Realist Paintings
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
The childhood of Harley Quinn
Located in Zofingen, AG
Harley Quinn is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. In this painting, I captured the delicate innocence and quiet melancholy of childhood ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Nude. Abstract realism, Horizontal, Pastel colours, Beige, Nudes across mediums
Located in Oslo, NO
The subject of the painting is just awakened young woman, resting in a bad and enjoying first morning sunlight.
The relaxed posture and soft colors express a calm mood, the freshnes...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$1,950 Sale Price
25% Off
New York City Painting Michael Budden Evening On Broadway St James & Sardis
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Evening On Broadway, St. James & Sardi's
Image is 10 x 8 unframed, 15.5 x 13.5 framed.
An acrylic painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
$1,000 Sale Price
20% Off
«Evening Symphony of the Sea» — Hyperrealistic Painting of Ocean Sunset and Wave
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting depicts a magical moment between day and night at the seaside. The sand still holds the warmth of the fading sun, while waves dance along the shore, composing a gentle ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
British Chalk Sketch of A Flock Of Herded Sheep On Deep Green Artist Paper
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...
Category
Mid-19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Graphite, Chalk
Pocket Cherry - 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. Dani Humberstone’s Pocket Cherry, painted in oil on canvas, emb...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
“Amber Light” — Hyperrealistic Seascape Oil Painting of Sunset Ocean Wave.
Located in Zofingen, AG
«Amber Light» is a fleeting and rare moment when the sea glows from within, filled with warm golden light. A wave sparkles like a drop of amber, inviting us into the slow, quiet rhy...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
BE WATER
Located in Zofingen, AG
She floats where silence begins — just beneath the skin of the water.
Her form is neither here nor gone, dissolving into rhythm and light.
There is no past, no edge, no name — only t...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Wood Panel, Oil
«Splash of Silence» – Turquoise Wave Hyperrealism Oil Painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
A wave rises — calm, steady, full of quiet power.
There is no noise here, only the deep breath of the ocean.
"Splash of Silence" captures the moment just before everything moves again
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Original painting on canvas board by Serg Graff " Futuristic Apple" COA
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This is an original contemporary acrylic painting on canvas board in a modern still life style by Serg Graff, titled “Futuristic Apple.”
The composition features a single boldly ren...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Train to Sunset, Oil Painting
By Nick Savides
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Set on a winter evening at the 4th Avenue/9th Street station in Brooklyn, this painting captures a vivid sunset framed by the converging diagonals of the train ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
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.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
«Light of Hope» – Hyperrealism Ocean Splash Wave at Sunset Oil Painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Created in March 2022, during the first weeks of the war in Ukraine, Light of Hope carries a deep emotional resonance. This hyperrealistic seascape unites the fiery energy of a sunse...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel, Board
“Pulse of the Ocean” — Hyperrealistic Oil Seascape Painting of Sunset Waves
Located in Zofingen, AG
The ocean pulses like a heart in love with the sunset. Its waves are gentle touches, holding the secrets of endless love.
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Seashore
Located in Zofingen, AG
The ocean is a mystery, full of secrets and deep emotions. Its power can be frightening, yet it beckons and offers freedom. In every wave lies a story of fear and love, intertwined i...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Tall ship at sea, dramatic sky, crashing waves, maritime oil by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Tall ship at sea, dramatic sky, crashing waves, maritime oil by British Artist
Art measures 18 x 13 inches
Frame measures 23 x 18 inches
This is a beautifully framed maritime oil ...
Category
20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Scottish Highlands Landscape Scene with Children & Dog Fishing by Mountain Lake
Located in Preston, GB
Scottish Highlands Landscape Scene with Children & Dog Fishing by a Mountain Lake by British Artist, Andrew Grant Kurtis M.A.(Lon) B.Des.(Hons) L.S.I.A.D.
Art measures 30 x 20 inche...
Category
20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
White lace
Located in Zofingen, AG
On the canvas of the artwork "White Lace" nature unveils its delicate side, as if weaving an intricate lace fabric for its masterpiece. A wave, enveloped in pristine foam, intertwine...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Wikiva Basin, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
This oil painting captures the quiet beauty of a Florida marsh. Palm trees and billowing clouds add depth and balance to the composition. Artist Kent Sullivan u...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Renewal
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Renewal" is the gentle touch of the ocean where water and soul meet, merging in a dance of light and motion. The waves envelop and carry away into a realm of quiet magic, where ever...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Echo of the Black Cat
Located in Zofingen, AG
This striking, contemporary painting invites the viewer into a space of quiet mystery and irony. A young woman with auburn hair, dressed in a dark, structured dress, stands confide...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
«Explosion of Feelings» – Hyperrealistic Seascape Oil Painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Through the warm sunset sky, the ocean soars toward the light.
A single wave, igniting, bursts into a thousand sparkling droplets,
each seemingly holding the last glimmers of the dep...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cardboard
Harvest Time on the Farm
Located in New York, NY
This Barbizon influenced work is a moving and beautifully painted work. The artist took a strong interest in artists such as Corot and the French painters that took to depicting the...
