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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
Al Pacino in the Godfather
Located in Clinton Township, MI
Signed by the artist, this painting of Al Pacino from the film The Godfather is a great conversation piece for any "man cave". It is a lithograph signed by the artist. Framing optio...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Joseph Arthur Powell - Cottage at Bedham, Early 20th Century British Watercolour
Located in London, GB
JOSEPH ARTHUR POWELL (1876-1961) A Cottage at Bedham Signed l.r.; signed and inscribed with title on a label on the reverse (beneath the mount) Waterco...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

SS Queen Of Bermuda, Bermuda, Estate Edition, Maritime Photograph
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1950s maritime photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features the British ocean liner 'SS Queen of Bermuda' in Hamilton Harbour, Bermuda. This is an es...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Multicolor Iris, Framed Photorealist Floral Screenprint by Lowell Nesbitt
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Lowell Blair Nesbitt, American (1933 - 1993) Title: Multicolor Iris Year: 1981 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 200, AP 35/40 Size: 36 x 25 in. (9...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Screen

Beth Parcell, "Winter Hunt", 9x12 Snowy Equine Fox Hunt Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This snowy scene, "Winter Hunt" is a 9x12 landscape oil painting on canvas depicting a fox hunt on a winter day. Huntsmen wearing red coats atop their horses among a snow cover fiel...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Landscape 1970, paper/watercolor., 30x42 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Landscape 1970, paper/watercolor., 30x42 cm Herberts Mangolds (1901-1978) Graphic, army officer. In 1920 he graduated from the Artillery Cadet Scho...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Pocket Gooseberry (Hairy) 2, Orig. Oil Painting, Still Life, Gooseberry, Frui
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Green Gooseberry (Hairy) 2 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 b...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Entrance to the Citadel of Cairo, Egypt: A 19th C. Lithograph by David Roberts
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "The Entrance to the Citadel of Cairo" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, pub...
Category

1840s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Sheldonian and Clarendon, Broad Street, Oxford engraving by Basire
Located in London, GB
To see our other views of Oxford and Cambridge, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send us a message if you cannot find the view you want. James Basire II (1769 - 1822) after Edward Dayes...
Category

Early 1800s Realist Art

Materials

Engraving

Italian School Bay of Naples Oil on Canvas
Located in Astoria, NY
Italian School, Bay of Naples, Oil on Canvas, early 19th century, unsigned, mahogany frame. Image: 32" H x 60" W; frame: 41" H x 69" W. Keywords: Painting, Oil painting, Works on Ca...
Category

Early 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Victorian Landscape Detailed Large Watercolour of Ludlow Castle and Ludlow town
Located in ludlow, GB
Victorian Landscape a Detailed Watercolour of Ludlow Castle, Dinham and Ludlow town. Looking towards Dinham and Ludlow Castle, Shropshire - a Landscape view Watercolour on Paper, m...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

The flowers. Colorful Asters. 1964. Oil on canvas, board, 46x58 cm
Located in Riga, LV
White, yellow and red asters. 1964. Oil on canvas, board, 46x58 cm Vimba Voldemars ( 1904 St. Petersburg – 1985 Riga, Latvia) He began his artistic education at the St Petersburg...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Board, Canvas, Oil

Bazaar of Coppersmiths, Cairo, Egypt: Original 19th C. Lithograph by D. Roberts
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "Bazaar of the Coppersmiths, Cairo" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, publis...
Category

1840s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Luscious Strawberries , Still-life, Florence, Realism, Oil Painting.
Located in Houston, TX
Luscious Strawberries is an oil painting done in the style of Realism in the artist studio in Florence, Italy. It is 12.5 x 14 with the frame.It has a custom frame made in Florence ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Women in garden" 19th Century Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Jacksonville, FL
John Edmund Califano, an American artist born in the late 19th century, was known for his remarkable skills in capturing the beauty of everyday life through his paintings. Califano'...
Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Three Pears Painted in the Style of Realism, Oil Texas Artist
Located in Houston, TX
Painted by Texas artist Helene Robinson who has studied under great Texas painters. Artists is known for painting still lifes in the style of Realism. Her subjects are usually fruit...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Portrait of a Seated Lady - French 1880 Victorian art female portrait drawing
Located in London, GB
This lovely pencil and charcoal drawing is attributed to circle of French noted artist Jacques Joseph Tissot. Created around 1880 the drawing is of a woman relaxing on a reclining chair...
Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Charcoal, Pencil

