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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
“The Mandarins Garland” realist, still life, orange citrus, tondo framed signed
“The Mandarins Garland” realist, still life, orange citrus, tondo framed signed

“The Mandarins Garland” realist, still life, orange citrus, tondo framed signed

By Daniela Astone

Located in Sag Harbor, NY

A circular oil painting of a garland or wreath of orange citrus fruits, tied with a red ribbon, and inviting butterflies and a small bird. The artist adorns the still life with a bac...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Early 20th Century Photograph -- "Impressions of the High Sierras"
Early 20th Century Photograph -- "Impressions of the High Sierras"

Early 20th Century Photograph -- "Impressions of the High Sierras"

By Sigismund Blumann

Located in Soquel, CA

"Impressions of the High Sierras", a Lithobrome Photograph by Sigismund Blumann (American, 1872-1956). Signed "Sigismund Blumann" lower right. Titled "Impressions of the High Sierras" and signed "Sigismund Blumann" on verso. Unframed. Image size, 10.25"H x 13.25"W. Sigismund Blumann (1872–1956) (figure 1) 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

Sittin' Duck
Sittin' Duck

Sittin' Duck

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

Bronze sculpture engraved with the Artist's signature and edition number. Open Edition

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

"Autobiography" Aaron Bohrod, Pun Humor, Cars, Realism, Motoring
"Autobiography" Aaron Bohrod, Pun Humor, Cars, Realism, Motoring

"Autobiography" Aaron Bohrod, Pun Humor, Cars, Realism, Motoring

By Aaron Bohrod

Located in New York, NY

Aaron Bohrod Autobiography, 1991 Signed lower right Oil on gesso board 12 x 16 inches Aaron Bohrod's work has not been limited to one style or medium. Initially recognized as a regionalist painter of American scenes, particularly of his native Chicago, Bohrod later devoted himself to detailed still-life paintings rendered in the trompe l'oeil style. He also worked for several years in ceramics and wrote a book on pottery. Born in 1907, Bohrod began his studies at Chicago's Crane Junior College in 1925, and two years later enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago. But it was at the Art Students League in New York City, from 1930 to 1932, that he studied under the man believed to be his most significant early influence, John Sloan. Sloan's romantic realism is reflected in the many depictions of Chicago life...

Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Keble College Chapel, watercolour by David Garland
Keble College Chapel, watercolour by David Garland

Keble College Chapel, watercolour by David Garland

Located in London, GB

David Garland (b.1941) Keble College Chapel Watercolour 28 x 38 cm This richly coloured watercolour was painted by David Garland for the 1971 edition of the 'Oxford Almanack.' Th...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

"Shangri-La" Oil Painting

"Shangri-La" Oil Painting

By Mia Bergeron

Located in Denver, CO

Mia Bergeron's (US based) "Shangri-La" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a lone woman, with dark bangs, holding her hand in the yoga position of Shangri-La in a pink...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Winter Barn Lithograph, Realist Style, Late 20th Century, Framed
Winter Barn Lithograph, Realist Style, Late 20th Century, Framed

Winter Barn Lithograph, Realist Style, Late 20th Century, Framed

Located in Chesterfield, MI

Winter--in all its delicate beauty-- in this lithograph by artist named Berger who pencil signed it and titled it also. It is beautifully framed in a gold wooden frame.

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Pink Sprinkle Donut" Oil Painting

"Pink Sprinkle Donut" Oil Painting

By Jason Walker

Located in Denver, CO

Jason Walker's (CAN based) "Pink Sprinkle Donut" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a donut glazed with pink frosting and sprinkles set against a black background. About the Artist: Jason Walker’s imagery reflects popular culture: from Disney’s Mary Poppins or Mickey Mouse to frosted doughnuts. As observer and conveyor of cultural icons, he is an anthropologist and his beautiful and often endearing paintings resonates with art viewers. But this Toronto artist is also an analyst. Conceived with the clear-eyed vision of a native of Nairn, Scotland, Walker’s compositions challenge viewers to consider contemporary culture. Through his iconography, Walker creates artifacts, a paint-on-canvas time capsule for future generations. His images are representational rather than abstract. His subjects from Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz to Peter Pan’s Tinker Bell are non-elitist, international, and easily identified. A portrait of our time, Walker’s renditions are intimate and lifelike, crafted with diffused edges or Old-Master chiaroscuro. Painted in Renaissance jewel...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Wisteria Blossoms Kameido Tokyo – hand-colored Meiji era photograph, Japan

Wisteria Blossoms Kameido Tokyo – hand-colored Meiji era photograph, Japan

Located in Middletown, NY

Yokohama, Japan: c 1900. Hand-tinted albumen print, 7 3/4 x 9 1/2 inches (190 x 242 mm), numbered A 536 in negative and captioned on lower right. Unmounted; housed in an archival ma...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Photographic Paper

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

Rainbow Over Capitola Village, Santa Cruz - Colored Photograph
Rainbow Over Capitola Village, Santa Cruz - Colored Photograph

Rainbow Over Capitola Village, Santa Cruz - Colored Photograph

Located in Soquel, CA

Rainbow Over Capitola Village, Santa Cruz - Colored Photograph Color photograph of a rainbow shining over Capitola Village in Santa Cruz, California by John F. Hunter (American, 20t...

