist of the Year,” U.S. Sports Museum White House “Easter Egg Hunt,” commissioned painting Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. FAMOUS COLLECTORS: Giada De Laurentiis Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen Matt Leinert Bob Arum Geena Davis Kevin Costner Placido Domingo Argentine President Menem Luciano Pavarotti Jose Carreras...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Pastel Drawing of Cattle in English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist
Pastel Drawing of Cattle in English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist

Pastel Drawing of Cattle in English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist

By Wendy Reeves

Located in Preston, GB

Original Pastel Drawing of Cattle in English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Wendy Reeves. Art measures 22 x 14 inches Frame measures 30 x 24 inches Wendy Reeves gar...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Oil Pastel, Pastel

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

Two freedoms
Two freedoms

Two freedoms

Located in Zofingen, AG

“From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free.” ~ Cousteau, 1960

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Rural Reflections, Original Painting
Rural Reflections, Original Painting

Rural Reflections, Original Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A barn stands at the corner of a dirt road, capturing the quiet poetry of rural life. Reflected in the still water below, the structure’s weathered textures a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

Portrait of Lady in Ermine Stole - British 19th century art female oil painting
Portrait of Lady in Ermine Stole - British 19th century art female oil painting

Portrait of Lady in Ermine Stole - British 19th century art female oil painting

Located in Hagley, England

This wonderful 19th century interior portrait oil painting is attributed to the circle of Martin Archer Shee. It is a half-length portrait of a seated lady in a black silk dress, ermine stole and superb floral bonnet. It is a super realistic depiction of different textures - fur, silk and her beautiful face and hair. She is also holding her glasses, suggesting she is an educated woman who likes to read. A really magnificent portrait. The fur of the white winter ermine or stoat, with its trademark black tail-tip can often be seen in portraits of royalty...

Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Swallow, Bird, Watercolor Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Swallow, Bird, Watercolor Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Located in Granada Hills, CA

270 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2024 Style: Classic Art Title: Swallow Size: 12 x 16 inch, ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Northwest of Heaven, Original Painting
Northwest of Heaven, Original Painting

Northwest of Heaven, Original Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Time stands still at a derelict farm nestled in a sweeping valley. A meandering stream adds movement and direction to the scene. Towering mountains rise in th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Cuauhtémoc, signed oil painting
Cuauhtémoc, signed oil painting

Cuauhtémoc, signed oil painting

By Louis Letouche

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Cuauhtémoc, 1982 by Louis Letouche (French 1924-2015) oil painting on linen canvas, stretched over board framed Framed size: 15 x 21.75 inches Superb oil painting by the well listed French marine artist Louis Letouche (1924-2015). The painting portrays the 20th Century ship titled: Cuauhtemoc, 1982. ARM Cuauhtémoc is a sail training vessel of the Mexican Navy, named for the last Mexica Hueyi Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc who was captured and executed in 1525. She is the last of four sister...

Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Expression in Odessa"
"Expression in Odessa"

"Expression in Odessa"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

The work was created during a plein air session in Odessa in 2025. # Expression in Odessa Alexander Khrapachov 2025 Canvas, oil 50×70 cm --- When Odessa dances: the night symphon...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

James Abbott McNeill Whistler: Firelight: Joseph Pennell, No.1
James Abbott McNeill Whistler: Firelight: Joseph Pennell, No.1

James Abbott McNeill Whistler: Firelight: Joseph Pennell, No.1

By James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Located in Soquel, CA

Portrait of the Artist Joseph Pennell a lithograph by James Abbott McNeill Whistler (American, 1834 - 1903). This portrait, one of 3 Whistler did of Joseph Pennell, was done in 1896 ...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Vellum, Lithograph