Manoa Rainforest XXXII: Hala and Wave 2
Located in Boston, MA
Ben Norris’ vibrant landscapes teem with creeping vines, tropical flowers, and encroaching vegetation. His watercolors and paintings of tranquil gardens and lush rainforests transpor...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

The Four Seasons--Winter
Located in Clinton Township, MI
Michael Schofield created The Four Seasons; this is Winter. It is a limited edition Artist Proof, and it is also remarqued and signed by the artist. This lithograph may be purchase...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cockermouth, Brewery & Castle: Clifford Charman oil painting Modern British Art
Located in London, GB
To see our other Modern British Art, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send us a message if you cannot find the artist you want. Clifford...
Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, Estate Edition Photograph (Poolside in Antibes)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bathers enjoy the sun by the pool at the Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc, Antibes, France, 1978. Aarons' iconic photograph depicts the legendary hotel made famous by Fitzgerald's Tender is the...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Slim Aarons Lake Tahoe Couple (Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Poolside)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A couple relaxing by a pool near Lake Tahoe, California, 1959. Relaxing at Lake Tahoe Slim Aarons Estate Edition Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate. Certificate of Authenticity included. Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide. Additional sizes offered: 40 x 40 inches $3950 30 x 30 inches $3350 20 x 20 inches $2500 Over the course of a career lasting half a century, Slim Aarons (1916-2006) portrayed high society, aristocracy, authors, artists, business icons, the celebrated and their milieu. In doing so, he captured a golden age of wealth, privilege, beauty and leisure that occurred alongside—but quite separate from—the cultural and political backdrop of the second half of the Twentieth Century. 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. Lambda printing gives true continuous tone. Photograph is unframed Slide show includes a close-up of the Slim Aarons estate's stamp. Collector will get the next number in the edition * We are pleased to offer the entire archive of the Slim Aarons Estate, offering the official Slim Aarons Estate Edition (only offered in this edition of 150). * Internal tags: Lake Tahoe; Slim Aarons; architecture poolside, mountain, pool and sky; mid-century modern; vintage glamour, vintage tahoe...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

The Hound
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
Oil on board Signed within painting (on bucket): AFT Provenance Private collection Why We Love It Tait’s animal paintings were hailed for their masterful realism. Moreover, he capt...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Wildwood Regional Parks, Thousand Oaks", Plein Air Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Alexander Chistov's "Wildwood Regional Parks, Thousand Oaks" is an original, handmade, plein air oil painting depicting the landscape in southe...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Magic Realistic painting, "Counter Culture"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is an original mixed media work on canvas by Southern California artist, Cheryl Tall. Its dimensions are 40" x 30" x 1.5". A certificate of authenticity will follow delivery. ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Rhode Island Surfers, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Surfers off Rhode Island, September 1965. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aaron...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Beth Parcell, "Spring", 9x12 Equine Horse Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This vibrant landscape, "Spring", is a 9x12 equine oil painting on canvas featuring a grey horse and a brown horse walking in a lush green grassy pasture in the warm sunlight. Trees...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Study II (Surrender), 6 x 4, Waterfall Landscape, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Study II (Surrender)" by Robin Cole is a 2023 original work, utilizing oil on mounted linen to exquisite effect. The painting's dimensions of 6 x 4 inches, set within a 10.5 x 7.5-i...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Pink and Red Tulips
Located in Fairfield, CT
There is a sense of freedom that I experience when painting landscape. The quality of these kinds of images allows for expression and interpretation, yet they can still be viewed as...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Man of Valor
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 Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Split Rock Lighthouse
Located in Clinton Township, MI
"Split Rock Lighthouse" is a limited edition lithograph 38/500 signed by the artist Leo Kuschel and remarqued with a commemorative lighthouse stamp. The fr...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Saint-Tropez Boucherie, French Riviera, Estate Edition Photograph, 1971
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Discover the quintessence of French Riviera charm in Slim Aarons' iconic photograph, 'Saint-Tropez Boucherie,' on Rue des Commercants, Saint-Tropez, 1971. This image is a beautiful i...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

