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.
Architectura Curiosa Nova, Sunburst Garden Fountain
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
George Andreas Böckler, 'SunBurst Garden Fountain', antique copperplate engraving, 1664, from the book 'Architectura Curiosa Nova'. A fine, richly inked...
Engraving
"Big Catch" - Original Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Denver, CO
"Big Catch" by Robert C. Jackson is an original handmade oil still life painting on canvas that depicts an abstracted scene. This piece measures 22 x 18 inches and is framed and read...
Canvas, Oil
An aristocratic Pomeranian
Located in London, GB
Horatio Henry Couldery (1832-1893) An aristocratic Pomeranian signed 'H.H. Couldery' (lower left) oil on canvas 19 ⅛ x 24 ⅛ in. (48.5 x 61 cm.) frame 24 x 28 ⅛ in. (61 x 71.4 cm.) H...
Canvas, Oil
Yellow, Blue, Purple Hyperreal Glass Balloon Sculpture Set (Trio)
Located in East Quogue, NY
Set of 3 hyperreal glass water balloon sculpture installation by Dylan Martinez. Made of 100% hot-sculpted glass. Approx. Size: 3.5 × 3.5 × 4.5 inches (each) Dylan Martinez’s hype...
Glass, Blown Glass
$1,293Sale Price|25% Off
Horse next to River in the Woods of the English Countryside by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Horse next to River in the Woods of the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Michael Morris (1938-2010) Art measures 10 x 8 inches Frame measures 13 x 11 inches T...
Canvas, Oil
Les Quais with Notre Dame de Paris
By Hans Figura
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Hans Figura (Austrian, 1898-1978) Title: Les Quais with Notre Dame de Paris Year: Circa 1950 Medium: Color etching with aquatint on silk Edition: Unknown Plate mark ...
Etching
Among the Wildflowers, Original landscape painting, 48x60 inches
Located in Cumming, GA
This original landscape painting of a quiet river scene captures the serene beauty of untouched nature. A gentle curve of pale blue water winds through lush green grasses, framed by ...
Canvas, Acrylic
The Dreamer's Ascent: Surrealist Oil and Acrylic Painting
Located in London, London
Surrealist Animal Portrait,80x80x3cm oil, acrylic on canvas, original painting one of a kind hand signed will be shipped stretched, ready to be framed/hung unframed. The item is l...
Gold
Portrait of an Edwardian Dandy (Man)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Portrait of an Edwardian Dandy Gentleman, 2003. Acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20 inches. Signed with monogram and dated lower right.
Acrylic, Cotton Canvas
$944Sale Price|20% Off
European painter - 19th century still life painting red flowers
Located in Varmo, IT
European painter (19th–20th century) - Still Life with Flowers. 30 x 36 cm (without frame) - 45.5 x 51.5 cm (with frame). Oil on canvas, in carved and gilded wooden frame (not sign...
Canvas, Oil
$109Sale Price|20% Off
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Bull Resting On The Ground
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...
Chalk, Graphite
Vienna Opera House
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Vienna Opera House" c.1960., is an original color etching by noted Austrian artist Josef Eidenberger, 1899-1991. It is hand signed in pencil by the artist. The p...
Etching
$3,187
"What Times, Such Stars" - Signed Acrylic Painting, Contemporary Realist
Located in Zofingen, AG
This atmospheric painting presents a carefully constructed narrative moment that unfolds within the quiet intimacy of a domestic interior. The composition depicts a young woman stan...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
$1,888Sale Price|20% Off
Óleo sobre tabla - Bodegón con elementos chinescos - Año 1929
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Excepcional obra del prestigioso pintor holandes Albert Boven (Bruselas, act. sig. xix - xx) Se trata de un oleo sobre tabla de gran tamaño y calidad Representando un bodegon con e...
Oil
$6,427
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun 6 - Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Sea View
Located in Hallein, AT
Artodyssey "Julita Malinowska's paintings belong to those, which once seen - are never forgotten. The open spaces, sometimes cool and bright, at other times heavily saturated with co...
