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.
"Patient Martyr" - Realist Male Portrait, Oil Painting on Aluminum Panel
Located in Denver, CO
"Patient Martyr" is a realist oil painting on aluminum panel by American painter Zack Zdrale, depicting a male model with his arms outstretched and intertwined above his head, leanin...
Panel, Oil
$10,681
Love
Located in London, London
All custom charges are included in the final price agreed. XXL, large oil ,acrylic on canvas painting, expressionism. The item is located in central London, UK WILL BE SHIPPED ROLL...
Acrylic, Oil, Canvas
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Impressionistic Seascape Painting Michael Budden Beach Play V
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Beach Play V oil/panel image 8 x 10 unframed, 13 x 15 framed Beach Play V is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a beach full...
Oil
Little lanterns
Located in Zofingen, AG
A delicate cluster of snowdrops rests in a clear glass vase, set against a deep, shadowed background. Painted in a restrained palette of soft whites, gentle greens, and warm earthy b...
Canvas, Oil
$1,280Sale Price|20% Off
"Quimper Creamer and Strawberries" Still Life Oil Painting on Wood Panel
By Bert Beirne
Located in New York, NY
A luminous still life that borrows themes from Dutch 17th Century Masters, we are drawn to the very details that Beirne captures effortlessly. The subdued, yet boldness of the colors...
Oil, Wood Panel
Flower tea. Horizontal format. Small size. Oil painting on cardboard
By Julia Chaduneli Prodiashvili
Located in Oslo, NO
"Flower tea" is a porcelain cup with a thin saucer that seems to hold the breath of a quiet morning, where the light falls on the whiteness of the glaze with a soft haze. In its frag...
Oil, Cardboard
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Impressionistic Seascape Painting Michael Budden Beach Sunrise
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Morning Drama oil/panel image 8 x 10 unframed, 14.5 x 16.5 framed signed LL Morning Drama is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showca...
Oil
$3,968Sale Price|24% Off
Portrait in gold
Located in London, London
one of a kind oil on canvas portrait painting 51x51x3cm hand signed An artist's certificate of authenticity is included The red chairs living room photos are part of the i...
Gold
"Hindsight" - Original Still-Life and Landscape, Oil Painting on Panel
Located in Denver, CO
"This painting was made based off of a photo I took from a bus window in Mexico, near Puerto Vallarta. The image stuck with me as the idea of an idyllic hillside. It felt to me like ...
Oil, Panel
Cat Awaits the Apocalypse, You Think About Dinner
Located in Zofingen, AG
This refined interior scene captures a moment of psychological stillness, where presence and perception quietly intersect. The poised figure of a woman contrasts with the alert silho...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Impressionistic Seascape Painting Michael Budden Beach Day People Boats Birds
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Beach Day III oil/panel image 8 x 10 unframed, 14.5 x 16.5 framed signed LL Beach Day III is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showca...
Oil
An Artist Working in the Studio 1930
Located in Stockholm, SE
This intimate studio interior from 1930 belongs to the more psychologically engaging side of Carlo Hornung Jensen’s oeuvre. A seated woman has paused beside her easel and turned towa...
Oil, Board
$680Sale Price|20% Off
Ocean Beach Seascape Oil Painting Children Playing Michael Budden Summer Play
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Summer Play, Sailboats and the Jetty 6 x 8 unframed, 9.75 x 11.75 framed Signed LR Summer Play is a study oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden t...
Oil
"Aperitif and Grapes in Madeira" Still Life Realist Oil Painting on Linen Framed
By Bert Beirne
Located in New York, NY
A luminous still life that borrows themes from Dutch 17th Century Masters, we are drawn to the very details that Beirne captures effortlessly. The subdued, yet boldness of the colors...
Oil, Linen
"An Enchanted Star for Katie" - Whimsical Animal Portrait, Oil on Panel
Located in Denver, CO
"There is a legend known among the wee ones of the forest, that near the southeast of the center of the forest, when a new moon sets with the sun, tiny wishing stars fall to the eart...
Oil, Paper
Hocus pocus woman with a rabbit
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this piece, I poured my fascination with whimsy and mystery, capturing the quiet magic between a performer and her loyal companion. The tension between vibrant abstraction and de...
Canvas, Oil
Contemporary Seascape Oil Painting Sunrise Series by Michael Budden People Jetty
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Sunrise Study Image is 6 x 8 unframed, and 11.75 x 13.75 framed. Signed LR Sunrise Study is a study oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that s...
Oil
That's Saying Something, Original Painting
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...
Acrylic
"Guardian of the Plains" - Oil Animal Painting on Wood (2025)
By Terra Novak
Located in Denver, CO
"Guardian of the Plains" depicts a detailed buffalo profile against a warm yellow background. Inspired by Yellowstone National Park, the buffalo embodies wisdom, strength, and the en...
Wood, Oil
Bulldog with a Food Bowl-oil on board, early 20th century, French.
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Bulldog with a Food Bowl French, early 20th century Oil on board Illegibly signed, lower left 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 (15 x 18 frame) inches A tender and thoughtful portrayal of a seated bul...