River Cottage Series (Large), Dylan Lloyd, Original Floral Painting, Affordable
Located in Deddington, GB
River Cottage Series (Large) by Dylan Lloyd [2021] original Oil paint on board Image size: H:40 cm x W:40 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:50 cm x W:4...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Board, Oil

At the Seine. 1996. Paper, pastel, 24x41 cm
Located in Riga, LV
At the Seine. 1996. Paper, pastel, 24x41 cm Cityscape at the Seine In 1958 he graduated from the Riga Art School of J. Rosenthal, in 1964 Art Academy of Latvian State, painting depa...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Green & Red Apple Still Life
Located in Soquel, CA
Charming watercolor of red and green apples with an interesting composition by P. Dymond (American, 20th Century), circa 2000. Signed upper right corner. Presented in a metal frame. ...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Laid Paper

Subway 30, NYC 1980s, New York City, Kids, Photograph, Subway, Limited Edition
Located in Riverdale, NY
John Conn New York City Subway photographs. These limited edition fine art photographs were originally taken between 1975 and 1982. Each black and white photograph is signed and numbered. Edition of 15. 20x30 image printed on 24x36 archival paper. This is framed in a black frame to 28x38. In this series, Conn captured the graffiti and one of the most crime ridden periods in New York. According to one source “In the 1980s, over 250 felonies were committed every week in the system, making the New York subway the most dangerous mass transit system in the world.” One image captures an Irish...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Ink, Archival Paper

YOUNG WOMAN RED VEST Signed Lithograph, Standing Woman Hair Up, Green Dress
Located in Union City, NJ
YOUNG WOMAN RED VEST is an original hand drawn (not digitally or photo reproduced) limited edition lithograph by the artist Raphael Soyer - Russian/American S...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Contemporary portrait "Dress Code: Desert"
Located in Zofingen, AG
This artwork throws three impeccably dressed figures into the middle of a vast, sun-drenched desert—because nothing says "existential crisis" like wearing all black under the scorchi...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Oxford from the East engraving by Pieter van der Aa after David Loggan
Located in London, GB
Pieter van der Aa (1659-1733), after David Loggan (1634–1692) Oxford from the East Engraving 12 x 16 cm An eighteenth-century view of Oxford from the east, engraved by Pieter van de...
Category

Early 18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Engraving

Sir Walter Scott’s Caretaker’s Cottage in Abbotsford, Scotland
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Artist Statement "Painted en plein air, this quaint cottage was painted on the grounds of Abbortsford Castle in Scotland,...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Panel

