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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
Pocket Pale Blue Sloes 2, Original Painting, Still Life, Sloes Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Pale Blue Sloes 2 is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil pai...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bastille Day Commemorations In Port French Original 1880s Naval Oil Painting
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Charles Leduc. French ( b.1831 – d.1911 ). Bastille Day In Port. Oil On Canvas. Signed Lower Left. Image size 15.9 inches x 27.6 inches ( 40.5cm x 70cm ). Frame size 21.5 inches x 33...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Dance class - Woodcut - Vintage Louvre Museum edition after Edgar DEGAS
Located in Paris, IDF
Edgar DEGAS (after) Dance class Woodcut print after a painting of Degas Egraved by G. Regnier On vellum 65 x 50 cm (c. 26 x 20in) Edited by Chalcographie du Louvre, authenticated with the blind stamp of Museum workshop This woodcut print is very rare as it's no longer printed...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Woodcut

LARGE OIL PAINTING OLD MASTER Chester Harding (1792 - 1866) FINE 19th CENTURY
Located in Ferndown, GB
OIL PAINTING OLD MASTER ATTR to CHESTER CHARLES HARDING (1792 - 1866) FINE 19th CENTURY BRITISH Original Antique Large Early 19th Century British OLD MASTER OIL PAINTING Romantic Se...
Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Coastal Seascape Landscape Painting with Boats by 20th Century French Artist
By Pierre de Clausade
Located in Preston, GB
Coastal Seascape Landscape Painting with Boats by 20th Century French Artist, Pierre de Clausade (1910-1976). Oil on canvas, Signed on the lower ...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Oil

Spring Footpath - contemporary, realism, tree, landscape, oil on board
Located in Bloomfield, ON
‘Spring, glorious spring’ is celebrated in all its fresh, bright colour in this delightful painting by Ciba Karisik. A path invites the viewer to wander into the woods and experience...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Terrier Dog Proudly Splashing Through the Water with a Stick in His Mouth
Located in Charleston, US
"Rads with Stick" is a charming dog painting of a Terrier swimming along proudly holding his stick in the air. Kait Ballantyne's dog paintings often explore the interaction of Bord...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Oysters with blue striped drapery
Located in Zofingen, AG
The bird’s eye view and strong light on the mother-of-pearl of oysters and folds create this image. The medium used is oil on canvas, which captures the vibrant color, delicate textu...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Sphinx & Pyramid, Giza, Egypt: Original 19th C. Lithograph by David Roberts
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "Side View of the Great Sphinx" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, published ...
Category

1840s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Hubert Henrard - 19th Century Belgian Still Life of wildflowers
Located in London, GB
HUBERT HENRARD (Belgium 1816-1898) Still Life with Cornflower and Harebells Signed l.r.: Hubert Henrard Oil on canvas Framed 25 by 20.5 cm., 10 by 8 in. (frame size 41.5 by 36.5 c...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Realistic Wildlife Landscape Painting of Wood Ducks Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
An "AWARD WINNING" acrylic painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a gorgeous pair of Wood Ducks in their natural environment created in ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Hallucination
Located in Zofingen, AG
The painting conveys the idea that what we perceive as life may be an illusion, while the true reality remains hidden. At the center of the scene, a man and a woman stand by a pool, ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Statue of an Athlete
Located in New York, NY
This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “Bruce Sargeant is a mythic figure in the modern art movement. He embodies a world that is in many ways lost to us; he...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Loch Katrine in the Scottish Highlands Realist Landscape Vintage Oil Painting
Located in Preston, GB
Loch Katrine in the Scottish Highlands Landscape Vintage Painting. A beautiful realist oil painting of the Scottish Highlands from a highly respected British Artist. Art measures 36...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Cotton Canvas, Canvas

Antique American School 19th Century Signed Young Girl Portrait Framed Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Impressive early American portrait of a young girl by Edward S Annison. Oil on board. Framed. Measuring 11.5H x 8.25L.
Category

Early 1900s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pocket Blueberries c, Original Painting, Still Life, Fruit Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Blueberries c 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 ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of an Edwardian Lady - British American art portrait oil painting
Located in London, GB
This lovely British Edwardian portrait oil painting is attributed to circle of John Singer Sargent. Sargent was born in America then trained in Paris before coming to London. Painted...
Category

1910s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

THE GUITAR - Italian figurative oil on canvas painting by Francesca Strino
Located in Napoli, IT
The guitar - Francesca Strino Italia 2010 - Oil on canvas cm.80x100 In this beautiful painting we admire a young woman in a slip playing the guitar. Francesca Strino, Neapolitan painter...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sit Pretty
Located in Missouri, MO
Sit Pretty Maud Earl (British, American, 1863-1943) Oil on Canvas Laid to Board Signed Lower Right 19 x 25 inches 25.25 x 31.25 inches with frame Alice Maud...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Luscious Cream Roses-original real still life floral painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "Luscious Cream Roses" by Julie Whitehead is an exquisite orig...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Linen, Acrylic

