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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
"Evening is coming soon"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
In “Soon to be Evening,” artist Alexander Khrapachev depicts with subtle sensitivity one of those moments when nature and human activity meet on a common horizon. At first glance, it...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Geisha Skateboard Triptych(suite of three silkscreen skateboards numbered 55/150
Located in New York, NY
Nobuyoshi Araki Geisha Skateboard Triptych, ca. 2014 Set of (3) Skateboards of Silkscreen on 7 ply Canadian Maplewood Deck Signed in plate, Each signed on the deck and hand numbered ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Wood, Maple, Screen

Summer Landscape With Cattle by British Artist Sidney Pike, Oil on Canvas
Located in Stockholm, SE
A wonderful painting by British artist Sidney Pike (1846-1907). Pike is best known for his depictions of the English countryside, and he attended many time...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Odalisque - Woman in a Harem - French 1900 Orientalist art portrait oil painting
Located in London, GB
This charming ex Christie's Victorian Orientalist oil painting is by noted French exhibited artist Lucien Laurent Gsell. The painting dates to around 1900 and portrays a beautiful yo...
Category

Early 1900s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Summer morning in the village , Oil on canvas, 45x55 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Jēkabs Apinis (1899 in Sloka, Latvia - 1945 in Hamburg, Germany), painter. Jēkabs Apinis was born into a teacher's family. He came to Pleskov as a refugee during the First World War...
Category

1930s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

That Time It Snowed on the Hollywood Sign, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Jesse Aldana presents an expansive view of Los Angeles, showing the famous Hollywood sign in the distance. The piece captures a dramatic passage from a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"L'intruso" Pappagallo Ara Olio cm. 50 x 65 2018
Located in Torino, IT
Bellissima opera realista, Pappagallo Ara Luisa Albert è una magistrale interprete della scuola realista vicino alla pittura fiaminga. Le nature morte e bellissimi animali vengono tr...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portofino
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1985, The most exclusive fishing village in Italy, Portofino, on Italy's Ligurian coast. 40 x 60 inches $3950 30 x 40 inches $3350 20 x 30 inches $3000 Complimentary dealer shipp...
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Eagle, Bird, Watercolor Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
130 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Year: 2023 Style: Classic Art, Title: Eagle, Size: 12 x 16 in...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Big dragonfly. Paper, mixed media, 21x30 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Big dragonfly Paper, mixed media, 21x30 cm Juris Utāns (1959-2022) was a Latvian painter. Worked in the field of critical realism, socially active and political art. Juris Utans' ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Pretty Kitty, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
An adorable black-and-white cat gazes forward with its green eyes, exuding curiosity. Soft, blended brushstrokes capture its smooth fur. Artist Catherine McCarg...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

"Instruments"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
I bought this beautiful instrument. Tuner told me that the instrument was in perfect working order and sounded great. But the black lacquer on the piano looked old and worn from tim...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Progress on Memorial" – Oil Painting, Industrial Urban Landscape
Located in Denver, CO
Brad Davis’s "Progress on Memorial," oil on wood panel, measures 16 x 20 inches with a framed size of 18.50 x 22.50 inches, and is framed, ready to hang. This painting captures a sta...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

OIL PAINTING 19th Century By Robert E . Roe British old master Gold Gilt Frame
Located in Ferndown, GB
VERY RARE Oil PAINTING Antique 19th Century By Listed artist British old master OLD MASTER OIL PAINTING BRITISH SCHOOL 19th Century Gold Frame Description Late 19th century “Good...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Levi Jackson" (2015) By John Tarantola, Nude Portrait Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
John Tarantola's original nude portrait "Levi Jackson" (2015) is a realist oil on panel painting that depicts a nude male lying on a bed, looking up seductively at the viewer's point...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

'Une Consultation de Sigmund Freud' by Hubert - Denis Etcheverry (1867 – 1950)
Located in Knokke, BE
Hubert-Denis Etcheverry Bayonne 1867 – 1950 Paris French Painter 'Une Consultation de Sigmund Freud' Signature: signed lower right and dated ‘D. Etcheverry / Paris 1900’ Medium: oi...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

HUGE OIL PAINTING by SALVATORE COLACICCO (NAVY ADMIRALTY 20th CENTURY PIECE
Located in Ferndown, GB
OIL PAINTING LARGE SALVATORE COLACICCO (NAVY ADMIRALTY 20th CENTURY Very good condition for age , (see pictures) FINE RARE MARTINE PAINTING ORIG...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Afternoon at Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos, California
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Exhibited Fleeting Moments 2nd Biennale: Works en Plein Air, American Legacy Fine Arts, November 22 – December 15, 2019 ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

