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.
Mittersill Castle, Austria, Estate Edition, Midcentury Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1950s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a glider resting on the ground by Mittersill Castle, Austria. This is an estate stamped ...
Lambda
"Love Being Hitched" (2019) By Lindsey Bittner Graham, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Love Being Hitched" (2019) by Lindsey Bittner Graham is an original handmade oil painting that depicts a horse drawn carriage in a snowy landscape. This Painting measures at 30.5 x ...
Oil, Board
Hyperreal Dark Purple Glass Balloon Sculpture with Droplets
Located in East Quogue, NY
Dark purple hyperreal glass water balloon sculpture with glass droplets by Dylan Martinez. Dylan Martinez’s hyperrealistic water balloons are made of solid sculpted glass sandblas...
Glass, Blown Glass
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...
Canvas, Oil
$7,505
Thistle, on pure gold foreground oil painting mediterranean iconic flower
Located in Milan, IT
Interpreting reality with skill and expertise is Margherita Leoni's principal value. She has been studying botany for decades and has an incredible hand that allows her to make water...
Tempera
Fragmented Presence
Located in Zofingen, AG
This visually arresting piece explores identity through a minimalist lens, blending stark realism with geometric abstraction. A figure in black—poised, introspective, and shielded be...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
20th century lithograph black and white landscape print trees lake signed
By Adolf Dehn
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Peaceful Cove - New England" is an original lithograph by Adolf Dehn. The artist signed the piece lower right. It depicts an aerial view of New England. 9 1/2" x 13" image 11" x 15" paper 17" x 20 5/8" frame Adolf Dehn was born in Minnesota, November 22, 1895 and he died in New York City, May 19 1968. He was one of the most notable lithographers of the 20th century. Throughout his artistic career, Dehn participated in and helped define some important movements in American art, including Regionalism, Social Realism, and caricature. He was known for both his technical skills and his high-spirited, droll depictions of human foibles. Biography Dehn was born in 1895 in Waterville, Minnesota. Dehn began creating artwork at the age of six and by the time of his death had created nearly 650 images. After high school he went to the Minneapolis School of Art, known today as the (Minneapolis College of Art and Design) where he met Wanda Gág...
Lithograph
Very Rare 19 Cent. American School Floral Painting, Lucinda Church, Pennsylvania
Located in Baltimore, MD
This is a rare example of mid 19th century painting by a budding Pennsylvania artist associated with a local school. The work is a floral still life by listed artist Lucinda Carver ...
Oil
$1,403
Benita
By R.C. Gorman
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Benita" first state, 1981 Is an original lithograph on Wove paper by renown Navajo artist Rudolph Carl Gorman, 1932-2005. It is signed, dated and numbered 122/180 in pencil by the artist. With the blind stamp of the artist and printer. The image size is 22 x 30 inches, the sheet size is 24 x 31.75 inches. It is in excellent condition, has never been framed, the colors are fresh bright. About the artist: Born in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona and raised in a hogan on the Navajo Reservation, R.C. Gorman became one of the Southwest's best known late 20th-century artists. His signature works were Navajo women in a variety of poses. Many persons have been fascinated by the fact that he, an Indian artist, became famous in the white man's world with some calling him the "Picasso of Indian artists". Of this kind of attention, he said: "I wish people would quit pushing my being Indian. The only time I was interviewed as If I were a normal person was by the Jewish Press in Tucson. It was the first time I felt international and almost white". (Samuels 222) His parents were Carl Nelson...
Lithograph
Lost to Time, Original Painting
By Art Clark
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A weathered yellow cottage with a red roof stands alone on the prairie, surrounded by wildflowers and a rustic fence. Dark clouds gather overhead, adding a se...
Acrylic
Bad Gastein Church, Austria
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Bad Gastein Church, Austria Soft ground etching & aquatint, c. 1930 Signed in pencil by the artist (see photo) Image: 18 1/2 x 13 3/4" Condition: Very good...
Etching
"Autumn has come"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Autumn has arrived Oleksandr Khrapachov invites the viewer to an intimate encounter with nature in its most poetic attire. Created in 2015 during a plein air session, this work was ...
Oil
Sunset in the Scottish Highlands, Moody Landscape
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
British, 19th Century Signed: L. Clipston (Lower, Right) " Sunset in the Scottish Highlands ", circa 1880s Oil on Canvas Laid on Board 10 1/2" x 22 1/2" Housed in a 3" Period O...
Canvas, Oil
Great Tit, Bird, Watercolor artwork Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
33 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Year: 2022 Style: Realism, Title: Great Tit...
Paper, Watercolor
$2,900
"Japanese Teapot with Gold Trim and Blue and White Flowers" Elegant still life
Located in Wellesley, MA
Olga Antonova’s subject is compositions of extraordinarily elegant and beautiful cups, plates, teapots, and dishes but there is often something whimsical about these paintings that s...
Oil
Chickadee, Watercolor Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
206 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2023 Style: Classic Art Title: Chickadee Size: 12 x 16 inch...
Paper, Watercolor
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...
