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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
Portrait of John Tattos (male nude)
Portrait of John Tattos (male nude)

Portrait of John Tattos (male nude)

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Roy Blakey (b.1930). Portrait of John Tattos, 1974. Original photographic print on paper, image measures 8.75 x 13 inches, sheet measures 12 x 16 inches. Me...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Pacific Sunset Waves, Contemporary Cyanotype on Paper, Navy Blue, Beach House
Pacific Sunset Waves, Contemporary Cyanotype on Paper, Navy Blue, Beach House

Pacific Sunset Waves, Contemporary Cyanotype on Paper, Navy Blue, Beach House

By Kind of Cyan

Located in Barcelona, ES

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. "Pacific Sunset Waves" is an original cyanotype that abstractly shows the sunset reflections on the sea. Details: + Titl...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Emulsion, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Photographic Paper, Lithograph, Monop...

Opera Arias, Original Figurative Oil Painting, One of a Kind
Opera Arias, Original Figurative Oil Painting, One of a Kind

Opera Arias, Original Figurative Oil Painting, One of a Kind

Located in Granada Hills, CA

Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2023 Style: Classic Art, Title: Opera Arias, Size: 40 x 59 x1 ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Just the Two of Us, " Framed Limited Edition Giclee Print, 36" x 48"
"Just the Two of Us, " Framed Limited Edition Giclee Print, 36" x 48"

"Just the Two of Us, " Framed Limited Edition Giclee Print, 36" x 48"

By Daniel Pollera

Located in Westport, CT

This coastal seascape limited edition print captures a scene from the porch of a beachfront property along the coast. A setting sun casts sharp light and cool blue-grey shadows across the porch, where two sets of shoes and two boat paddles...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Digital, Giclée

Beach Ocean Impressionistic Seascape Oil Painting Oxford Md Boat Michael Budden
Beach Ocean Impressionistic Seascape Oil Painting Oxford Md Boat Michael Budden

Beach Ocean Impressionistic Seascape Oil Painting Oxford Md Boat Michael Budden

By Michael Budden

Located in Chesterfield, NJ

Severn Study I 8 x 10 unframed and 14.5 x 16.5 framed. signed LR Severn Study I is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a beau...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

A play about ballet
A play about ballet

A play about ballet

Located in Zofingen, AG

I poured my passion for ballet and light into this painting, capturing a dancer's quiet moment of reflection and dedication. With oil, I brought warmth and realism to her pose and ex...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Christo - "The Gates New York Central Park" - color offset on heavy paper

Christo - "The Gates New York Central Park" - color offset on heavy paper

By Christo

Located in Winterswijk, NL

Color offset on heavy paper. Based on a photo by Wolfgang Volz 2005. A beautiful artwork that looks good in every room and especially in the living room or bedroom. Can be framed accordingly. Contact us for possibilities. Christo (Christo Wladimirow Jawaschew, born 1935 in Bulgaria, died 2020 in New York) and Jeanne-Claude (Jeanne-Claude Marie Denat, born 1935 in Casablanca, died 2009...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Offset

On the Border of Worlds
On the Border of Worlds

On the Border of Worlds

Located in Zofingen, AG

This painting is a rich, sophisticated piece that tells a universal story — a story of renewal, transformation, and the hope that lies within change. At its center, the modern “Venus...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Vintage Original Oil Painting on Canvas Still Life, Framed, Signed
Vintage Original Oil Painting on Canvas Still Life, Framed, Signed

Vintage Original Oil Painting on Canvas Still Life, Framed, Signed

Located in Palm Coast, FL

Up for sale is a vintage original oil painting on canvas depicting Still Life Composition with fruits, yellow bottle and kettle. Overall and impressive-looking medium size paintin...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Signed Antique Flower Painting, framed on canvas. Exhibited
Signed Antique Flower Painting, framed on canvas. Exhibited

Signed Antique Flower Painting, framed on canvas. Exhibited

Located in St. Albans, GB

Dominique Rozier Signed Antique Frame and Painting. Exhibited painting Canvas Size: 24 x 29" (61 x 74cm) Outside Frame Size: 34 x 39" (86 x 99cm) Dominique Rozier was a French pain...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Portrait of Man in Denim
Portrait of Man in Denim

Portrait of Man in Denim

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Victor Arimondi (1942-2001). Portrait, ca. 1975. Period print measures 9 x 12 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

Kittens at Play, Antique Animals Painting, Cats, Teddy Bear
Kittens at Play, Antique Animals Painting, Cats, Teddy Bear

Kittens at Play, Antique Animals Painting, Cats, Teddy Bear

Located in Grand Rapids, MI

Josef Heimerl (Austrian, 1867-1918) Signed: Jos. Heimerl (Lower, Right) " Kittens at Play ", circa 1900 Oil on Canvas 14 3/4" x 22 7/8" Housed in a 5 1/2" Ornamented Frame in Go...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

St, Oil Painting
St, Oil Painting

St, Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Inspired by a twilight he witnessed, artist Jose Luis Bermudez captures the setting sun on a natural landscape. Bathed in su...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Trust/Truth (Self Portrait)" Contemporary Figurative Nude Painting
"Trust/Truth (Self Portrait)" Contemporary Figurative Nude Painting

"Trust/Truth (Self Portrait)" Contemporary Figurative Nude Painting

Located in East Quogue, NY

Stunning monochromatic realistic contemporary figurative nude portrait painting by Sullivan Giles. Size 40 x 30 inches. Oil on canvas. The figures Giles depicts are often self-port...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bicycles and Mushrooms - Original handsigned lithograph
Bicycles and Mushrooms - Original handsigned lithograph

