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.
Vintage Tropical Parrot Oil Painting Signed 1996, Colorful Macaws Jungle Scene
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This vibrant vintage oil on canvas painting depicts two exotic parrots perched among lush tropical foliage overlooking a tranquil body of water. The composition is rich with color an...
Oil
$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
"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
"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
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
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
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
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
Night Out, Oil Painting
By Nick Savides
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Two adjoining East Village institutions, Milon and Panna II on First Avenue, fill the scene with competing neon lights and hanging decorations. A group of women...
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
Evolution
Located in Zofingen, AG
The painting features two pieces of art. The difference between their creation is about 2000 years. The first is the sculpture, Venus de Milo, the most famous of all ancient Venuses....
Canvas, Oil
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
"Amsterdam-Street" Realist Netherlands Cityscape Oil Painting on Canvas Framed
Located in New York, NY
A charming, realistic oil painting of a classic canal scene in Amsterdam, rendered in a traditional 19th-century academic style with a warm, inviting atmosphere. A tall, elegant ‘bef...
Canvas, Oil
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
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
$1,615
«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
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
"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
“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
$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
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
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
$538
«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
$1,200
1899 Irma Vauthier Antique Oil Painting European Genre Scene by Gilt Frame
Located in Palm Coast, FL
An atmospheric late 19th-century European School oil on canvas depicting a poignant rural genre scene of women and children gathered beside a stone cross, set within a sweeping, wind...
Oil
$2,296
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
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
$1,615
“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
"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
$1,600
"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
"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
$394Sale Price|76% Off
French school Still Life fruits Oil painting Signed
Located in Zofingen, AG
➡️Still Life painting from C Romey⬅️ ⏩It is signed C Romey⏪ Cecil Romey 1889-1973 ⭐Medium:⭐ Oil on canvas ⭐Technique: ⭐Impasto painting with expressive brushwork. ⭐Size:⭐55x38 c...
Oil, Stretcher Bars, Gesso
$8,226
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
“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
"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
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
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
«A Second Before the Touch» — Hyperrealistic Seascape Oil Painting of Ocean Wave
Located in Zofingen, AG
The wave rises and comes to stillness. Light passes through the water and remains within it. Movement slows, almost disappearing. This moment still holds its form. Nothing is broken ...
Canvas, Oil
$109Sale Price|20% Off
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of Small White Sheep Lying Down
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
"Calle Tipica, Aragon, Spain" Landscape Painting of Calm Mountain Village Scene
Located in Austin, TX
Oil on board Board Size: 16 x 20 in. Frame Size: 22 x 26.5 in. Signed, bottom right. In this oil painting Jose Vives-Atsara captures the rugged, sun-drenched essence of the Spanish ...
Oil, 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
$109Sale 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
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
"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
American Impressionist Oil Painting Gustave Cimioti 1875-1969 Marine Monhegan
By Gustave Cimiotti Jr.
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Gustave Cimioti Jr. Monhegan oil/canvas board signed LR 15.88 x 19.88 unframed, 21.19 x 25.07 framed Good original condition in period frame. Possibly original Biography: Gustave Ci...
Oil
Metsälampi (Forest Pond), 1942
Located in Stockholm, SE
Metsälampi (Forest Pond) is a 1942 oil painting on panel by the Finnish artist Ragnar Ungern, depicting a forest pond with overhanging trees reflected in its still waters. Created in...
Oil, Wood Panel
"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
$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
New York City Theater Painting Michael Budden Phantom of the Opera Study
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Mystical Phantom oil/panel 8x6 unframed, 13.38 x 11.25 framed signed LR Mystical Phantom is an oil painting study on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden...
Oil
$1,451
Fresh and Peeled-realism Still Life Painting, Oil on board, Signed, 37x45 cm
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is framed, signed & currently available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery. There is an undeniable elegance in the simplicity of Fresh and Pee...
Oil, Board
$1,148Sale Price|20% Off
Tigress Acrylic and Oil Painting on Canvas, Realist Style, 2000
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Author: Rodolfo Ramírez Cardo (Havana, Cuba) Title: Version of “Tigress” by Karl Bang Year: 2000 Technique: Acrylic and oil on canvas Dimensions: 64 x 85 cm (25.2 x 33.5 in) (unframe...
Canvas, Oil
Quiet day
Located in Zofingen, AG
A poised still life rendered in luminous oil, where light glides across a draped table, revealing the tender gleam of porcelain and the play of silken folds. Two white jugs, a cup a...
Canvas, Oil
$109Sale 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
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
Bucks County Winter Landscape Oil Painting Contemporary Artist Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Uhlerstown Lock, Bucks County The image measures 20 x 24 and 27.5 x 31 framed. signed LR An oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases ...
Oil
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.
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
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
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
"The Hendrick Hudson Steamboat on the Hudson River" Realist Oil Painting Canvas
Located in New York, NY
This vibrant painting depicts the historic sidewheel steamboat Hendrick Hudson majestically cruising across the Hudson River at sunset. The grand three-deck vessel, with its distinct...
Canvas, Oil
Listed Artist Hewett Jackson Original Oil Painting Tall Ship Seascape Large
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
"From Page to Zion" - Original Western Landscape Pastel Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Artist Statement: I've been working in pastel full-time for the last twenty-nine years and have been teaching workshops for the past fifteen. My artistic influences range from Paleol...
Pastel
$1,295Sale Price|25% Off
The Coriolanus Clipper Sailing Ship at Sea - Vintage 20th Century Oil Painting
Located in Preston, GB
The Coriolanus Clipper Sailing Ship at Sea - Vintage 20th Century Oil Painting by J Bishop. Art measures 32.5 x 26.5 inches Frame measures 36.5 x 30.5 inches This impressive oil p...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
"What Am I Looking At?.." Signed Acrylic Painting, Realist
Located in Zofingen, AG
This artwork blends calm seaside serenity with an unexpected, dreamlike encounter. A solitary girl stands on the shore, dressed in timeless black-and-white attire, her posture compos...
Acrylic