Antonio Lo Pinto

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.

Nude sculptures are a traditional form of art around the world. For thousands of years, artists have expressed ideals, philosophy and cultural beliefs through the nude human form.

One of the oldest examples is the Venus of Willendorf, dating to the Upper Paleolithic period. From the ancient Greek Aphrodite of Knidos to Michelangelo’s 16th-century David, the nude sculpture has continued to evolve.

On a surface level, a nude sculpture portrays the beauty standards and ideals of a time and place, just as the mostly male painters of the Pre-Raphaelite movement can be seen as projecting an idea of feminine beauty that was confined to porcelain-skinned maidens, their auburn locks flowing, enacting scenes of longing or tragedy drawn from tales about Camelot or told by Dante, Shakespeare, Tennyson and Keats. On a deeper level, however, nude sculpture explores culture, traditions and beliefs. Even today, the human body continues to captivate artists and their audiences.

If you’re thinking about bringing nude sculptures or other kinds of sculptures into your home, remember: No matter how big or small your new addition is, it will make a statement in your space (busts, for example, can bring a dose of drama into an entryway). Large- and even medium-sized sculptures can be heavy, so hire some professional art handlers as necessary and find a good place in your home for your piece.

Find a large collection of nude sculptures and other sculptures from various time periods and cultural origins on 1stDibs.