Category
1980s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Still Life with an Album of Japanese Prints
Located in Oslo, NO
The still life is done in light colors, in gentle neutral pearl-silver shades. The background for the objects is an open large album with Japanese prints. We see two reproductions wi...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
New York City Snow Oil Painting Michael Budden Winter Union Square
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Winter Union Square
oil/panel
9 x 12 x .25 unframed
14x17.25 framed as pictured. Frame has been touched up
Winter Union Square is an oil painting on canvas panel by award winning ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
«Sea on Fire» - Hyperrealistic Oil Seascape Painting with Sunset Ocean Waves
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Sea on Fire” is a moment when the sky bursts into flame above the horizon, and the sea catches its light as if holding a secret. The waves whisper in the language of sunset, rolling...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
Daffodils in a milk jug
Located in Zofingen, AG
These daffodils picked in my garden set in a milk jug. The various shades of yellow-white color and the choice of details made it possible to convey the beauty of flowers. The blue p...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Last Light" - Oil on Canvas Winter Landscape with Sunset Mountains
Located in Denver, CO
Mark Harrison’s Last Light (2025) is an original, handmade oil painting on canvas that captures the fleeting beauty of twilight as it falls over a snow-covered plain and the rugged p...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
18th Century Oil on Panel Portrait of Noble Lady with Feathered Hat Signed Frame
Located in Stockholm, SE
An elegant portrait from the late 18th century in oil on wood panel, depicting a contemplative aristocratic lady seated beneath the shade of trees. The model is captured in a pose of...
Category
Late 18th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil, Wood Panel
19th Century European Oil Painting Panoramic Landscape Sunrise with Pond Framed
Located in Stockholm, SE
An atmospheric antique oil on canvas from the late nineteenth century presents a radiant sunrise over quiet countryside. In the center a large disk of the sun is half risen above the...
Category
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood, Oil
Weightlessness
Located in Zofingen, AG
In the embrace of water, weightlessness becomes our faithful companion, allowing us to temporarily free ourselves from the burden of everyday life and experience the lightness of bei...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Wood Panel, Oil
Late 19th Century Antique Oil Portrait of Young Peasant Girl Resting by Road
Located in Stockholm, SE
This enchanting original oil painting on canvas depicts a young Scandinavian peasant girl in traditional folk costume who has paused on a winding road to rest. The melancholic beauty...
Category
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood, Oil
"Red Plum & Pitcher" Original Oil, Teapot with Plum, Grapes, Still-Life Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Red Plum" by Blair Atherholt is an original, hand made painting depicting a teapot with grapes and a warmly lit red plum
Blair Atherholt is an award-winning contemporary realist oi...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
"In Repose" (2025) By Matt Talbert, Original Oil Painting, Portrait
By Matt Talbert
Located in Denver, CO
Matt Talbert's "In Repose" (2025) is an original, handmade oil painting on panel that depicts a portrait of a brunette seated at a table in deep contemplation.
Artist bio/statement...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
British Chalk Pencil Sketches of A Bull Lying Down With White Features
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...
Category
Mid-19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Chalk, Graphite
The Poor Girl – An Early Genre Scene by Julius Kronberg, 1873
Located in Stockholm, SE
This small, tenderly rendered painting— titled The Poor Girl (Den fattiga flickan)—offers a rare glimpse into Julius Kronberg’s early period, when he w...
Category
1870s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
In an embrace. Original oil painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Japanese cherry“ is a painting that pays homage to the natural beauty and timeless elegance of this flowering tree. My intention was to keep tenderness and fragility of flowers, a ...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Impressionistic Marine Oil Painting Allen D Cochran Salmagundi Club Gloucester
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Allen Dean Cochran (American 1859-1938) oil on canvas board seascape, titled Turning of the Tide, signed lower right, "Quiet Cove - Gloucester"; c. 1950; Oil on Board; 8 x 10 image, ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
'Golden Tranquility' Forest Lake Scene by American Postwar 20th Century Artist
Located in Preston, GB
'Golden Tranquility' Forest Lake Scene by American Postwar 20th Century Artist, Phillip Cantrell, born in 1922. Original, Signed, Landscape, Vintage Oil Painting.
Art measures 16 x...
Category
20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Young Girl Watering Flowers – Intimate 19th Century Genre Scene
Located in Stockholm, SE
This tender scene by German artist Georg Buchner captures a quiet, intimate moment: a young girl carefully watering a potted plant on a windowsill. The warm light gently illuminates ...
Category
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Dialogue in Silence
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, we see a minimalist room with a huge window, beyond which stretches a sky filled with fluffy white clouds. Muted colors dominate—the blue of the sky contrasts beaut...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Antique 19th Century Pastoral Landscape Oil on Canvas Old Master Style Signed
Located in Stockholm, SE
This antique oil painting on canvas represents a masterfully painted pastoral landscape from the first half of the 19th century and executed in the style of the old masters school. T...