Oil
Dining Al Fresco On Capri, Italy, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian artist and actress Domiziana Giordano, Italian author Francesca Sanvitale (1928 - 2011), Dino Trappetti and Umberto Terrelli dining al fresco ...
Lambda
Commerce along the Pearl River
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Exhibited China's Crown Jewel; Recent Paintings by American Artists, American Legacy Fine Arts, June 21 – July 28, 2019 ...
Oil, Panel
$777Sale Price|20% Off
Danube Oil Painting on Linen Canvas, Realist Style, Signed, Framed
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Danube, 1855-1878 by Louis Letouche (French 1924-2015) oil painting on linen canvas, stretched over board framed Framed size: 14 x 19 inches Superb oil painting by the well listed...
Oil
$9,800Sale Price|21% Off
Emergence, Woman in Floral Robe, Oil on Panel with Gold and Silver Leaf
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...
Gold Leaf, Silver
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
Home of Colonel William H. Terrill Roanoke Virginia Original Photograph
Located in Soquel, CA
Home of Colonel William H. Terrill Roanoke Virginia Original Photograph Home of the Colonel William Terrill (CSA) Roanoke Virginia, original period s...
Photographic Paper, Ink, Silver Gelatin
$600Sale Price|20% Off
Still Creek in the Forest - Silver Gelatin Print
Located in Soquel, CA
Still Creek in the Forest - Silver Gelatin Print This photo depicts a shallow creek running through the woods by san Francisco photographer Florencio E. Monteverde (Italian/American...
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Mrs. A. Watson Armour III, Illinois, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 1960s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Mrs. A. Watson Armour III walking with her poodles on her Lake Forest Estate, Illinois, USA. T...
Lambda
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...
Watercolor
Eyes That See: Realist Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Unframed
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The future that seems far away The joy that comes once the night fades away The beauties that hang within the horizon of the mind Only the eye that sees can behold that which was hidden but yet obvious. If only we could see, less shall we journey in a circle. Shipping Procedure 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 Olaniyi Timothy...
Acrylic, Canvas
Pathway to the Past, Original Painting
By Art Clark
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...
Acrylic
Remnants - Serene Oil Landscape of Rural Barns in Winter Light, 2017
Located in Denver, CO
Dave Santillanes' "Remnants" (2017) is a masterfully rendered oil painting that captures the quiet beauty of a rural landscape transitioning between seasons. Measuring 24 x 40 inches...
Oil
San Miguel
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original realist egg tempera painting by American artist Catherine Koenig created during her travels to Mexico. This work will be featured in the gallery's upcoming exhibition "D...
Board, Egg Tempera
Flowers - Etching, Handsigned
By Mily Possoz
Located in Paris, IDF
Mily POSSOZ Flowers MEDIUM : Etching SIGNATURE : Handsigned LIMITED : 35 copies PAPER : Rives vellum SIZE : 20 x 15" INFORMATIONS : Bears the blind stamp of the editor "Marcel Guio...
Etching
$2,082
The Rendezvous -original impressionism figurative oil painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Oil
Anemones
Located in Zofingen, AG
Anemones are one of my favorite flowers. A vase of the vibrant red flowers is placed in a smooth, neutral space. My intention was to keep tenderness and preciousness of flowers, a qu...
Oil
Little Beach House, Acapulco, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1970s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features people horseback riding on the beach in Acapulco, Mexico, February 1975. In the background can be se...
Lambda
$1,800
Skiing In Vail, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1960s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a group of skiers stand in line waiting for the ski lift in Vail, Colorado, USA. This is an estate ...
Lambda
$750
"Am I Excluded ? or do I Exclude Myself ?" Large colored ink and watercolor
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Am I Excluded ? or do I Exclude Myself ?" 1979, is a colored ink and watercolor on Fabriano paper by American artist Linda Carter Hol...
Watercolor
$3,900
Race Day Lunch, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early 1960s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features the Bahamas Speed Week in Nassau. This is an estate-stamped and hand-numbered edition of 150 with...
Lambda
$152Sale Price|74% Off
Little Coutance, Geneva by Georges Bastard - Engraving 36x26 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Engraving
$5,400
Nicholsons, New York, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1950s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Cafe Nicholson in New York. This is an estate-stamped and hand-numbered edition of 150 with a cert...
Lambda
Dreaming of Palm Trees, Original Painting
By John Jaster
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Artist John Jaster shares a relaxing summer scene of blue skies over a turquoise sea lapping onto a white sandy beach. Two empty red chairs await to be filled...
Acrylic
$4,200
Race Day Lunch, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early 1960s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features the Bahamas Speed Week in Nassau. This is an estate-stamped and hand-numbered edition of 150 with...
Lambda
$1,620Sale Price|20% Off
Anemones Oil Painting on Canvas, Framed, 1940s, Still Life
Located in Genève, GE
A vibrant and highly decorative floral still life signed R. Jean-Mairet, depicting a generous bouquet of anemones arranged in a sculptural ceramic vessel. Titled “Anémones” on the re...