Bicycles and Mushrooms - Original handsigned lithograph

Located in Paris, IDF

Roland Cat Bicycles and Mushrooms Original lithograph Handsigned in pencil Limited /275 copies On vellum 80 x 60 cm (c. 31.49 x 23.62 in) Excellent condition

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Japan – Samurai - Hand-colored Meiji Period photograph

Japan – Samurai - Hand-colored Meiji Period photograph

Located in Middletown, NY

Yokohama, Japan: c 1890. Hand-tinted albumen print, 10 1/8 x 7 3/4 inches (258 x 198 mm), numbered B 1161 and captioned in negative at lower right; very light cockling, brightly col...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Photographic Paper

British Chalk Pencil Two Sketches of Still Cows In Field
British Chalk Pencil Two Sketches of Still Cows In Field

British Chalk Pencil Two Sketches of Still Cows In Field

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 5.5 x 7 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Ha...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

Nature's Bounty, Oil Painting
Nature's Bounty, Oil Painting

Nature's Bounty, Oil Painting

By Jo Galang

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
The vibrant colors in this piece highlight a dynamic interplay of orange and green hues, evoking freshness and vitality. It captures the essence of abundance ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Chile Sandias, Oil Painting
Chile Sandias, Oil Painting

Chile Sandias, Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Red chiles are a great source of pride in New Mexico. In this still life, artist Duane Brown depicts the peppers as the Sandia Mountains, a range east of Albuqu...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Untitled (Seated Man Facing Left)

Untitled (Seated Man Facing Left)

By Mark Beard

Located in New York, NY

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 New York City. ...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Conté

Cowards - Three Male Figures, Framed Original Oil Painting on Panel
Cowards - Three Male Figures, Framed Original Oil Painting on Panel

Cowards - Three Male Figures, Framed Original Oil Painting on Panel

Located in Chicago, IL

Three figures, bent forward with their hands over their heads, seem caught in an emotional storm. Their mirrored postures convey shame, fear, and helplessness—states central to grief...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Contemporary Dessert Painting by Michael Budden Eclairs
Contemporary Dessert Painting by Michael Budden Eclairs

Contemporary Dessert Painting by Michael Budden Eclairs

By Michael Budden

Located in Chesterfield, NJ

Eclairs Image is 6 x 8 unframed, 11.5 x 13.5 framed. Signed LR An oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a pair of eclairs. This is...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

Young Boy - Scottish art 19th Century oil painting male portrait ginger hair
Young Boy - Scottish art 19th Century oil painting male portrait ginger hair

Young Boy - Scottish art 19th Century oil painting male portrait ginger hair

Located in Hagley, England

A fine Scottish Victorian head and shoulders portrait oil painting of a sweet young boy with bright blue eyes. Pictured against a dark background, his face is beautifully illuminated...

Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Pinienhain" original etching

"Pinienhain" original etching

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original etching. Printed in 1900 and published in Leipzig, Germany for Zeitschrift für Bildende Kunst. This impression is printed on cream wove paper, and the image size is ...

Category

Early 1900s Realist Art

Materials

Etching

"Vasyl in a sheepskin coat"
"Vasyl in a sheepskin coat"

"Vasyl in a sheepskin coat"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

The portrait of a young man is painted in oil. He poses in the center of the frame, facing the viewer. He is wearing a dark blue shirt with a white collar, over which he has thrown ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Daffodils in a milk jug
Daffodils in a milk jug

Daffodils in a milk jug

Located in Zofingen, AG

These daffodils picked in my garden set in a milk jug. The various shades of yellow-white color and the choice of details made it possible to convey the beauty of flowers. The blue p...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Hercules Mourning the Death of his Cupbearer Hylas

Hercules Mourning the Death of his Cupbearer Hylas

By Mark Beard

Located in New York, NY

[Hippolyte-Alexandre Michallon (1849-1930)] Oil on canvas Signed in red, l.l. 48 x 60 inches, canvas size 54 x 66 inches in gold leaf frame 61 x 74 x 6 inches, framed This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “By his own account, the most ambitious work of Michallon’s career was a thirty-foot canvas depicting Noah’s Ark, which he exhibited in the Salon of 1875, where it went unmentioned by the critics. Preparatory work for this elaborate composition took him frequently to the Jardin des Plantes, where he made painstaking drawings and oil sketches of the animals on view. These studies were enthusiastically remarked upon by visitors to his studio, some of whom counseled him to give up history painting altogether and pursue the less dignified but presumably more lucrative career of animal painter. Following this advice, and profiting from the tremendous vogue in 1880s Europe for all things African...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Study of a Pointer Running by Léon Espinasse (French 19th/20th)
Study of a Pointer Running by Léon Espinasse (French 19th/20th)

Study of a Pointer Running by Léon Espinasse (French 19th/20th)

Located in SANTA FE, NM

"Study of a Pointer Running" Léon Espinasse (French, c. 1870 to 20th century) Watercolor on paper Signed on right 15 x 11 1/2 (28 1/4 x 23 1/2 frame) inches A stunning exercise in ...

Category

Early 1900s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Absolutely Nothing
Absolutely Nothing

Absolutely Nothing

Located in Zofingen, AG

This surreal artwork captures a stark desert crossroads under a vivid blue sky, where a vintage white convertible takes center stage. Two figures add intrigue: one stands beside the ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, 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.