OIL PAINTING By LOUIS DODD 20th CENTURY NAVY / MARITIME PIECE GOLD GILT FRAME
By Louis Dodd
Located in Ferndown, GB
FINE 20th Century Piece By Louis Dodd SEASCAPE British old master oil Style painting in a Gold Gilt Frame Description “condition is very good for age , o...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Mountain Goat
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mark Morrison (1895-1964) Mountain Goat, ca. 1940 Carved diorite 3 7/8" wide, 2.5" deep, height is 3" Provenance: Estate of Mrs. Mark Morrison. Born: Kingfisher, OK Educatio...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Stone

Mountain Goat
Mountain Goat
$1,000 Sale Price
50% Off
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...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Under the old bridge
Located in Oslo, NO
The painting depicts one of the bridges across the Main in Würzburg, the Ludwigbrücke. We look at the motif from the embankment, under the span of the bridge. The age of the bridge i...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Chien" by Marina Dieul, Original Oil Painting, French Bulldog Trompe L'oeil
Located in Denver, CO
Marina Dieul's "Chien," created in 2024, is a charming oil on panel painting measuring 6 x 6 x 1 inches (15.24 x 15.24 x 2.54 cm) with framed dimensions of 11 x 11 inches. This origi...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Mirrored Touch"(2023) by Linda Delahaye, Original Oil Painting, Female Portrait
Located in Denver, CO
"Mirrored Touch" by Linda Delahaye (France based) is an original oil on linen depicting a woman having a serene, introspective moment at her mirror. Born: 1980, Canada Lives and wor...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Cloud-Gazing Club
Located in Zofingen, AG
This artwork captures a surreal and serene moment, blending simplicity with mystery. A barefoot woman in a black dress stands on a vast, white, textured expanse, reminiscent of salt ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

The sadness of Maria Magdalena
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, I sought to capture a tender moment of introspection. The rich light bathes the figure in warmth, emphasizing the reflective mood. Textured shadows and the vibrant ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Robert Kenneth White "Old Ram" California Hillside Flock, Signed Oil on Canvas
Located in Miami, FL
ROBERT KENNETH WHITE – "OLD RAM" Oil on Canvas ⚜ Hand Signed Lower Right ⚜ Frameless Display A MOUNTAIN KING IN DAPPLED LIGHT A majestic and earthy depiction by Robert Kenneth Whit...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cadaques view Spain seascape oil on canvas painting
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Frame size 54x46 cm. Josep Maria Vayreda Canadell Year of birth: 1932 Biography: Member of a family spanish saga of artists, which highlighted Joaquim Vayreda...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nottingham Landscape with horse - British 1900 animal oil painting equine art
Located in London, GB
A stunning large oil on canvas by British nineteenth century artist Arthur William Redgate who was a Nottinghamshire based artist. He was a noted rustic landscape painter and he spec...
Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Blue Damson - original realism still life fruit - contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. In Grape, Dani Humberstone reduces the still life tradition to ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Floral Still Life
Located in Storrs, CT
Oil painting measures 12 x 9; frame dimensions measure 19 3/8 x 16 3/8 x 3. Housed in an elegant gold-tone frame with decorative edges. Illegible signature, lower right.
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Floral Still Life
Floral Still Life
$750 Sale Price
40% Off
Antique American Trompe L'Oil Interior Scene Finely Framed 19th C Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Impressive early American interior scene oil painting. Framed. Oil on canvas. Image size, 20H by 16L.
Category

1880s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Ram
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mark Morrison (1895-1964) Ram, ca. 1940 Carved diorite 9" long, 6" wide, height is 7.5" Rusty band on hind quarter is a naturally occurring iron ore occlusion in stone, which bot...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Granite

Ram
Ram
$2,500 Sale Price
50% Off
First Of Winter’s Snowfall On A Kentish Farm Framed Kent Landscape Painting
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Rowland Hilder. British ( b.1905 - d.1993 ). The First Of Winter’s Snowfall On A Kentish Farm. Watercolor On Paper. Signed Lower Right. Image size 14.8 inches x 21.3 inches ( 37.5c...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"Phone Home" - Oil Landscape Painting With Desert, Power Lines, and Distant Hous
Located in Denver, CO
Mark Harrison’s "Phone Home" (2024) is a captivating original oil painting that immerses viewers in a solitary desert scene defined by expansive silence and subtle human presence. Se...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, 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

Apollo - small, detailed, expressive, male, figurative, oil on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
It is a striking portrait. Canadian artist Daniel Hughes is known for his stunning, realistic paintings. Hughes' attention to detail, the natural colour palette and ‘true to life’ re...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Floating Peony. Contemporary Floral Still Life
By Nicola Currie
Located in Brecon, Powys
A display of peonies at the Malvern Spring Show provided the inspiration for this painting. The prize peony was floating in a silver bowl of water providing a beautifully delicate ba...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Tigre couché à l'entrée de son antre (Tiger Lying at the Entrance to its Lair)
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching, drypoint, and roulette on watermarked Hallines cream laid paper, 3 3/4 x 5 7/8 inches (95 x 148 mm), full margins. A very good impression of this charming image, with all of...
Category

Early 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Laid Paper, Drypoint, Etching