Canvas, Oil
$949
St Ives Porthminster Beach, Angela Gordon-Webb, Original Seascape Painting
Located in Deddington, GB
Angela Gordon-Webb St Ives, Porthminster Beach Original Seascape Painting Acrylic Paint on Canvas Canvas Size: H 23cm x W 30cm Framed Size: H 46cm x W 52cm x D 3cm Sold Framed Please note that in situ images are purely an indication of how a piece may look. Porthminster Beach, St Ives through the window, an original seascape painting by Angela Webb. The bright turquoise tones of the sea are dispersed by the faint wisp of the window’s curtains...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,975Sale Price|26% Off
"Luster" (2024) Oil Painting by Karen Offutt, Female Portrait
By Karen Offutt
Located in Denver, CO
Karen Offutt's (US based) "Luster" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a portrait of a woman on an abstracted background. The painting is framed, with overall dimensio...
Oil, Panel
"Far Away, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Joseph McGurl's "Far Away" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a vast landscape of valleys and mountains in the distance under the orange and yellow glow of sunrise or...
Oil, Panel
"Baptism of Christ"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Unidentified Bolognese Artist, 18th Century – "Baptism of Christ" Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 119 x 151 cm (unframed), 133 x 168 cm (framed) Provenance: Private collection No...
Canvas, Oil
"On the Front Steps" - Realist Female Portrait Painting on Linen Panel
By Matt Talbert
Located in Denver, CO
Artist bio/statement: Matt Talbert is a contemporary oil painter living in Southern California. Both a graduate from the Orange County School of the Arts and the Laguna College of A...
Linen, Oil, Panel
"House Finch" - Oil Animal Painting on Wood
By Terra Novak
Located in Denver, CO
About the Artist: Terra Novak is a contemporary realist painter and art educator based in Colorado whose work explores the beauty, strength, and emotional depth found in both people ...
Wood, Oil
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. ...
Canvas, Oil
"Sailing in the Afternoon" Realist Oil Painting on Board of Sailboat in Open Sea
Located in New York, NY
George Nemethy finds his inspiration in moments of quiet and solitude. Where he finds himself one with the sea and the sky and the tranquil world which he freely escapes to. Trained from an early age by his father Albert Nemethy, a world-renowned painter known best for his large scale steamer boats, George found...
Oil, Canvas, Board
White Irises on Blue, Photorealist Screenprint by Lowell Blair Nesbitt
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Lowell Blair Nesbitt, American (1933 - 1993) Title: White Irises on Blue Year: 1980 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 200, AP 30 Image Size: 41 x 23...
Screen
Home of Debose Heyward, Charleston
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
Elizabeth O'Neill Verner (American, 1883 - 1979) Signed: Elizabeth O'Neill Verner (in pencil, lower, right) " Home of Dubose Heyward, Charleston ", circa 1930 Imp. V 12, (in pencil, Lower, Left) Etching 5" x 3 3/8" plate size 8" x 5 1/2" sheet size Housed in a 2" Period Carved Frame Overall Size: 16 1/2" x 13 1/4" This original print is in excellent original condition. A nice presentation, ready to be hung and enjoyed. DeBose Heyward (Am. 1885-1940) was a native of Charleston. And lived there until the mid-1930s. Author of the novel. " Porgy ", published in 1925. Artist Biography: A leader in establishing Charleston, South Carolina as a dynamic cultural center, Elizabeth Verner...
Etching
$768Sale Price|30% Off
Mountain Lake Forest Landscape Scene - Vintage Art 20th Century Oil Painting
By J Bishop
Located in Preston, GB
Mountain Lake Forest Landscape Scene - Vintage Art 20th Century Oil Painting by J Bishop. Art measures 17 x 14 inches Frame measures 21 x 18 inches Vintage painting, ornate gold f...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
"Rocky River 9, " Framed Limited Edition Giclee Print, 30" x 30"
Located in Westport, CT
This realistic limited edition print by John Harris captures a highly detailed, cropped view of water lightly rippling over river rocks in a cool blue palette. This Limited Edition...