Portrait

Victor ArimondiPortrait, ca. 1975

$600Sale Price|25% Off

Portrait

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Victor Arimondi (1942-2001). Portrait, ca. 1975. Period print measures 11 x 14 inches. Artist studio stamp on verso. Victor Arimondi (November 8, 1942 – July 24, 2001) was an Italian American photographer and model who lived and worked in Europe before moving to the United States in the late 1970s. His early fashion photography, his portraits of Grace Jones and other artists, and his male nudes photographed in New York and San Francisco captured the pre-AIDS culture of the 1970s and early 1980s. Arimondi's nudes were collected in several books, including David Leddick's award-winning[1] The Male Nude, (New York: Taschen 1998, 2005 and 2015). The photographer's later work documented homeless individuals in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood and the toll of the AIDS epidemic on the city. His photographs, featured in several posthumous exhibitions, also are in the collections of Sweden's museum of modern art, Moderna Museet, and San Francisco's GLBT Historical Society. Biography Arimondi was born Vittorio Maria Tevitti to his unwed mother, Alessandra Calligaris, in Bologna, Italy on November 8, 1942. His mother struggled financially, which left an impression on her only child. In 1948, she temporarily left him at a children's boarding school and orphanage in Italy to move to Sweden for a job. There she met and married Bruno Arimondi, who adopted her son. The family returned to Naples, Italy in 1952 where Victor graduated from high school.[1] In 1960, Arimondi returned to Sweden to study at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, although he did not graduate. Meanwhile, he worked at several blue collar jobs, including as a mailman, before he gave up on traditional full-time work to pursue what he considered more essential— a life of creative expression. He created costume-like clothing for himself and friends and at age 19 became a fashion model. Even as a teenager, the Italian born photographer who spent his 20s and 30s primarily based in Sweden, noted that he preferred fantasy to the trials of real life.[1] That conflict, and his passion for beauty as well as his sexual energy, were major factors in his life and his work.[2] From 1965 through 1972 Arimondi worked as model in London, Milan, Germany, New York and Stockholm, appearing in catalogs and fashion magazines including Vogue , Harper's Bazaar and Esquire and on the runway in several Valentino fashion shows. In 1972 he decided to try working on the other side of the lens as a photographer to better express his creativity.[2] Arimondi moved to New York in 1979 and continued to build his photography portfolio. Portrait of Bearded Man, New York City, 1979 Two years later, in 1981, he moved to San Francisco where he lived and worked for twenty years until his death of AIDS at age 58 on July 24, 2001. The year he moved to San Francisco, Arimondi opened a photo gallery in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood for a short time. When he struggled financially, he gave up on trying to earn a living through commercial fashion photography and closed the gallery.[3] Arimondi returned to modeling for the financial benefits, though he did so on less of an international scale than in his early years. He continued to create photographic portraits of the denizens of the San Francisco gay and arts cultures, to shoot male nudes and publish his work in magazines, and he began to compose and photograph evocative still lifes using his own photographic images. Many of them touched on the death of dozens of his former photography models from AIDS. Arimondi was in the midst of a new photography project that brought together his background as a fashion photographer and his more recent social documentary work when he died several months after he learned he was HIV-positive.[4] The project featured his former colleague, haute couture cover model Ivy Nicholson,[5] who he found living homeless in San Francisco. Several of the haunting portraits he took of her were later included in a noted group exhibit at SF Camerawork. Art Arimondi's early photography in the 1970s in Stockholm included portraits of the stars of Sweden's fashion, theater and dance worlds. His first two photography exhibits were in Stockholm and met with mixed reviews. But as he matured as a photographer and tapped into his fashion world contacts, Arimondi landed a number of commercial fashion jobs, including shooting for the Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A.'s I.Magnin department store ad that ran in Vogue. Marlboro Man Nude, New York City,1980. He also shot other artists and models for his own portfolio, including Grace Jones, the Norwegian actress, Liv Ullmann, and the American writer, Norman Mailer. Arimondi's aesthetic vision was focused on fantasy and drama, and he prided himself on pushing limits.[6] Although less well-known than his San Francisco contemporary...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Untitled (Man Reclining on Tile Floor)
Untitled (Man Reclining on Tile Floor)

Untitled (Man Reclining on Tile Floor)

By Mark Beard

Located in New York, NY

Graphite and 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 Ne...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Graphite, Conté

Horse
Horse

Horse

By Aga Ousseinov

Located in Long Island City, NY

This bronze sculpture, from 1996, is a powerful rendering of a horse rearing. It is not uncommon to see stallions rearing; it is a tactic that can be used to dislodge a predator, to...

Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

"Guerra's Peonies" Oil Painting
"Guerra's Peonies" Oil Painting

"Guerra's Peonies" Oil Painting

By Robin Cole

Located in Denver, CO

Robin Cole's (Us based) "Guerra's Peonies" is a plein air oil painting that depicts colorful pink peonies. Nature and those that inhabit it—our human selves included—possess a magi...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, 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.