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Realist Art

15,105 Results
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
WESTERN PEAKS
WESTERN PEAKS

WESTERN PEAKS

By Harold Lukens Doolittle

Located in Santa Monica, CA

HAROLD LUKENS DOOLITTLE (1873 - 1974) WESTERN PEAKS c. 1945 Aquatint signed and titled in pencil. 6 3/4 x 8 7/8 sheet 9 5/8 x 12 3/4. Good condition save for just a hint of darkening within the window and small bits if tape on the sheet edge verso. Doolittle was a renaissance man. His day job was as an engineer for the Edison Electric Co. But he produced an outstanding body of prints for 5 decades as well as photographs. His very rare arts and crafts furniture is highly sought after. He was a long time member and officer in the California Print...

Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Aquatint

Still Life Cabbage
Still Life Cabbage

Still Life Cabbage

By Elizabeth Osborne

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Elizabeth Osborne (b.1936). Still Life Cabbage, 1983. Watercolor on paper, sheet measures 22.5 x 30 inches; 29.5 x 37 inches in custom frame. Original Fischbach Gallery label affixed...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

RMS Laconia, signed oil painting
RMS Laconia, signed oil painting

RMS Laconia, signed oil painting

By Louis Letouche

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

Portrait of a Young Woman with Shawl - British early 19thC portrait oil painting
Portrait of a Young Woman with Shawl - British early 19thC portrait oil painting

Portrait of a Young Woman with Shawl - British early 19thC portrait oil painting

By Thomas Lawrence (circle)

Located in Hagley, England

This lovely British early 19th century female portrait oil painting is attributed to the circle of Sir Thomas Lawrence. Painted circa 1800 it is a half length portrait of a beautiful...

Category

Early 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Argonauts. Limited Edition AP 2 - Bronze Sculpture
Argonauts. Limited Edition AP 2 - Bronze Sculpture

Argonauts. Limited Edition AP 2 - Bronze Sculpture

Located in Riga, LV

Dimensions: 57 W x 37 H x 14 D cm Weight: 7,6 kg Material: Bronze, patina, metal Edition: AP 2, signed on base Condition: Excellent, certificate Free worldwide shipping in a branded ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Metal, Bronze

Nature's Bounty, Oil Painting
Nature's Bounty, Oil Painting

Nature's Bounty, Oil Painting

By Jo Galang

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
The vibrant colors in this piece highlight a dynamic interplay of orange and green hues, evoking freshness and vitality. It captures the essence of abundance ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Jagellonian Library, Krakau, Poland
Jagellonian Library, Krakau, Poland

Jagellonian Library, Krakau, Poland

By Luigi Kasimir

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled " Jagellonian Library, Krakau, Poland" 1941 is an original color etching by Austrian artist Luigi Kasimir 1881-1962. It is hand signed in pencil at the lower righ...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Etching

That's Saying Something, Original Painting
That's Saying Something, Original Painting

That's Saying Something, Original Painting

By Emil Morhardt

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A realistic animal painting depicts three great blue herons. Two of the herons are scanning their surroundings, seemingly in search of good fortune, trouble, or...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

The Grace II
The Grace II

The Grace II

By Serghei Ghetiu

Located in Zofingen, AG

n this piece, I captured the delicate strength and elegance of a ballerina lost in her moment. Through soft light and intricate details, I wanted to express grace as both a physical ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Juchiteca's Platicando (Juchitecan Women Talking)
Juchiteca's Platicando (Juchitecan Women Talking)

Juchiteca's Platicando (Juchitecan Women Talking)