Oil, Panel
"Kenosha Skies" - Western Landscape and Skyscape, Oil Painting on Linen
Located in Denver, CO
Artist Statement: This painting captures the luminous midday atmosphere above Colorados Kenosha Pass, where expansive skies stretch endlessly above the Continental Divide. Using a co...
Linen, Oil
$11,006
Portrait of Lady Joan Kitchen - British 1940's art oil painting
By Herbert James Gunn
Located in Hagley, England
This lovely British portrait oil painting is by noted portrait artist James Gunn. Painted circa 1940 it is a seated portrait of Lady Joan Kitchen who resided in Sussex. She is wearin...
Oil
Antique European Old Master Style Flower Still Life Framed Interior Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique European still life oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Measuring: 27 by 21 inches overall, and 22 by 16 painting alone. Excellent condition, ready to hang and enjoy.
Oil, Canvas
Antique Late 19th Century Romantic Seascape Sailboats in Storm Oil Panel Framed
Located in Stockholm, SE
Presented here is a fine example of a late 19th-century seascape, executed in oil on a metal panel in the traditions of the European marine school. At the centre of the dynamic compo...
Metal
The Dueling Partners 1850's French Oil, Chateau Staircase Interior Beautiful oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Duel by Alcide Joseph LORENTZ (French 1813-1891) signed and dated 1857 oil painting on canvas, framed framed size: 30 x 25 inches canvas: 25 x 20.5 inches condition: very good an...
Canvas, Oil
“Portrait of a North African Man, 1872” Orientalist Portrait Black Model 19th C.
Located in Yardley, PA
“Portrait of a North African Man, 1872” by August Holmberg (1851-1911) This striking oil painting by the German painter, August Holmberg, depicts a richly detailed and intimate port...
Oil, Paper, Canvas
$12,155
Le Treport - Realist Seascape Oil Painting by Alfred Stevens
By Alfred Émile Léopold Stevens
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed seascape oil on panel by Belgian realist painter Alfred Emile Leopold Stevens. The work depicts boats at sea with figures on the pier. Signature: Signed lower left Dimension...
Oil, Canvas
India Madras Painting on board Portrait of Serving Girl with Pot c 1910
Located in Norfolk, GB
Madras School C 1910 Acrylic on board 11.5" x 8" Address on verso This painting dating to the early 20th century, c 1910, shows a young woman, possibly from Madras (see info on reverse), The colours follow the conventions of a genre of art called Company School painting...
Mixed Media, Board
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Cow With Horns Resting on The Grass
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
Portrait India Bengal Landscape Oil on Canvas Freedom Fighter Academic 1928
Located in Norfolk, GB
Portrait Bengal 1928 Frieda Hauswirth Das Untitled Oil on Canvas 45.5cm x 35.5cm Signed and Dated 1928 Heavily involved in the Fight for Freedom in India at the early part of the...
Canvas, Oil
Listed Artist Hewett Jackson Original Oil Painting Tall Ship Seascape Framed
Located in Palm Coast, FL
Up for sale is a large original oil painting on canvas by listed maritime artist Hewett R. Jackson (1914–2007). This striking nautical scene depicts a majestic tall sailing ship brea...
Oil
"Round Portrait of a Brown and Black Terrier" French 19th Century
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"Round Portrait of a Brown and Black Terrier," French, 19th Century, circa 1850s Oil on wood panel Unsigned. 9 x 9 inches frame One of a pair of charming portraits of Black White Te...
Oil, Wood Panel
$280Sale Price|20% Off
Mid Century Oil Painting -- The White Persian Kitten, Signed
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid Century Figurative -- White Persian Kitten by Mildred Kaucher Charming mid century portrait of a white Persian kitten with blue eyes and pink ears and nose by Los Gatos artist M...
Metal
"QUAIL IN THE BUSH" Arturo Mercado (1938-2016) Western Scene
By Arturo Mercado
Located in San Antonio, TX
Arturo Mercado (1938 -2016) Austin Artist Image Size: 6 x 7 Frame Size: 8.5 x 9.5 Medium: Acrylic "Quail in the Bush" signed Biography Arturo Mercado (1938 -2016) Arturo Mercado w...
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
Pacific Sunset Waves, Contemporary Cyanotype on Paper, Navy Blue, Beach House
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. "Pacific Sunset Waves" is an original cyanotype that abstractly shows the sunset reflections on the sea. Details: + Titl...
Emulsion, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Photographic Paper, Lithograph, Monop...
Fragility of Strength -Contemporary Seascape Oil Painting of Breaking Ocean Wave
Located in Zofingen, AG
The moment before everything changes, where strength teeters on the edge of fragility. DETAILS ● 100% original hand-painted ● The painting is textured ● The picture is painted with ...