Apple season, Original oil still life by Irina Trushkova
Located in Zofingen, AG
The style of this painting is inspired by the Holland masters of the 17th century. Painted with great precision and a keen eye for detail, this work exudes contemporary realism. I tr...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Impressionistic Rural Landscape Oil Painting Michael Budden Farm Fields
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Farm Fields Study The image measure 14 x 11 unframed, 17.5 x 20.5 framed Farm Fields is a plein air oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that sho...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Minimal Triptych of Calm Costa Rica Shore, Handmade Cyanotype on Paper, Blue
Located in Barcelona, ES
This series of cyanotype triptychs showcases the beauty of nature scenes, including stunning beaches and oceans, as well as the intricate textures of water, forests, and skies. These...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Monotype

Eagle, Bird, Watercolor on Paper, Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
321 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2024 Style: Classic Art Title: Eagle Size: 12 x 16 inch, (...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

CONTEMPORARY NEW Diptych Landscape Jungle Spanish Artist Carol Moreno 2025
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Carol Moreno Lara, artistic self-taught painter. Born in Barcelona. Proposal; Embellishes unique and personal spaces through artistic painting. A feisty w...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

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

'Bal Masque, Venice', Venetian Vedute, Santa Maria della Salute, Masquerade, Oil
By Evgeny & Lydia Baranov
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Е. Баранов, Л. Величко' for Evgeny and Lydia Barnov (Russian-American, 20th century) and dated 2006. Titled, verso, on label, 'Traveling through Time'. Born in...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Regina Maris Ship, signed oil painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Regina Maris, 1908 by Louis Letouche (French 1924-2015) oil painting on linen canvas, stretched over board framed Framed size: 16 x 19.25 inches Superb oil painting by the well li...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Bird's Nest, 3 Eggs" by Thane Gorek, Original, Mixed Media Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Thane Gorek's (US based) "Bird's Nest, 3 Eggs" is an original, handmade mixed media painting that depicts three baby blue eggs tucked in together in a bird's nest of twigs that resid...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Board

Edward Bawden Nurse Cat With Nine Lives pen and ink Modern British Art drawing
Located in London, GB
From a series of Bawden Cat illustrations we have listed. To see the others and our other Modern British Art, scroll down to "More from this Seller" a...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Ink, Pen

Chinese Contemporary Art by Su Yu - Memories of Love 6
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas Su Yu is a Chinese artist born in 1987 who lives & works in Beijing in China. He was an old student of prestigious art teachers as Shi Liang & Chen Danqing at Oil Pain...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Absolutely Nothing
Located in Zofingen, AG
This surreal artwork captures a stark desert crossroads under a vivid blue sky, where a vintage white convertible takes center stage. Two figures add intrigue: one stands beside the ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Monhegan Morning - Fog and Seagulls, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Mist lingers over the distant ocean, softening the horizon and capturing the mystic beauty of Monhegan Island in the early morning. Waves and currents weave thr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Flowers on the Riverbank landscape, France
Located in Greenwich, CT
Knight is most famous and collected for his riverbank views lined with flowers done during his extensive years in France. his father was Daniel Ridgeway Knight...
Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Original Oil Painting of Beach Scene at Fairhead Ireland by Modern Irish Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Original Oil Painting of Beach Scene with Figures at Fairhead Ireland by Modern Irish Artist Artist William Henry Burns (1924-1995) Art meas...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board, Canvas

"Forest Bathing" oil painting of ornate woman and pattern drawn from Koi pond
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Forest Bathing" is a contemprary oil painting on canvas. Orsolic is known for her melodic landscapes and precise attention to detail, however, in this painting, she branches away fr...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Painting Portrait Soldier in armor Circel of MESSONIER Wood panel 19th
Located in PARIS, FR
French school of the 19th century Ernest MESSONIER (Circle of) Portrait of a soldier in armor 27.5 x 17.5 cm (31 x 21 cm with the frame) Beautiful pitch pine wood frame Good condition
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

The Red Garden, Illustration Style in Red Tones, Wild Dandelion, Pink Leaves
Located in Barcelona, ES
"The Red Garden" is an abstract expressionist painting by Romina Milano where a dance of black gestures unfolds across colorful brushstrokes infused with raw emotion. Romina Milano...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor, Paper

Dark Beach Sunrise, Blue Nautical Cyanotype, Watercolor Paper, Vertical Seascape
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. "Dark Beach Sunrise" is a handmade cyanotype print portraying beautiful sunrise reflection on the beach. Details: + Titl...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Emulsion, Watercolor, Lithograph, Paper

"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

Nude Series (Male Nude in Desert with Cacti), Lowell Nesbitt - Drawing
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Lowell Nesbitt (1933-1993) Title: Nude Series (Male Nude in Desert with Cacti) Year: 1989 Medium: Colored pencil on Arches paper Size: 50.25 x 35.5 inches Inscription: Signed...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Color Pencil

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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