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Realist Art

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
Original WW2 Poster Join QARANC – Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps
Located in London, GB
To see our other original vintage public information posters, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send us a message if you cannot find the poster you want. Join QARANC – Queen Alexandra...
Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Tempest, Oil, ARC Salon Finalist, Portrait Society of America, Florence, Italy
Located in Houston, TX
Tempest was painted over several days in the artist studio in Florence, Italy. The painting measures 25 x 21 with a handmade frame from Italy. This is oil on a linen panel which mo...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

The Sheldonian and Clarendon, Broad Street, Oxford engraving by Basire
Located in London, GB
To see our other views of Oxford and Cambridge, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send us a message if you cannot find the view you want. James Basire II (1769 - 1822) after Edward Dayes...
Category

Early 1800s Realist Art

Materials

Engraving

Leslie Peck, "Old School Haying", 18x36 Farming Landscape Oil Painting on Board
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
"Old School Haying", is a 18x36 oil painting on board by artist Leslie Peck featuring two Amish farmers and their horses in the hay field harvesting food f...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Grasslands Giant - Framed Bison Acrylic Painting
Located in Boston, MA
Grasslands Giant 14.0 x 11.0 x 0.25, 10.0 lbs Acrylic on canvas Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: “A towering bull bison stand tall agai...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Horticulture, Garden Prize relief wall hanging
Located in Greenwich, CT
A unique wall piece that is a great gift for any avid gardener or lover of horticulture. Sit Hamo Thornycroft would become one of the youngest members of the Royal Academy, achieve the Medal of Honour at the Paris Exhibition in 1900, and be knighted in 1917. Working in a transitional style between that of the neo-classicists of his parent’s generation and the Modernist style of the 20th century, Thornycroft carved out a niche as a figurative sculptor and noted modeler of public monuments in and around London. Toogoods and Sons, Ltd, established in the early nineteenth century, had, by the turn of the century, grown to become the largest seed company...
Category

1920s Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Colorado winter landscape original oil painting large-scale
Located in San Francisco, CA
This original oil painting captures the breathtaking beauty of a mountain view from Vail, Colorado, in the heart of the Rockies. The artwork is an interplay of abstract textures and ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

OIL PAINTING FRENCH By ? Beautiful lady of Nobility in a Gold Neoclassical Frame
Located in Ferndown, GB
OIL PAINTING By ? Beautiful lady of Nobility in a Neoclassical Frame FINE Portrait OIL PAINTING Old Master Early 19th Century French artist ...
Category

18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Ego, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
David Cheifetz's "Ego is an oil painting featuring a dark skull contrasted with a light background. About the artist: David is an internationally acclaimed and collected artist wh...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

The factory 1961, paper/watercolor, 28.5x40.5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
The village 1964, paper/watercolor., 20.5x29.5 cm Herberts Mangolds (1901-1978) Graphic, army officer. In 1920 he graduated from the Artillery Cadet School of Latvian and many mili...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Stones on the seashore. 1959. Canvas, oil, 50x70 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Stones on the seashore. 1959. Canvas, oil, 50x70 cm In the artist's work, the stones on the seashore are painted with safe strokes. The color of the work is soft and saturated at the same time. Waves are lapping in the distance. The artist has devoted his attention to the depiction of a rocky seashore on the coast of the Vidzeme Sea, which is the eastern shore of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. Aleksandrs Zviedris...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Boulevard at summer. 1961, paper, watercolor, 37x52 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Boulevard. 1961, paper, watercolor, 37x52 cm Laimdonis Grasmanis (1916-1970) 1933 – 1937 – Art school of Applied art in Liepaja 1937 – 1942 – Art Academy of Latvia Artist took pa...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"Stacked Cups on Paisley" A tower of 8 elegant white, gold, blue, & gray cups
Located in Wellesley, MA
Olga Antonova’s subject is compositions of extraordinarily elegant and beautiful cups, plates, teapots, and dishes, but there is something humorous and provocative about these painti...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

Peonies In A Silver Vase Still Life
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Peonies In A Silver Vase 2022 Still Life oil on canvas, artist signed lower right. Zbigniew Kopania, artist painter, cinematographer, born December 21, 1949, in Łódź Poland. Kopania...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

" Little pilots" Gouache and ink cm. 24 x 18 1982
Located in Torino, IT
Children, Playing,,illustrations, children's room,Toys, airplane Marina Evgenevna USPENSKAYA (Moscow, 1925 – 2007) Marina Evgenevna Uspenskaya was born in Moscow. She graduated fro...
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Gouache