Category

Early 2000s Realist Art

Materials

Ink, Photographic Paper

"The Rose"
"The Rose"

"The Rose"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

The tea rose has a lovely scent and delights us with its beauty; it also makes delicious tea and jam.

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Fiberboard

"Hugs"
"Hugs"

"Hugs"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Lovers’ embrace

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Against the backdrop of the red sun"
"Against the backdrop of the red sun"

"Against the backdrop of the red sun"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

The sunlight at sunset is so red and majestic that the shadows stand out in stark contrast. A mother and her daughter are on their way to give the horse and foal a drink of water.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

TURN TURN TURN
TURN TURN TURN

TURN TURN TURN

By Yale Factor

Located in Three Oaks, MI

Factor brings into a clear focus natural detail, which is all too often only vaguely sensed. Each universe created on canvas or paper is a juxtaposition of traditional Renaissance c...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"The House"
"The House"

"The House"

By Oleksandr Khrapachov

Located in Edinburgh, GB

The House Oleksandr Khrapachov, 2013. Canvas, oil. 60×80 cm Impressionism arose from the artists’ desire to capture not the object itself, but the impression it made — the fleeting ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Vydubychi Monastery"
"Vydubychi Monastery"

"Vydubychi Monastery"

By Oleksandr Khrapachov

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Monastery. Vydubychi Oleksandr Khrapachov, 2009. Canvas, oil. 55×70 cm The Vydubychi Monastery is one of Kyiv’s oldest spiritual retreats, founded as far back as the 11th century on...

Category

Early 2000s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Won't Be There

Won't Be There

By Justin Allen

Located in Columbia, MO

Born in Jefferson City Missouri in 1976 Justin Allen attended Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri where he studied filmmaking before studying painting at the Art Students Leagu...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Ship Leaving the Bay at Sunrise French Seascape 18th century Rococo Oil Painting
Ship Leaving the Bay at Sunrise French Seascape 18th century Rococo Oil Painting

Ship Leaving the Bay at Sunrise French Seascape 18th century Rococo Oil Painting

Located in Stockholm, SE

Attributed Charles François Grenier de Lacroix or Charles - François Lacroix de Marseille (1700 - 1782) as signed lower left on the stone “Lacroix”. The scene of the departure of nobles on a ship, somewhere among the Mediterranean landscapes at sunrise. Lacroix's sense of color and attention to detail are particularly impressive: the sea is calm, the sun is rising and as a soft pink hue begins to emerge in the clouds, the morning haze has not yet cleared and the air is clear and clean, large ship...

Category

Late 18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Oil

Fritz Schulze-Blank – Hen with Chicks, Oil on Cardboard
Fritz Schulze-Blank – Hen with Chicks, Oil on Cardboard

Fritz Schulze-Blank – Hen with Chicks, Oil on Cardboard

Located in Berlin, DE

Delightful oil on cardboard by Fritz Schulze-Blank, signed lower left. The painting captures a tender barnyard scene with a hen surrounded by her colorful brood of chicks, rendered w...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Sacred Writings  Religious and Mythological Narratives   Florence Academy  Oil
Sacred Writings  Religious and Mythological Narratives   Florence Academy  Oil

Sacred Writings Religious and Mythological Narratives Florence Academy Oil

Located in Houston, TX

Samuel S.Hoskins Statement on Sacred Writing : I sought to delve into the concept of sacred texts, encompassing both religious and mythological narratives. Unlike conventional books, these sacred texts are dynamic, evolving throughout an individual's lifetime and human history. Reading such a text in childhood carries distinct significance compared to revisiting it in later stages of life. To symbolize our transformative journey, I depicted a path leading into the forest, illustrating how our life experiences influence our connection with these profound literary works. Sacred Writing 26x34 28x36 with Frame As a graduate of The Florence Academy of Art and a devoted oil painter, Samuel Hoskins...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Linen

"Guest"
"Guest"

"Guest"

By Yevgeniya Kramska

Located in Edinburgh, GB

The subject of the painting’s story is inspired by thoughts about the structure of our world.Is it as obvious as our eyes can see?..