By Francisco Zúñiga

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Juchiteca's Platicando (Juchitecan Women Talking) 1985 is an original colors lithograph on Wove paper by Costa Rican/Mexican artist Francisco Zuniga, 1912-1998. It is hand signed, dated and numbered 72/150 in pencil by the artist. The size is 22.75 x 30 inches. It is in excellent condition, 2 small pieces of hanging tape remaining on the back at the top edge of the sheet from previous framing. About the subject: This print, Juchitecas Platicando (Juchitecán Women Talking), depicts three statuesque women from the city of Juchiteca in the state of Oaxaca in southeastern Mexico. Juchiteca is a largely matriarchal society, in that women control the economy and hold positions of power. It is also home to a large Zapotec population, indigenous to the land that became Mexico. Francisco Zúñiga lived within the community of Juchiteca for a period of time and adopted the women of the area as one of the central motifs of his artwork, both on paper and in sculpture. Through his selective coloring, Zúñiga highlights the women’s clothing, including their recognizable huipiles or tunics, conveying the pride in locally made textile art About the artist: Internationally acclaimed sculptor and printmaker Francisco Zuñiga was born in Costa Rica. He studied drawing, stone sculpture, and engraving at the School of Fine Arts in San Jose. Later, in 1936, he studied stone carving at La Esmeralda in Mexico City. He was appointed to the faculty of La Esmeralda where he remained until his retirement in 1970. Zuniga's art reflects a love and respect for Central American people and traditions. In 1972, he created his first lithograph. As a complement to his emotionally powerful sculpture, Zuniga's prints articulate the sensitivity and sensuality of the human figure. He has been the recipient of numerous international prizes and awards. His work is exhibited frequently in prominent galleries throughout the world and may be found in the permanent collections of twenty-nine museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum, the Mexican Museum in San Francisco, and the Phoenix Art Museum. In 1936, Francisco Zuniga left San Jose, Costa Rica, where he had studied drawing at the School of Fine Arts and worked as an assistant in his father's studio, a workshop which produced religious sculpture for the churches and convents in and around the city. His destination was Mexico City. It was from there that he would begin an illustrious career as a sculptor and draftsman. Zuñiga's exploration into the nuances of volume, in line and space, are demonstrated in this, the most complete exhibition of his work to be shown in more than a decade. Mexico City in 1936 was, even then, one of the major art centers of the Americas. As such it witnessed and participated in many of the frenzied and controversial art movements which reflected the political and intellectual climate of the first three decades of the twentieth century. Muralism, the graphic arts, the incorporation of in-ternational movements had produced an artistic climate, which would eventually attract to Mexico international artists and intellectuals such as Sergei Eisenstein, André Breton and Antonin Artaud. Then as now, Mexico City was a major world capital with the infrastructure necessary to exhibit and expose new aesthetic concepts. For all these reasons it was the most obvious destination of choice for Zuñiga. In Mexico he worked with the painter Manuel Rodríguez...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Large Scale Winter Twilight Landscape Painting by Artist Mauritz Lindström
Large Scale Winter Twilight Landscape Painting by Artist Mauritz Lindström

Large Scale Winter Twilight Landscape Painting by Artist Mauritz Lindström

By Arvid Mauritz Lindström

Located in Stockholm, SE

This stunning winter landscape by Mauritz Lindström captures the serene yet striking beauty of a snow-laden scene illuminated by the warm glow of twilight. The interplay between the soft, colorful hues of the evening sky and the intricate, frost-covered branches creates an almost three-dimensional effect, drawing the viewer into the composition. The detailed rendering of the snow and the trees evokes a profound sense of coldness, making the atmosphere almost palpable. Measuring an impressive 101 x 152 cm (39 3/4 x 59 7/8 in) with the frame, this large-scale work is a testament to Lindström's mastery of light and texture. Arvid Mauritz Lindström...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Golden Ranunculuse
Golden Ranunculuse

Golden Ranunculuse

Located in Edinburgh, GB

This piece is part of an ongoing series of round canvases dedicated to the "portraits of flowers." Instead of treating florals as simple decorative elements, I approach each canvas a...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Cup of coffee and tangerine
Cup of coffee and tangerine

Cup of coffee and tangerine

By Irina Trushkova

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Cup of coffee and tangerine” is a celebration of the beauty that can be found in the simplest of things. The style of the painting is inspired by the Holland masters of the 17th cen...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Exit
Exit

Exit

Located in Edinburgh, GB

In "Exit", a solitary silhouette steps through a brilliantly illuminated doorway into an expansive, dark, and textured space. Executed through the artist's signature palette knife te...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Landscape with wooden bridge and figures"
"Landscape with wooden bridge and figures"

"Landscape with wooden bridge and figures"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Attributed to Giuseppe Zola (1672-1743) – "Landscape with Wooden Bridge and Figures" Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions (Flat): 190 x 301 cm Description: This monumental 18th-century ...