Original Oil Painting on canvas, Still Life, Flowers, Signed, Framed
Located in Palm Coast, FL
Up for sale is a beautiful original oil painting on canvas. This painting is a classical and elegant floral still-life composition, featuring a lush bouquet of vibrant flowers arrang...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

A Cat, a Hat & a Hell of a Night
Located in Zofingen, AG
Artwork depicts a enigmatic scene in a desolate desert under a stormy sky, slashed by lightning. Two figures stand with their backs to the viewer, gazing at a weathered wooden buildi...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Study II (Surrender), 6 x 4, Waterfall Landscape, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Study II (Surrender)" by Robin Cole is a 2023 original work, utilizing oil on mounted linen to exquisite effect. The painting's dimensions of 6 x 4 inches, set within a 10.5 x 7.5-i...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Winter in the city. Oil on canvas, 73.5x85 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Winter on Barona Street. Oil on canvas, 73.5x85 cm Rolands Krishjans (1966) In 1984 I finished J. Rozenthals art school in Riga. In 1993 I graduated from Latvian Art Academy with d...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Wildwood Regional Parks, Thousand Oaks", Plein Air Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Alexander Chistov's "Wildwood Regional Parks, Thousand Oaks" is an original, handmade, plein air oil painting depicting the landscape in southe...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Rabbi with a Fur Hat, Oil Painting by Jeno Gussich
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Jeno Gussich, Hungarian (1905 - ??) Title: Rabbi with a Fur Hat Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed lower right Size: 24 x 20 inches Frame Size: 30.5 x...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Gruppo de Mujeres Sentadas, I.
Located in New York, NY
Signed, dated and numbered 59/92 in pencil, lower margin. Printed by Kyron, Mexico City. Co-published by Kyron, and Tasende, Mexico City. Catalogue raisonne: Vlady 244.
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph, Color

Legend of Hummingbird
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original painting signed by the Artist on the lower right.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Western Lands, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Sunset reveals the vast grandeur of the Grand Canyon. The rugged cliffs glow with deep amber and violet hues beneath a sky brushed with luminous pastel clouds. ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Judaica Miniature Oil Painting Jewish Family Scene
Located in Surfside, FL
Genre: Realism Subject: Family Portrait Medium: Oil Surface: Canvas Dimensions: 12X14 includes frame
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Oh, Those New Mexico Sunsets
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist UNFRAMED: 6" x 12" FRAMED: 9.875" x 15.875" x 1.375" Artist Statement “In a vast horizontal stretch of land open to sky...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Panel

Presque Isle (Day 87) June 14, 2022 Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Presque Isle (Day 87) June 14, 2022" by Primary Hughes (United States) is a handmade landscape painting that is unframed, and will require a frame.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

The Victorious David / - The melancholy of the radiant hero -
Located in Berlin, DE
Henri Honoré Plé (1853 Paris - 1922 Paris), The Victorious David, around 1890. Red-brown and brown patinated bronze with terrain plinth mounted on a round base. 62 cm (total height) ...
Category

1890s Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Rhode Island Surfers, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Surfers off Rhode Island, September 1965. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aaron...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Autumn mood. Oil on cardboard, 38 x 48, 5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Autumn mood. Oil on cardboard, 38x48,5 cm Alfejs Bromults (1913.3.IV - 1991.11.I) His first professional education was at National University at studies to R.Suta, J. Bine and G. S...
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Along the Coast, Walberswick, Large Print, Limited Edition, Landscape
Located in Deddington, GB
Along the Coast, Walberswick – Large Canvas Print Limited edition canvas prints by Michael Sanders. These stunning prints are created using fine art archival quality inks and canvas ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Giclée

YOUNG WOMAN RED VEST Signed Lithograph, Standing Woman Hair Up, Green Dress
Located in Union City, NJ
YOUNG WOMAN RED VEST is an original hand drawn (not digitally or photo reproduced) limited edition lithograph by the artist Raphael Soyer - Russian/American S...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Old McDonald's Farm" Aaron Bohrod, Pun Humor, Magic Realism, Midwestern Rural
Located in New York, NY
Aaron Bohrod Old McDonald's Farm, 1989 Signed lower right Oil on gesso board 14 x 18 inches Aaron Bohrod's work has not been limited to one style or medium. Initially recognized as ...
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Art Deco : Woman with Flowers - Original lithograph, 1897
Located in Paris, IDF
Edmond AMAN JEAN Art Deco : Woman with Flowers (Sous les fleurs), 1897 Original lithograph (Champenois workshop) Printed signature in the plate On vellum, 40 x 31 cm (c. 16 x 12 in)...
Category