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Girl with Roses
Girl with Roses

Girl with Roses

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "Girl with Roses" c.1990 is an oil painting on canvas by noted British artist Brenda Burke, b.1957. It is signed at the lower right corner by the artist. The canvas size is 30 x 20 inches, framed size is 37.5 x 27.5 inches. Framed in original wooden beige and gold ornate frame, with fabric liner. The artwork and frame are in excellent condition. The fabric liner is separated at the 4 corners and will be replaced by a new one when sold, before shipping, This will bring the over all condition to excellent. About the artist: Brenda Burke started to paint at an early age of three years. Her career has spanned more than half a century, encompassing paintings, portraits, sculpture and printmaking. She has trained in the classical style of the old masters at the renowned Farnham art school just outside of London, England and continuing her studies in Florence and Rome, Italy, Burke’s wealth of experience, technical excellence and artistic vision is evident in each of her exceptional works of art. Her work can be seen in private collections around the world. Sometimes known as the Painter of Royalty, Brenda has been chosen to present her work to Her Majesty The Queen of England. She was commissioned to paint the celebratory portrait for Prince Charles and Lady Diana's engagement, and she was again selected to create the painting for the christening of Prince William. Her skill and versatility has also been shown in a collection of limited edition wax and porcelain dolls, dressed in fine silks and antique French lace...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Herself", Frederick Hart, Acrylic Female Sculpture, 17x16x6 in., 176/350, white
"Herself", Frederick Hart, Acrylic Female Sculpture, 17x16x6 in., 176/350, white

"Herself", Frederick Hart, Acrylic Female Sculpture, 17x16x6 in., 176/350, white

By Frederick Hart

Located in Dallas, TX

"Herself" by Frederick Hart is an acrylic figurative sculpture of a woman's face numbered 176/350. Hart began to equate light and spirit, the medium itself conveying the meaning, bey...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Resin, Acrylic Polymer

Jardin Marco Polo, Oil on cardboard, 40x48 cm

Jardin Marco Polo, Oil on cardboard, 40x48 cm

By Oto Plader

Located in Riga, LV

Oto Pladers (1897.8.III – 1970.2.V) Oto Pladers learned in Riga city school of art (1913 – 15). He was called into the army in 1916 and continued studies after the war in Latvia Art ...

Category

1930s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

St Albans Cathedral (1810), engraving by James Basire
St Albans Cathedral (1810), engraving by James Basire

St Albans Cathedral (1810), engraving by James Basire

By John Basire

Located in London, GB

James Basire & John Carter Floor plan of St Albans Cathedral Engraving 61 x 95 cm This engraving was originally published by the Society of Antiquaries of London, an organisation ...

Category

1810s Realist Art

Materials

Engraving

By the lake. Oil on cardboard, 40x50 cm
By the lake. Oil on cardboard, 40x50 cm

By the lake. Oil on cardboard, 40x50 cm

By Arnolds Pankoks

Located in Riga, LV

Landscape by the lake. Oil on cardboard, 40x50 cm Arnolds Pankoks (born 1914.21.IX - 2008.) Graduated Art Academy of Latvia (1937 – 43, 1945 – 47) with diploma work "Restoration of ...

Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

St Albans Cathedral (1810), engraving by James Basire
St Albans Cathedral (1810), engraving by James Basire

St Albans Cathedral (1810), engraving by James Basire

By John Basire

Located in London, GB

James Basire & John Carter St Albans Cathedral Engraving 62 x 46 cm This engraving was originally published by the Society of Antiquaries of London, an organisation dedicated to ...

Category

1810s Realist Art

Materials

Engraving

Mandarin, Painting, Oil on MDF Panel

Mandarin, Painting, Oil on MDF Panel

By Albert Kechyan

Located in Yardley, PA

100% Handmade Original Oil Painting © 2023 Albert Kechyan. All rights reserved :: Painting :: Realism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by t...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Delaware River at Easton, Painting, Oil on MDF Panel

Delaware River at Easton, Painting, Oil on MDF Panel

By Mark Hunter

Located in Yardley, PA

Railroad Bridge over the Delaware River at Easton, PA. :: Painting :: Realism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Sundowners at the Carlton, Cannes

Sundowners at the Carlton, Cannes

By Slim Aarons

Located in New York, NY

Two bikini-clad holidaymakers enjoy a glass of wine outside the Carlton Hotel, Cannes, 1958. Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from th...

Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Clare Bridge, watercolour by Mark McCrum
Clare Bridge, watercolour by Mark McCrum

Clare Bridge, watercolour by Mark McCrum

Located in London, GB

Mark McCrum Clare Bridge Watercolour 29 x 39 cm Signed and dated to lower right Mark McCrum, born in Cambridge, England, is a distinguished author and artist known for his diverse...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

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.