Category
1830s Realist Paintings
Materials
Gold
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of A Fisherman Preparing His Fly Fishing Rod
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922)
graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed
artist paper : 7 x 5.5 inches
Provenance: private collection
Condition: very good condition
Ha...
Category
Mid-19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Chalk, Graphite
Realist Skyscape Triptych in Blue Tones of Serene Cloudy Sky, Handmade Cyanotype
By Kind of Cyan
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 Paintings
Materials
Paper, Emulsion, Lithograph
Field of Poppies - 2, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A field of red poppies bursts with vibrant color, illuminated by the golden hues of a setting sun. Bold strokes capture the depth and vitality of the scene. Pai...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
«The Scarlet Embrace of Dusk» – Hyperrealism Sunset Seascape Oil Painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Created in March 2022, during the first weeks of the war in Ukraine, Light of Hope carries a deep emotional resonance. This hyperrealistic seascape unites the fiery energy of a sunse...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
19th Century Antique Oil Painting Castle on Hill Lake Boat Figures Gilt Frame
Located in Stockholm, SE
This charming 19th century antique oil painting captures a romantic European castle on a hill overlooking a tranquil lake. The composition features two figures enjoying a boat ride o...
Category
Late 19th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Gold Leaf
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 is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a dramatic sunrise se...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
$960 Sale Price
20% Off
Oysters and lemon
Located in Zofingen, AG
The bird’s eye view, strong light on the mother-of-pearl of oysters and folds create this image. The medium used is oil on canvas, which allows to capture the vibrant color, delicate texture, and the play of light on the subject matter. The iridescent oysters contrast on a black plate focusing the viewer's eye towards the center of the composition. Color palette in “Oysters and lemon...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Lemons. Original oil painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Lemons” is an ode to the simple pleasures of life, inviting viewers to appreciate the inherent beauty in everyday objects. The central place is occupied by a plate of lemons with le...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Impressionistic Seascape Otis Swett Oil Painting Ogonquit ME Salmagundi Label
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
William Otis Swett (American 1859-1938) oil on canvas board seascape, titled Turning of the Tide, signed lower right, Salmagundi Club exhibition label verso, board - 9" x 12", frame ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
$2,800 Sale Price
20% Off
Portrait of a Handsome Beatnik
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mary Kiisel Greenwood (b.1924)
Studied: PAFA
Exhibited: Gross McCLeaf Gallery, Philadelphia
Portrait of a Beatnik, ca. 1955-60.
Oil on canvas measuring 12 x 16 inches.
Some w...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil
$1,200 Sale Price
33% Off
"Crimson Murmurs" - Oil on Linen Figurative Painting With Red Birds
Located in Denver, CO
Alexandra Manukyan’s “Crimson Murmurs” (2024) is an original oil painting executed on linen mounted to aluminum gallery wrap, measuring 30 x 24 inches (32 x 26 inches framed). This e...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Linen
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 Paintings
Materials
Oil
Antique American Super Realist Trompe L'Oeil Framed Signed Still Life Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Early American super realist trompe l'oeil still life oil painting. Framed. Oil on canvas, lain to board. Signed. Image size, 14H by 10L.
Category
1890s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"The Bather" (2024) Oil Painting by Karen Offutt, Female Portrait, Nude
By Karen Offutt
Located in Denver, CO
Karen Offutt's (US based) "The Bather" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a nude female in a landscape, bathed in light, with a towel draped around her. The painting ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Table top bottles still life painting
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful Italian Still Life painting by unknown artist in the style of Giorgio Morandi.
Oil on panel, measuring 16 1/8 x 22 inches. ca. 1960s
Artist board and fixtures are Italian.
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
"Subtle Glory" (2025) Original Oil painting with Black Horse
Located in Denver, CO
"Subtle Glory" is an original oil painting by Brian Keith Stephens depicting a black horse with bridle and saddle in profile. It is unframed, but ready-to-hang.
Artist Statement
Ho...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings
Materials
Cotton, Oil
shellfish harvesters women on the beach Spain spanish seascape
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
**Title**: Fisherwomen on the Beach
**Author**: Rafael Mumpao Hinojosa
**Technique**: Oil on canvas
**Canvas dimensions**: 25.6 x 31.9 in
**Framed dimensions**: 37.8 x 44.1 in
This artwork captures a beautiful costumbrist scene, focusing on traditions and everyday life. **Rafael Mumpao Hinojosa**, with his detailed and realistic style, draws inspiration from renowned painters such as **Joaquín Sorolla**, a master of light and movement, and **Julio Romero de Torres...
Category
1980s Realist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$4,335 Sale Price
28% Off
"Stillness" - Oil Painting of Nude Female Figure by Matt Talbert
By Matt Talbert
Located in Denver, CO
Matt Talbert's "Stillness" (2024) is an oil painting on linen, measuring 21 x 14 inches (53.34 x 35.56 cm). The unframed artwork features a nude female figure seated beside a window,...
Category
2010s Realist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
$1,750 Sale Price
30% Off
Realist paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Realist paintings 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 paintings 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 Michael Budden, Su Yu, Olga Antonova, and Mark Hunter. 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 0.5 inches across are also available.