Batumi. View of the harbor 1987, paper, watercolor, 18.5x30.5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
"Batumi. View of the Harbor" is a watercolor artwork created in 1987 on paper. The dimensions of the artwork are 18.5x30.5 cm. The painting portrays a scenic view of the harbor in B...
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Original WW2 Poster Join QARANC – Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps
Located in London, GB
To see our other original vintage public information posters, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send us a message if you cannot find the poster you want. Join QARANC – Queen Alexandra...
Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Self-Made Man 14"
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Signature of the Artist engraved in the bronze base of the piece with an edition number. Open Edition
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Untitled, Rabbi Smiling, Judaic Oil Painting, Early 20th Century
Located in Surfside, FL
Konstanty Swewczenko (1910-1991), signed oil Judaica Oil Painting, Polish, c.1960 Konstantin Shevchenko studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Warsaw in the years 1927 - 1928. Then, in 1932 he studied painting under the guidance of Kowarski and Pruszkowski at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. Practiced easel painting, mostly portraits, genre scenes. Among others, a portrait Moscicki, Rydz - Rydz, and after the war Rokossowski. He worked as a set designer. In the years 1934 - 1935 was production designer Variety Theatre. He collaborated with publishing houses with illustrations. He exhibited in Warsaw, Vienna, New York. In 1947 he took part in Exhibition Independent Artists Group) and abroad (solo exhibition at the Gallery G. Tomalsky in New York, 1964) . His works are in the collection of the Museum of the Polish Army.
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Czech Painting of Rabbis
Located in San Francisco, CA
Fantastic realist painting of two Rabbis having a discussion. Great detailed painting signed Pavlik. There are several listed Pavlik's not sure which one th...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Late Summer, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Late summer on a river in Vermont, the trees are toning down, ready to show their autumn colors.The river flows slowly, there is a bit of a chill in the air. :: Painting :: Realism :...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Evening. 1975, paper, watercolor, 14x19, 4 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Evening. 1975, paper, watercolor, 14x19,4 cm Herberts Mangolds (1901-1978) Graphic, army officer. In 1920 he graduated from the Artillery Cadet School of Latvian and many military c...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Samuel Howitt: 'Battle between Buffalo and Tiger' print after Thomas Williamson
By Thomas Williamson
Located in London, GB
Samuel Howitt (1765-1822) after Thomas Williamson (1758-1817) Exhibition of a Battle between a Buffalo & a Tiger' from Oriental Field Sports (1819) Hand-coloured aquatint 35 x 47 cm Captain Thomas...
Category

Early 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Aquatint

Le Clocher de St. Nicolas
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this scarce lithograph on wove paper. , Printed by Lemercier & Cie, Paris and published by Alfred Robaud. From "Douze Croquis et Dessins Originaux." Catalo...
Category

1870s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Morning by the Pond, John Henry Dolph, Realism, Oil on Panel, Ducks, Birds, Fowl
Located in Wiscasset, ME
John Henry Dolph, best known as painter of domestic animals, especially cats, was born in 1835 in Fort Ann, New York. In 1841 Dolph's family moved to Ohio and in 1849 Dolph began an ...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Taped Sky
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original watercolor painting by American artist Catherine Koenig.
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

Goldfish
By Julie Fleming-Williams
Located in London, GB
From glorious observations of the everyday, Julie Fleming-Williams’ work is as eclectic as it is engaging. Julie has exhibited at the Royal Academy and her paintings have sold at Chr...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Woman with a Lace Headdress - Original lithograph, 1898
Located in Paris, IDF
Maximilienne Guyon Woman with a Lace Headdress, 1898 Original lithograph (Champenois workshop) Printed signature in the plate On vellum, 40 x 31 cm (c. 16 x 12 in) INFORMATION: Lit...
Category

1890s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

River Landscape - Arun Sussex - British art 1950 landscape oil painting Arundel
Located in London, GB
This superb large oil on canvas painting of a river landscape is by British artist William Thomas Wood. Painted in 1950, the river is the Arun near Arundel in Sussex. Wood beautifull...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Hide n seek Home Scene w Grandma Russian early 20th Century Oil Genre Painting
Located in Stockholm, SE
Signed on the bottom right is "J. Braze", Osip Emmanuilovich Braz (1873 - 1936), renowned as a Russian-Jewish realist painter. As the scene unfolds on the canvas, we witness the gran...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Cotton Canvas, Oil

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

"Stardust" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Sara Scribner's (US based) "Stardust" is an oil painting that depicts a realistic portrait of a feminine form in profile wearing blue in a blue interior ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Contemporary color lithograph landscape trees outdoor forest pond scene signed
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Reflection" is an original color lithograph by Harold Altman. The artist signed the piece in the lower right, titled and dated it lower center, and wrote the edition number (24/285)...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

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.

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