Canvas, Oil
"The Dark Waters" Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, Signed
Located in Zofingen, AG
This refined contemporary painting combines narrative elegance with a strong visual signature. The striking red boat immediately anchors the composition, floating against richly text...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
$1,602
«Under a Heavy Sky» — Realistic Oil Seascape of Turquoise Waters and Storms
Located in Zofingen, AG
The sky lowers itself, as if reaching for the sea. Dense and dark, it carries an unspoken weight. The turquoise water does not resist — it glows from within, breathing steadily, ac...
Oil, Canvas
"Cloud Composition 7" Original Realist Skyscape with Clouds
Located in Denver, CO
"Cloud Composition 7" is a realistic capturing of a golden skyscape, created with oil paint on panel. This piece is framed at 9.5 x 9.5 inches and is ready to hang. Jesse Mangerson ...
Oil, Panel
Showa - original realism oil painting - contemporary wildlife artwork
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Wood, Oil
$2,279
Cowboy: The Freedom Rider- Western painting, American Artist, Horse painting
Located in Oslo, NO
cowboy, horse, prairie, Western art, Western painting, American art, American artist, freedom, Wild West "This painting was inspired by American Westerns and the films of the Wild W...
Canvas, Oil, Linen
Antique Italian Impressionist Venice Cityscape Framed Signed Watercolor Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage Italian painting. Watercolor on paper. Signed. Framed. Measuring: 18 by 25 inches overall, and 14.5 by 21 painting alone. Excellent condition, ready to hang and enjoy.
Watercolor
$534
«Botany 4» Original floral painting. Circular small canvas . Gift . Home decor
Located in Oslo, NO
This artwork, a circular painting, deftly captures a vibrant botanical ensemble on a textured backdrop. Set against a muted, earthy background, the piece features an array of intrica...
Canvas, Oil
$8,186
Dolomite Landscape - Huge Italian Austrian Mountain River Waterfall Oil Painting
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
A beautiful and huge mid 19th century oil on canvas depicting a landscape in the Dolomites, by Karl Moser. Excellent quality work on exhibition scale by this important Austrian arti...
Canvas, Oil
$1,602
“Line of Stillness” — Contemporary Seascape Painting of Calm Ocean Horizon
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work is about how formality dissolves when you’re surrounded by the right people. What is usually governed by rules, timing, and expectations quietly turns into something softer...
Canvas, Oil
View from Il Cellese - original realism landscape artwork - oil painting
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. In View from Il Cellese, Jeanette Meehan expands on her exploration of interior fra...
Canvas, Oil
Fireflies II - contemporary, figurative, portrait, oil on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This realistic oil portrait of a young man is by Daniel Hughes. In a field surrounded by the magical glow of dozens of fireflies, a young man stands alone, looking towards hills in ...
Oil, Canvas
Evening in Tuscany - original realism landscape artwork - oil painting
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Oil
Original Mid 19th Century Swedish Academic Oil Portrait Lady in Bonnet Framed
Located in Stockholm, SE
Before us is a fine example of mid-19th-century European portrait painting, attributed to the Swedish artist Josef Wilhelm Wallander (1821–1888). This canvas, whose creation is linke...
Canvas, Wood, Oil
Antique 19th Century British Oil Painting by G. Wylle Rural Landscape Gilt Frame
Located in Palm Coast, FL
Up for sale is an antique British oil painting on canvas, signed “G. Wylle” in the lower area, depicting a picturesque riverside village scene with historic stone buildings, a tower ...
Oil
“Where Everything Begins” — Hyperrealistic Seascape at Dawn
Located in Zofingen, AG
A moment of silence between night and day. The sea still holds the coolness and depth of darkness, yet the first path of sunlight already appears on the water — a sign of beginning, ...
Canvas, Oil
$108Sale Price|20% Off
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of A Cow Munching Grass In The Meadow
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
Crowded Street Scene From Luntmakargatan, Stockholm
Located in Stockholm, SE
Olof Arborelius (1842–1915) From Luntmakargatan, Stockholm oil on paper mounted on board signed with monogram “OA” unframed 24 × 30 cm (9.4 × 11.8 in) frame 35 × 41 cm (13.8 × 16.1...
Oil, Board, Laid Paper
$108Sale Price|20% Off
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Horse Patiently Waiting at The Wooden Fence
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
$480Sale Price|20% Off
Beach & Ocean Impressionistic Seascape Oil Painting by Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Off the Coast Seascape Study is an oil painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a beautiful beach scene created in an impressionist...
Oil
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Portrait of a Detailed Cow's Face
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...
Graphite, Chalk
Impressionistic Realistic Moonlight Landscape Oil Painting Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Moon Sliver oil/panel 8 x 10 unframed 13.50 x 15.50 x 2 framed. Signed LR Moon Sliver is an oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcase...
Oil
Lovers
Located in London, London
All custom charges are included in the final price agreed. The figures appear intertwined yet autonomous, evoking themes of identity, intimacy, and performance without narrative clo...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
"Forest shadows", green, Landscape Paintings, paper, vertical, mixed media
Located in Oslo, NO
This expressive mixed media sketch on paper (study for a large painting) captures the essence of a dense forest landscape with bold brushstrokes and layered textures. The interplay o...
Paper, Acrylic, Pencil