Digital, Giclée
Watercolor BIRCK Portrait Egyptian woman Late 19th French Painter
Located in PARIS, FR
Alphonse BIRCK Metz, 1859 – Paris, 1942 Portrait of an Egyptian Woman from Cairo Watercolor 52 x 35 cm (65 x 41 cm with frame) Signed lower left, located and dated "A. Birck / Cairo ...
Watercolor
David Gorodensky. Limited Edition 1/3 - Bronze Sculpture
Located in Riga, LV
Dimensions: 33 W x 45 H x 14 D cm Weight: 11.5 kg Material: Bronze, patina, metal Edition: 1/3 + 1 AP, signed on base Condition: Excellent, certificate Free worldwide shipping in a ...
Metal, Bronze
Christ Church, Oxford 1675 hand-coloured engraving by David Loggan
By David Loggan
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 ...
Engraving
III, De la Carpeta Canto General
Located in New York, NY
Lithograph, 1968. Signed by the artist and inscribed "e'preuve d'artiste" in pencil, lower right. This is an artist's proof, aside from the regular edition of 200. Framed. 23.75 ...
Lithograph
An Alsatian hoping for a walk
Located in London, GB
Nancy Jane Burton, G.S.L.A. (Scottish, 1891-1972) An Alsatian hoping for a walk signed and dated 'N.J. Burton - 1925 -' (lower right) oil on canvas 14 x 18 in. (35.5 x 45.8 cm.) fram...
Canvas, Oil
Orientalist Painting of a Harem Interior with Odalisques
By Mariano Fortuny Y Marsal
Located in New York, NY
Interior scene of a Harem with Odalisques. Signed low-right.
Oil, Board
$1,749Sale Price|35% Off
River Landscape Scene with Horses in the English Countryside by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
River Landscape Scene with Horses in the English Countryside by British Contemporary Artist, David Morgan (Born 1964). Art measures 24 x 16 inches Frame measures 30 x 20 inches Sig...
Canvas, Oil
'Sister, A portrait of the Moon' , Signed Etching c2021
Located in Frome, Somerset
'Sister' , by contemporary printmaker and artist Rosie McLay (British) Edition 59 of 75 in total, handmade etching by the artist. Ink on paper layed on Dutch gold leaf. Hand etched ...
Engraving
$9,493
David with Head by Caravaggio, from The Holy pictu, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Although the pictorial-plastic speech of realism is observable in the outline of figural compositions, his canvases are not just images of reality, they are unexpected, sharp, sincer...
Oil
Vintage Original Oil Painting on Canvas, Landscape, Framed Art
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This atmospheric vintage oil painting depicts a young girl seated quietly on a grassy hillside, gazing across a calm lake surrounded by softly lit trees and distant foliage. The comp...
Oil
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Cow Stood Face On Portrait
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...
Chalk, Graphite
$4,720Sale Price|32% Off
Salvador Murillo "Solitary Figure on a Road" - Framed Antique Landscape Painting
By Salvador Murillo
Located in New Orleans, LA
I actually prefer this painting to the very slightly larger one by Murillo that sold for $11,600 at auction (Hargesheimer & Günther) in 2009. Another couple of paintings sold at auct...
Oil
Steve McCurry 'Afghan Girl'
Located in New York, NY
Steve McCurry Afghan Girl 1984 (printed later C-print on Fuji Crystal archival paper 24 x 20 inches Signed and dated Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic voices in contempo...
C Print
$7,510Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of an Edwardian Lady - British American art portrait oil painting
By John Singer Sargent
Located in Hagley, England
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...
Oil
Stormy Day - original seascape contemporary coastal realism oil painting nature
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. In this shoreline seascape painting, contemporary realist Alex...