"Across Hope" by Michael Magrin, Oil Painting, CO Landscape
Located in Denver, CO
Michael Magrin's ( US based) "Healing Promise" is an original, handmade oil painting of a tranquil sunrise. This piece is framed in a natural float fram...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

Gouache of St John's College, Cambridge
Located in London, GB
To see our other Oxford and Cambridge pictures, 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 ...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Gouache

Looking Back; The Arroyo Seco, Pasadena, California
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist. FRAMED: 28.125" x 32.125" x 1.25" UNFRAMED:20" x 24" Artist Statement "I am always looking for different ways to capture the beauty of the San Gabriel Mountains as they loom above Pasadena. I found this view while scouting and exploring the Arroyo Seco...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Panel

Peaceful Misty Riverside in the English Countryside with Cows & Tree Reflections
Located in Preston, GB
Peaceful Misty Riverside in the English Countryside with Cows & Tree Reflections by 20th Century British Artist. Unique Vintage Original, Oil on Canvas, Signed. Art measures 30 x 2...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

triptych of Pocket Speckled Green Pear, Bright Clementine, Crimson Strawberry 2c
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Bright Clementine 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

Signed Antique 19th Century American School Nautical Steamship Seascape Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American school 19th century seascape painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1870. Signed illegbily. Image size 25L x 14H. Housed i...
Category

1870s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Alcyon, " Framed Limited Edition Giclee Print, 24" x 36"
Located in Westport, CT
This realistic coastal limited edition print by Michel Brosseau features a light blue and white palette and captures a large sailboat as it sails through the ocean, carrying four pas...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Digital, Giclée

Spring Collection: Pocket Daffodil [2024], Baroque Still Life, flower
Located in Deddington, GB
Spring Collection: Pocket Daffodil 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 ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Unknown (still life with fan)
Located in Columbia, MO
UNKNOWN (still life with fan) Unknown Oil on canvas Framed: 35.5 x 23.5 inches
Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Is There Anyone Here?..
Located in Zofingen, AG
A cozy café with three visitors: two in dark attire, one figure in a checkered coat. The interior is understated with retro details, and soft blue light filters through the windows. ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

"Serenity" (2024) by Sheri Farabaugh, Still Life Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Serenity" (2024) by Sheri Farabaugh (United States Based) is a beautiful handmade still life oil painting that depicts a bundle of lotus flowers and pads resting in a clear blue pon...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Anticipation" (2024) By Matt Talbert, Original Oil Painting, Portrait
Located in Denver, CO
Matt Talbert's "Anticipation" (2024) is an original, handmade oil painting on panel that depicts a portrait of a brunette in a dark slip. Artist bio/statement: Matt Talbert is a co...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Crasher, " Rolled Limited Edition Giclee Print, 48" x 72"
Located in Westport, CT
This coastal seascape limited edition print captures a cropped view of rolling ocean waves. Highly detailed and realistic, it balances the deep blues and sea greens of the ocean with...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Digital, Giclée

Overvalet, oil painting, original fine art decor wall impressionist realism
Located in Oslo, NO
Inspired by a journey through the serene landscapes of Switzerland, this painting captures the lightness and grandeur of a summer sky. Based on plein air sketches, Summer Clouds refl...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
452 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Cat Size: 12 x 16 inch, (3...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Fish with garlic
Located in Zofingen, AG
Original oil painting on canvas, still life painting made under natural light. This artwork is painted using high-quality fine linen canvas. Signed on the front and back of artwork. ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Zephyria I, Estate Edition. Monte Carlo French Riviera Speedboat Seascape
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Monte Carlo, 1970: This classic landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a vintage wooden and red painted speedboat carrying holidaygoers in the ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Hercules Mourning the Death of his Cupbearer Hylas
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

Large Antique German Oil on Canvas Norwegian Fjord Landscape River Boats Scene
Located in Portland, OR
A very fine & Large oil on canvas painting by Karl Julius Rose (1828-1911), "Norwegian Fjord", signed and dated 1890. The artist also painted under the nam...
Category

1890s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Tulips and lilacs 1992, paper, watercolor, 64x73 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Dzidra Bauma (1930) Dzidra Bauma works in watercolor technique. She paint figural compositions, portraits, landscapes, flowers and still life. She is one of the most productive wate...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Watercolor

The Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt: A 19th C. Lithograph by David Roberts
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 19th century hand-colored lithograph entitled "Pyramids of Geezeh" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, published in Lon...
Category