Category

17th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Character vs. Charicature
Character vs. Charicature

Character vs. Charicature

By William Hogarth

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

William Hogarth (1697-1764). Character vs. Charicature, 1743. Engraving on laid paper, plate measuring 8.25 x 9.25 inches. Framed measurement: 16.25 x 20.25 inches. Characters and...

Category

Mid-18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Engraving

An auction at Drouot's in Paris.
An auction at Drouot's in Paris.

An auction at Drouot's in Paris.

By René Francois Xavier Prinet

Located in Paris, FR

An auction at Drouot's in Paris. Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. Around 1900-1910. René François Xavier Prinet (31 December 1861, Vitry-le-François – 26 January 1946, Bourbonne-les-Bains) was a French painter and illustrator who drew his subjects from middle-class society. He was born to Henri Prinet, an Imperial Prosecutor in Vitry-le-François. A promotion led to him being posted in Paris, where they lived in a home not far from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. His father painted as a hobby and was supportive of his desire to study art, having him seek the advice of Louis Charles Timbal [fr], a well-known church painter and friend of the family. Around 1880, he began his studies in earnest, in the studios of Jean-Léon Gérôme; remaining with him until 1885. That year, his painting "The Infant Jesus" was accepted for display at the Salon. This was followed by studies at the Académie Julian. At this time, he also became associated with a group of young artists known as the Bande Noire (Black Stripe), which included Lucien Simon, André Dauchez...

Category

Early 1900s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Blooming in the Mountains, Impressionist Landscape Painting, Oil on Canvas
Blooming in the Mountains, Impressionist Landscape Painting, Oil on Canvas

Blooming in the Mountains, Impressionist Landscape Painting, Oil on Canvas

By Oleksandr Khrapachov

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Catalog 2018 “Khrapachov O._ Painting.: an album of works.” / – Kyiv. BX[studio], 2018. _ 48 pp. Blooming in the mountains Oleksandr Khrapachov, 2018 Oil on canvas. 80 × 100 cm Th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Tiger Barbs
Tiger Barbs

Tiger Barbs

Located in Edinburgh, GB

This oil painting brings together tiger barbs and lush tropical foliage in a vivid, symbolic composition. Deep green leaves and rich red flowers create a dense natural setting, while...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Orientalist European painter - 19th century Egyptian landscape
Orientalist European painter - 19th century Egyptian landscape

Orientalist European painter - 19th century Egyptian landscape

Located in Varmo, IT

Orientalist painter (19th century) - Landscape with Travellers, Ruins and Pyramid. 37 x 48 cm (without frame) - 49 x 60 cm (with frame). Oil on canvas, in a carved and gilded woode...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Picasso Muse, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Picasso Muse, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Picasso Muse, Painting, Oil on Canvas

By Gardani Art

Located in Yardley, PA

One-of-a-kind Realism Original Oil Painting on canvas by Gardani available for you. Hand signed by the Artist front and back, comes with official Gardani Certificate of Authenticity ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

TIMEWELL
TIMEWELL

TIMEWELL

By Robert Gadomski

Located in Three Oaks, MI

Oil on canvas, signed, dated, and titled verso, unframed (gallery wrapped).

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Culture 9 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Fashion, Eyes
Culture 9 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Fashion, Eyes

Culture 9 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Fashion, Eyes

By Damola Ayegbayo

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

Elephants
Elephants

Elephants

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

John Higginbotham (b.1963). Serengeti, 1984. Pencil on paper, image measures 15 x 21 inches. Framed measurement: 23 x 29 inches. Signed and dated by artist lower right.

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, 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.