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Realist Art

15,220 Results
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
Ty Nain Grandma’s House Painting, Oil on Canvas, Signed, Framed
Ty Nain Grandma’s House Painting, Oil on Canvas, Signed, Framed

Ty Nain Grandma’s House Painting, Oil on Canvas, Signed, Framed

By Elin Sian Blake

Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset

Elin Siân Blake. Welsh ( b.1981). Ty Nain (Grandma’s House). Oil On Artist’s Canvas Board. Signed Lower Left. Image size 19.5 inches x 15.6 inches ( 49.5cm x 39.5cm ). Frame size 22.8 inches x 18.9 inches ( 58cm x 48cm ). Available for sale; this original painting is by the contemporary Welsh artist Elin Sian Blake. The painting is presented and supplied in a sympathetic frame (which is shown in these photographs) and is supplied ready to hang and display. The painting is signed lower left. Elin Siân Blake is a contemporary Brecon-based artist, originally from the South Wales valleys, whose work delves deeply into the rich tapestry of Welsh heritage. Through various mediums, she creates poignant reflections of societal and cultural issues that have shaped the Welsh identity. Born in 1981, Elin Siân Blake began producing commissioned artwork from an early age, focussing on the traditional Welsh ponies and landscapes of her childhood. She was particularly inspired by the agricultural and equestrian events she attended. As a teenager she spent all her spare money on art supplies. Blake graduated from the University of Glamorgan in 2002 with a degree in graphic design and illustration, but quickly realised that she wanted to create conventional paintings, rather than producing digital images. She then spent several years living on the road in vintage vehicles, painting the scenes and characters she encountered on her travels. Blake taught herself oil painting using library...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

A noble bulldog

A noble bulldog

Located in London, GB

Walter Herbert Wheeler (British, 1868-1960) A noble bulldog signed ‘WH Wheeler (lower right) oil on board 7 ¾ x 7 ¼ in. (19.7 x 18.3 cm.) with frame 10 x 9 ¾ in. (25.4 x 24.8 cm.) ...

Category

Early 1900s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Rain in the City

Dean LarsonRain in the City, 2024

$12,160Sale Price|20% Off

Rain in the City

By Dean Larson

Located in Fairfield, CT

"As an artist I’m constantly searching for new subject matter that in some way connects and calls out to be painted. In particular the relationships between light and shadow, and th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nautical New England Realist Painting
Nautical New England Realist Painting

Nautical New England Realist Painting

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Beautiful seaside boathouse painting by Franklin Shores (1942-2020). Watercolor on rag paper measuring 22 x 29 inches. Signed lower right. Excellent condition. Provenance: Collec...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

Quadtych of Pocket Selection: 2 Tulips, Strawberry and Bumble bee, Floral Nature
Quadtych of Pocket Selection: 2 Tulips, Strawberry and Bumble bee, Floral Nature

Quadtych of Pocket Selection: 2 Tulips, Strawberry and Bumble bee, Floral Nature

By Dani Humberstone

Located in Deddington, GB

A quadtych of 4 original paintings all created in 2024 by Dani Humberstone. When placed directly beside one another in square formation: 30 H x 30 W x 3 D cm (11.81 x 11.81 x 1.18 in) SIZE OF EACH INDIVIDUAL PAINTING: Image size: Height: 5cm (1.97 in) Width: 5cm (1.97 in) Complete size of unframed painting Height: 5cm (1.97 in) Width: 5cm (1.97 in) Depth: 1cm (0.39 in) Framed Size: Height: 15cm (5.91 in) Width: 15cm (5.91 in) Depth: 3cm (1.18 in) Please note that insitu images are purely an indication of how a piece may look. ____ Pocket Striped Bellona Tulip Pocket Striped Bellona Tulip is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque still life painting. The paintings are set in a black wood layered frame...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cardinal Carols
Cardinal Carols

Cardinal Carols

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

Original bronze sculpture by artist James Moore. Functional bell. Edition 10/30.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Black Pearl Trippers, Estate Edition, North Shore, Massachusetts
Black Pearl Trippers, Estate Edition, North Shore, Massachusetts