Oil
"Light"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
"Light" — Oleksandr Khrapachov, 2025 --- There are places where time stands still. Where stone remembers prayer, and the air is steeped in millennia of human hope. St. Vladimir’s C...
Canvas, Oil
$2,978
Americano with Milk, Acrylic on Canvas, Vintage Roadside Scene, 65x100 cm
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this artwork, captured using acrylic paints, I highlighted the vintage allure and vividness of an American roadside scene. Vibrant contrasts and symbolic elements such as the oran...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
"The Partridge", 20th Century Oil on Canvas by Spanish Artist Benjamín Palencia
Located in Madrid, ES
BENJAMÍN PALENCIA Spanish, 1894 - 1980 THE PARTRIDGE signed & dated "B. Palencia, 66" (lower right) oil on canvas 25-3/4 x 21-3/8 inches (65 x 54 cm....
Canvas, Oil
Harmony by Ginny Williams Still Life Oil Paintig, White Bird
Located in Atlanta, GA
Harmony by Ginny Williams is a contemplative contemporary still life painting in oil on panel, measuring 16 x 16 inches. This original artwork features two delicate white birds perch...
Canvas, Oil
$5,137
453 Portrait-original modern realism wildlife-cow oil painting-contemporary art
By Paul Jansen
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Oil
"Baldwin Piano Factory" (2020) - Original Oil of Cityscape by Brad Davis
By Brad Davis
Located in Denver, CO
Brad Davis's "Baldwin Piano Factory" (2020) is a compelling oil on panel of a cityscape that measures 10 x 8 inches unframed.
Oil, Panel
Self Love - Bruno Surdo, Original Multimedia Figure Drawing
By Bruno Surdo
Located in Chicago, IL
Bruno Surdo Self Love, 2017 charcoal on paper 20h x 20w in 50.80h x 50.80w cm BRS026 Bruno A. Surdo b. Chicago, 1963 EXHIBITIONS 2023 New Work, Gallery VICTOR, Chicago, IL 20...
Charcoal, Conté, Gouache, Color Pencil
Early Riders, Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early-1970s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features former mayor Frank Bogert leading an early-morning ride through Andreas Canyon in Palm Springs, south...
Lambda
Buffalo, Animal, Watercolor Artwork Handmade Painting
Located in Granada Hills, CA
41 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Year: 2022 Style: Realism, Subject: Buffalo, Size: 12 x 16 inc...
Paper, Watercolor
"Light Warms the Cold" by Stephen Day, Original Colorado Landscape Painting
By Stephen Day
Located in Denver, CO
"Light Warms the Cold" by Stephen Day is an original oil painting depicting evergreen and aspen trees on a spring morning, resting across the ridge of a mountainside river stream. St...
Oil, Board
$1,250
Speeding Homeward, Seascape, Ship, Ocean, Nautical, Marine, Watercolor
Located in Wiscasset, ME
William Minshall Birchall was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but immigrated with his family to London in 1891 and received his art education there. Though details on his schooling are ...
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
Cross Up
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original realist pastel drawing by American female artist Catherine Koenig.
Archival Paper, Oil Pastel
$2,382Sale Price|37% Off
Figurative Realist Acrylic Painting, Hippie Era Scene, Spanish Art 1980s Framed
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Original 1980 figurative oil and acrylic painting by Spanish realist José Luis Fuentetaja, depicting an intimate hippie-era scene with powerful psychological presence and masterful a...
Acrylic
Roses from René’s Cafe, Hyper-Realism Oil Painting, Signed, 50x40cm
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Oil, Board
$4,200
Saint-Tropez Beach, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early-1970s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features people sunbathing on the beach at Saint-Tropez, on the French Riviera. This is an estate-stamped and...
Lambda
Sugarbush Skiing, Vermont, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 1960s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features tourists skiing at Sugarbush, a mountain resort in Vermont, April 1960. This is an estate stamped and h...
Lambda
Mid Century Horse in Winter Landscape
By William Ernest Smyth
Located in Soquel, CA
Charming mid century watercolor painting of a horse in winter with a barn in the background by Ernest Smythe (American/England 1881-1950). Signed "ERNEST SMYTHE" in lower left corner. Presented in a tan mat with a wood frame and glass. Image size: 25"H x 19.75"W As William Ernest Smyth, he was born at 13 Commercial Road, Ipswich on 9 April 1874 but was not baptised at St Michael's, Ipswich until 23 October 1885, when his birth date is given as 17 February 1874, youngest son of artist Thomas Smythe...
Watercolor, Illustration Board
$1,500Sale Price|25% Off
"Gardenia on a Blue Table, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Linda Tracey Brandon's (US based) "Gardenia on a Blue Table" is an oil painting that depicts a bouquet of blooming White Gardenias with leaves sit...
Oil, Panel
"Little Iris Icon" (2022) By Fred Wessel, Egg Tempera on Gold Leaf Painting
By Fred Wessel
Located in Denver, CO
Fred Wessel's "White Orchid" is a stunning egg tempera painting on gold leaf. Created in 2023, this piece features a blooming branch of white orchids, resting over a deep red backgro...
Gold Leaf