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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21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Early 19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Wood, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Emulsion, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Photographic Paper, Lithograph, Monop...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Lithograph
2010s Realist Art
Watercolor, Paper
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Realist Art
Etching
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
1960s Realist Art
Lambda
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Realist Art
Lambda
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil, Board
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Deep within a forest on the West Coast, golden winter light bathes the scene. Despite the chilliness of the season, the magnificence of the surroundings prevail...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil
Mid-20th Century Realist Art
Lithograph
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Silk, Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Gouache
Mid-19th Century Realist Art
Tempera, Wood Panel, Egg Tempera, Wood
Mid-20th Century Realist Art
Oil
1960s Realist Art
Lambda
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Wood, Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Marble, Bronze
1870s Realist Art
Etching
2010s Realist Art
Watercolor, Paper
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Realist Art
Lambda
2010s Realist Art
Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Realist Art
Linen, Oil, Panel
1980s Realist Art
Etching
2010s Realist Art
Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Realist Art
Inkjet
2010s Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
The artwork captures the serenity of the ocean. Painted with oil paint and cold wax, the waves carry a slightly raised texture, adding to the realistic quality ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Lithograph
Artist Comments
At sunset, the sky shifts from blue to purple and pink. The sea subtly reflects the ethereal colors from above, adding glimmer to its surface. The soft clouds a...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Lithograph
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Wood, Paper, Watercolor, Cardboard
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Watercolor
Artist Comments
"This work is a representation of the unadorned beauty of nature," shares artist Jose Luis Bermudez. The clear blue sky stretches pristinely in soft hues, provi...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
1950s Realist Art
Lambda
2010s Realist Art
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Pastel
Mid-19th Century Realist Art
Oil
1980s Realist Art
Lambda
Mid-19th Century Realist Art
Paper, Chalk, Crayon, Carbon Pencil
20th Century Realist Art
Etching, Aquatint
1950s Realist Art
Lambda