Black Pearl Trippers, Estate Edition, North Shore, Massachusetts

By Slim Aarons

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Henry B. Cabot Jr. (standing, centre) with his son Henry Bromfield Cabot III and their host Barclay (Buzzy) H Warburton III (in striped shirt) aboard the brigantine 'Black Pearl', circa 1959. They are sailing off North Shore, Boston, around Manchester and Marblehead harbors, Essex County, Massachusetts. 40 x 40 inches $3950 30 x 30 inches $3350 24 x 24 inches $3000 Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide. Undercurrent Projects is proud to offer this vibrant photograph, printed by the Slim Aarons estate. It is part of the estate's only official limited run, of 150. Estate stamp embossed on recto, hand numbered in ink on recto, with certificate of authenticity from the estate (not a secondary gallery licensing from the estate). Increasingly heralded for his influence, Slim Aarons (1916-2006) made a career out of photographing "attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places." Aarons is known for his iconic images of Hollywood glamour and luxurious people, places and lifestyles. Undercurrent Projects offers premium quality photographic prints from the Slim Aarons Archive, owned and housed by Getty Images. All photographs are printed and authorized by the Getty Images Gallery, London. Photographs are printed utilizing the original transparency held at the archive source. Aarons began his career as a combat photographer in World War II. Though he earned a Purple Heart for his service, he declared that combat had taught him that the only beach worth landing on was decorated with beautiful people enjoying themselves in the sun. Slim Aarons is noted for his documentation of the Beautiful People over 50 years, encompassing high society, celebrity, aristocracy, and the jet set. He was born and raised in New York City and New Jersey and later New Hampshire. He took up photography as a teenager. At the age of eighteen, he enlisted in the U. S. Army and was later appointed official photographer at the United States Military Academy at West Point. During World War II he served as an army combat photographer for Yank magazine in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. After the war he became a freelance photojournalist, first based in Hollywood, then Rome, then New York. His photographs appeared in many magazines, including Life, Holiday, Town & Country, Look, Venture, and Travel & Leisure. His first book A Wonderful Time (1974) is considered a classic. * We are pleased to represent the entire archive of the Slim Aarons Estate, offering the official Slim Aarons Estate Edition (only offered in this edition of 150). Please contact us for additional photographs from Slim Aarons * Slide show includes a close-up of the Slim Aarons estate's stamp. The Slim Aarons Estate has released the limited Estate edition as a Lambda print, which is a modern c-type prints. They have chosen Lambda prints for their sharpness, clarity, colour saturation and quality, compared to archival inkjet prints ("giclee"). Lambda printing gives true continuous tone Internal: Curated sales include vintage sailing photography...

Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

"A Dance in the Moonlight" - Landscape Lithobrome Photograph
"A Dance in the Moonlight" - Landscape Lithobrome Photograph

"A Dance in the Moonlight" - Landscape Lithobrome Photograph

By Sigismund Blumann

Located in Soquel, CA

"A Dance in the Moonlight" a Lithobrome photograph by Sigismund Blumann (American, 1872-1956). Signed "Sigismund Blumann" lower right. The blue color is the artist's own invention using a copper sulphate toning process. Unframed. Titled "A Dance in the Moonlight" on verso. Image size, 13.25"H x 10.5"W. Sigismund Blumann (1872–1956) was a prominent tastemaker in Californian photography during the 1920s and 1930s. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area for his entire career, he edited magazines, wrote books, and made creative photographs. From 1924 to 1933 Blumann edited Camera Craft, the leading West Coast photographic monthly. Subsequently he established his own periodical, Photo Art Monthly, which he published until 1940. In these two magazines — for over fifteen years — Blumann found a large audience of mainstream pictorial photographers. In addition, he wrote five instructional books on photography...

Category

1920s Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Antique Oil on Canvas Framed Painting: 'A Beauty holding a Rose'
Antique Oil on Canvas Framed Painting: 'A Beauty holding a Rose'

Antique Oil on Canvas Framed Painting: 'A Beauty holding a Rose'

Located in St. Albans, GB

Courteause Spanish school late 19th Century Panel Size: 22 x 14" (56 x 36cm) Framed Size: 28 x 22" (71 x 56cm) Signed, oil on panel An exceptional late 19th-century portrait of a y...

Category

1890s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

French Bath
French Bath

French Bath

By Slim Aarons

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Joyce Pallardy relaxes at the Villa Macopa, the home of Mrs Andre Hammel in St Tropez, August 1977. Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide. Undercurrent Projects i...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

C Print

When Pigs Fly (Black-triptych)-original realism wildlife sculpture-contemporary
When Pigs Fly (Black-triptych)-original realism wildlife sculpture-contemporary

When Pigs Fly (Black-triptych)-original realism wildlife sculpture-contemporary

By Henk Jan Sanderman

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Apres Ski, Squaw Valley, Estate Edition, Snowscape Photograph
Apres Ski, Squaw Valley, Estate Edition, Snowscape Photograph

Apres Ski, Squaw Valley, Estate Edition, Snowscape Photograph

By Slim Aarons

Located in Los Angeles, CA

A party of skiers adjourn for drinks at Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley), CA 1961. The festive mood is reflected in the colorful vintage skiwear, in red, yellow, blue, white and orange. In the background, snowy white and tree-topped mountains rise against a brilliant blue sky. This iconic image of casual glamour sets a tone for winter adventure. This site was the host for the 1960...

Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Justin Head Study

[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Justin Head Study

By Mark Beard

Located in New York, NY

Oil on canvas Signed in red, u.r. 9 x 8 inches, canvas size 9.5 x 8.5 inches in distressed black painted wood frame This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Side profiles, sketch by Keith Vaughan
Side profiles, sketch by Keith Vaughan

Side profiles, sketch by Keith Vaughan

By Keith Vaughan 1

Located in London, GB

Keith Vaughan Side profiles Ballpoint pen sketch 17 x 13 cm Born in 1912, Keith Vaughan was a British painter known for his modernist and semi-abstract depictions of the male fig...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Ballpoint Pen

Autumn mood. Oil on cardboard, 38 x 48, 5 cm
Autumn mood. Oil on cardboard, 38 x 48, 5 cm

Autumn mood. Oil on cardboard, 38 x 48, 5 cm

By Alfejs Bromults

Located in Riga, LV

Autumn mood. Oil on cardboard, 38x48,5 cm Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I) His first professional education was at National University at studies to R.Suta, J. Bine and G. S...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Awakening

Awakening

By Dan Chen

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

Edition #1/15 - Original bronze sculpture by Dan Chen. Signed on bronze sculpture.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Together

Together

By Dan Chen

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

Edition #9/26 - Original bronze sculpture by Dan Chen. Signed on bronze sculpture.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Emotions and Fiction, Realist Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 21st Century
Emotions and Fiction, Realist Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 21st Century

Emotions and Fiction, Realist Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 21st Century

By Ariyo Adeyemi

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide 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. Life is a sweet journey with errors, mistakes, failures, happiness, success, pains, joy, love, and the list goes on. But you are the most important person to yourself in this world if you want to be life has taught us how we expected and unexpectedly it to be but still life is life. Your emotions are ways to which you can accept or respond to a situation and as humans, we all have emotions that react differently according to the situation at hand, whether good or bad we tend to react About Artist Ariyo Adeyemi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Ballpoint Pen

Rural life. 1970s, cardboard, oil, 23.5x36.5 cm
Rural life. 1970s, cardboard, oil, 23.5x36.5 cm

Rural life. 1970s, cardboard, oil, 23.5x36.5 cm

By Alfejs Bromults

Located in Riga, LV

Rural life. 1970s, cardboard, oil, 23.5x36.5 cm Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I) His first professional education was at National University at studies to R.Suta, J. Bine an...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

'Beauty', a mischievous terrier

'Beauty', a mischievous terrier

Located in London, GB

Jean Matet (French, 1870-1936) 'Beauty' - a mischievous terrier signed and dated ‘J. Matet' (lower left) and inscribed and dated 'BEAUTY. 1898’ (lower right) oil on canvas 13 x 9 ⅞ i...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lightfoot
Lightfoot

Lightfoot

By Michelle Kondos

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

Original Oil painting signed by the Artist in the lower right corner.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Afternoon. 1959. Cardboard/oil, 19x27.5 cm
Afternoon. 1959. Cardboard/oil, 19x27.5 cm

Afternoon. 1959. Cardboard/oil, 19x27.5 cm

Located in Riga, LV

Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV – 1991.11.I) Alfej Bromults received his first professional education at Tautas University under R. Suta, J. Bīne and G. Šķilters. From 1938 he studied in...

Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Down to the Lily Pond" Landscape Oil Painting
"Down to the Lily Pond" Landscape Oil Painting

"Down to the Lily Pond" Landscape Oil Painting

By Henri Gadbois

Located in Houston, TX

Lush green landscape by Houston artist Henri Gadbois titled "Down to the Lily Pond" circa 1976. Signed lower right and verso, with title. Artist Biography: Henri Gadbois is a secon...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Hunting Dogs, Landscape by 19th Century French painter, period frame
Hunting Dogs, Landscape by 19th Century French painter, period frame

Hunting Dogs, Landscape by 19th Century French painter, period frame

Located in Doylestown, PA

"Hunting Dogs" is a 26 x 21.5 inches, oil on canvas landscape of two dogs on the trail by the river. The canvas is signed "G Boucher" in the lower left. G. Boucher is a listed artis...

Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Red Goddess, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Red Goddess, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Red Goddess, Painting, Oil on Canvas

By Jo Beer

Located in Yardley, PA

Portrait of Florence Welch. I love Florence's bohemian style, and thought that a William Morris design would provide a suitable background ( his design here is Pink & Rose 1890...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

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.