1840s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Wildlife Collection: Pocket Green Woodpecker, Original Painting, Animal Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Wildlife Collection: Pocket Green Woodpecker is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Dog Portrait of a Terrier 3/4 View by Jules Chardigny (1849-1892) circa 1870s
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Dog Portrait of a Terrier 3/4 View Jules Chardigny (1849-1892) Circa 1870s Oil on wood panel Housed within its beautiful and original ornate original gilt frame. 8 1/2 x 6 (15 3/4 ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Loch Eilt in the Scottish Highlands Realist Landscape Vintage Oil Painting
Located in Preston, GB
Loch Eilt in the Scottish Highlands Landscape Vintage Painting. A beautiful realist oil painting of the Scottish Highlands from a highly respected British Artist. Art measures 33 x...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

RMS Laconia, signed oil painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
RMS Laconia, 1921 by Louis Letouche (French 1924-2015) oil painting on linen canvas, stretched over board framed Framed size: 14.25 x 22.75 inches Superb oil painting by the well ...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Boy Reading
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "Boy Reading" c.1975 is an oil painting on canvas by Italian artist, Franco Rispoli, 1921-1989. It is signed at the lower right corner by the ...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Study of a peasant woman.
Located in Paris, FR
Study of an peasant woman. Red pastel. Signed. This work will be recorded in the catalogue raisonné of the work of the artist currently in preparation. ...
Category

1930s Realist Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Early 20th Century Oil of French Stone Building entitled Interieur et Exteriuer
Located in Preston, GB
Early 20th Century Oil of French Stone Building entitled 'Interieur et Exteriuer' by the Award-Winning French Artist, Charles Perron (1893 – 1958). Presented in a beautiful ornate period gold frame...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

Malibu Pine Sea View, Blue Tones California Landscape, Handmade Cyanotype, Paper
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. Stunning image of a breezy "Malibu Pine Sea View". Details: + Title: Malibu Pine Sea View + Year: 2025 + Edition Size: 50...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Lithograph, Monotype

Landscape with river oil on canvas painting Spain spanish
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Josep Colomer Valls (1970) - Landscape - Oil on canvas Oil size 38x46 cm. Frameless.
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

14th and California
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
At an intersection in Santa Monica, silence holds sway beneath a rapturous composition of clouds at sunset.

About the Artist
Jesse’s scenes of Los ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Pocket Pale Blue Sloes [2023], Baroque Still Life Painting, Small art, Fruit art
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Pale Blue Sloes 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 stil...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Early Mornin Snow" COWBOY, HORSES, CABIN, LIGHT AFTER G. HARVEY WESTERN
By Arturo Mercado
Located in San Antonio, TX
Arturo Mercado (1938 -2016) Austin Artist Image Size: 20 x 14.5 Frame Size: 30 x 25 Medium: Oil ON CANVAS "Early Mornin Snow" Biography Arturo Mercado (1938 -2016) Arturo Mercado w...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"The Constellation Crater" (2019) By Fred Wessel, Egg Tempera/Gold Leaf Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Fred Wessel's "The Constellation Crater" is a stunning egg tempera painting on gold leaf. Created in 2015, this piece depicts a young woman, holding a crystal chalice and sitting upr...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

CIGAR Champion Horse Portrait Signed Lithograph Equine Art, Horse Racing History
Located in Union City, NJ
CIGAR - Champion Horse Portrait 1997 by the contemporary woman artist and distinguished realist painter Jenness Cortez, is an original hand drawn limited edition lithograph printed using hand lithography techniques on archival paper 100% acid free. CIGAR is a lifelike, realistic equine portrait depicting the superstar thoroughbred racehorse Cigar, who was two-time Horse of the Year winner, a member of the National Racing Hall of Fame, and arguably the greatest racehorse of the 1990s. CIGAR, a visually impressive handmade lithograph, displays an appealing neutral color palette in shades of warm copper brown, grays, and charcoal black on a light slate blue background. Print size - 29.5" x 25", unframed, excellent condition, pencil signed by Jenness Cortez Image Size - 26" x 21" Edition size - 250, plus proofs Year - 1997 Printer - JK Fine Art Editions Co., NJ High quality hand drawn lithograph, classic equine portrait, sporting art print pencil signed by Ms. Cortez on lower margin, First-rate hand crafted print, not a commercially mass photo reproduced poster or digital reproduction. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Jenness Cortez is a mid-career artist with astonishing talent. Born 1944 in Indiana, Jenness Cortez began her formal art studies at the age of sixteen under the guidance of noted Dutch painter, Antonius Raemaekers...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Vintage American Modernist Rural Barn Scene Farming Bucolic Landscape Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage realist barn landscape oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. Signed. In excellent original condition. Handsomely framed in a wood molding. Excellent condition, ready to ha...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

My Sister, The Moon
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
"My Sister, The Moon" by Adeniyi Joshua Adetayo is a captivating artwork that delicately captures a young lady standing at the back of a house, ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Pen

"Baciami" Olio su tela cm. 60 x 120
Located in Torino, IT
Divertente interno con tavolo ,oggetti e rospo, il titolo -Baciami- è riferito al rospo..... magari diventa un principe...
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.

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