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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1970s Realist Art
Pastel, Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Color Pencil
1970s Realist Art
Lambda
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Board
1940s Realist Art
Oil, Board
2010s Realist Art
Linen, Oil
1860s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
In this still-life watercolor, a cup of coffee sits perfectly centered on a rustic table. The morning brew evokes a sense of routine and comfort. The rich, da...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Watercolor
1960s Realist Art
Gouache, Illustration Board
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
1980s Realist Art
Lithograph
2010s Realist Art
Panel, Oil
1880s Realist Art
Oil
1890s Realist Art
Lithograph
1930s Realist Art
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
1960s Realist Art
Lambda
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Art
Board, Acrylic
1930s Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Linen, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
18th Century Realist Art
Engraving
2010s Realist Art
Mixed Media, Board
1920s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Realist Art
Screen
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Realist Art
Lambda
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1910s Realist Art
Oil
1880s Realist Art
Gouache, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Early 2000s Realist Art
Linen, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil Crayon
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Wood Panel, Oil
1810s Realist Art
Oil
1990s Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Art
Gold Leaf
1940s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Lambda
Mid-20th Century Realist Art
Paper, Lithograph
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Tempera, Permanent Marker
2010s Realist Art
Linen, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Panel, Oil
1850s Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Tempera, Permanent Marker
19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Canvas
19th Century Realist Art
Oil