Canvas, Oil
Impressionistic Realistic Moonlight Landscape Oil Painting Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Nightfall II, Moonlight Series oil/panel 8 x 10 unframed 13.50 x 15.50 x 1.5 framed. Signed LL Nightfall II is an oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michae...
Oil
Pedestrian Walkway, PCH
By Tony Peters
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Peters" on lower left Description Reminiscent of Roger E. Kuntz's geometric paintings of the Los Angeles Freewa...
Canvas, Oil
20. Curious shells
Located in Columbia, MO
Maria Sibylla Merian was born in Germany in 1647 and received early artistic training from her stepfather, an established still life painter. She was fascinated by insects and collec...
Pigment
19th-century Antique Genovese Sailor portrait painting
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Portrait of a Genovese Sailor, ca. 1890. Watercolor on cardboard measuring 4 x 5.5 inches; 9 x 11 inches framed.
Watercolor
Against the sea wind
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, I captured the vibrant dance between light and sea, where the fiery sail defies the stormy sky. Using oil, I blended impressionism and realism to evoke raw energy a...
Canvas, Oil
Bluebonnets, Oak, and Yucca
Located in Houston, TX
Willian A. Slaughter (1923-2003) William A. Slaughter was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1923 and died in Dallas, Texas December 2003. His first call was to the ministry and after ser...
Canvas, Oil
$1,180Sale Price|33% Off
Henry Robinson Hall (British painter) - 19th century sheep Highland loch
Located in Varmo, IT
Henry Robinson Hall (York 1859 - Barrow-in-Furness 1927) - Sheep Family in the Highlands. 67 x 36 cm. Oil on canvas, unframed. Signed lower left: "H. Hall." Autograph inscription ...
Canvas, Oil
"Exhale" by Brian O'Neill, Oil painting, Male Nude
Located in Denver, CO
Brian O'Neill's (US based) "Exhale" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a nude male figure stooped over and keeling on the ground, with his back exposed and bowing his...
Gold Leaf, Silver
$5,200Sale Price|20% Off
Realistic Wildlife Landscape Painting of Wood Ducks Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Wood Ducks acrylic/panel 21 x w5 unframed, 31 x 36 framed signed LL Wood Ducks is an "AWARD WINNING" acrylic painting on panel by contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a ...
Acrylic
Michael Standing
By Peter Brooke
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist EXHIBITIONS California Art Clubs 95th Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition April 2 - 23...
Bronze
$550
Late 19th Century British Romantic New Zealand Landscape Diamond Lake Oil Canvas
Located in Stockholm, SE
A solemn peace permeates this landscape, painted in oil on canvas by an unidentified British master at the end of the 19th century. The painting transports the viewer to the pictures...
Canvas, Wood, Oil
Realistic Still Life Painting, "Seemingly Ordinary #10" 2022
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original painting by southern California artist, Leslie Winokur. Its dimensions are 20" x 10" x 1" (HxWxD). It is oil on linen. ...
Oil
"Turner" Realist Dog Portrait in the Field Oil Painting on Carved Wood Panel
By Chaval
Located in New York, NY
With the medium of traditional oil paint, this charming piece by Chaval is exceptionally detailed and thought-provoking. Following a realist approach, yet depicting some playful impe...
Oil, Wood Panel
Fruits hidden from autumn
Located in Zofingen, AG
The painting was created after a September trip to Alsace. During a walk, I noticed beautiful green fruits — not yet ripe, framed by dark leaves. They seemed to have been taken from ...
Canvas, Oil
$3,250
State of Mind 14 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women
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...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Surfing Brothers, Newport, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1960s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Freddie and Howard Cushing surfing with friends at Bailey's Beach (the Spouting Rock Beach Association)...
Lambda
Magnolia. Original oil painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
These stunning magnolia placed in a transparent vase. A dark background helps to reveal delicate forms of flowers and capture the reactions of light with glass. The medium used is oi...
Canvas, Oil