1890s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Champ, oil, ARC Salon Finalist, Portrait Society of America, Florence
Located in Houston, TX
The Champ was painted over several days in the artist studio in Florence, Italy. The painting measures 16 x 12 with a handmade frame from Italy. This is oil on a linen panel which ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Linen, Panel

South Prospect of Somerset House engraving c. 1753 for Stow's Survey of London
Located in London, GB
To see our other views and maps of England - including London, Oxford and Cambridge, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send...
Category

1750s Realist Art

Materials

Engraving

Oxford from the East engraving by Pieter van der Aa after David Loggan
Located in London, GB
Pieter van der Aa (1659-1733), after David Loggan (1634–1692) Oxford from the East Engraving 12 x 16 cm An eighteenth-century view of Oxford from the east, engraved by Pieter van de...
Category

Early 18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Engraving

Bondage-Medusa, male figure, classical architecture details mythical realism
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mythical realism, grey tones, semi- nude male, homo-erotic figure
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Dunes
Located in New York, NY
Gouache on paper Signed and dated in pencil, l.r. This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City Born in California, John Button (1929-1982) was educated at Universi...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Gouache, Paper

Samuel Howitt: 'Battle between Buffalo and Tiger' print after Thomas Williamson
By Thomas Williamson
Located in London, GB
Samuel Howitt (1765-1822) after Thomas Williamson (1758-1817) Exhibition of a Battle between a Buffalo & a Tiger' from Oriental Field Sports (1819) Hand-coloured aquatint 35 x 47 cm Captain Thomas...
Category

Early 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Aquatint

Adrian Collaert 17th Century The Temptation of Christ Engraving Martin de Vos
Located in London, GB
We have the full series of 52 prints (including title page) from Vita Passio et Resurrectio Iesu Christi listed. To find the others scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below i...
Category

17th Century Realist Art

Materials

Engraving

Fisherman
Located in Roma, RM
Francesco Messina (Linguaglossa 1900 – Milan 1995), Fisherman (1930) Bronze sculpture measuring 131 x 52 x 65 cm, signed and dated 1930 on the base. Francesco Messina’s Fisherman w...
Category

1930s Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

March 9, 1998 (98-99 Series), Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A woman glances sharply to her right, her expression poised between curiosity and caution. Rendered in stark black and white, the piece gives a timeless and cin...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Sir Walter Scott’s Caretaker’s Cottage in Abbotsford, Scotland
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Artist Statement "Painted en plein air, this quaint cottage was painted on the grounds of Abbortsford Castle in Scotland,...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel, Canvas

On the beach. 1976. Cardboard /mixed media. 50x59cm
Located in Riga, LV
On the beach. 1976. Cardboard /mixed media. 50x59cm Marina landscape with beach, boats and people relaxing on the seashore.
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Theodoor Galle Martin de Vos 17th Century Engraving Jesus on the Cross
Located in London, GB
We have the full series of 52 prints (including title page) from Vita Passio et Resurrectio Iesu Christi listed. To find the others scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" and search for 'Collaert' - or message us as they may not all have been uploaded yet. Theodoor Galle (1571 – 1633) after Maerten de Vos (1532 - 1603) Jesus on the Cross...
Category

17th Century Realist Art

Materials

Engraving

Tomahawk Steak - Realist Oil Painting
Located in Tulsa, OK
Abra Johnson's "Tomahawk Steak" is a mouthwatering gem of culinary realism. This 24" x 12" oil painting showcases a perfectly cooked rare Tomahawk steak on a rustic cutting board...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Giacomo Mantegazza, Villa La Casinella, Lake Como, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Giacomo and Stefania Mantegazza welcome guests arriving by boat at their villa, La Casinella, on Lake Como, 1983. Brilliant green trees contrast with the vivid orange, reds and turquoise of the architecture. Four boats can are afloat on the deep blue of the lake. Slim Aarons Giacomo Montegazza, Villa La Casinella, Lake Como Slim Aarons Estate Edition Stamped and hand numbered by the Slim Aarons Estate. Chromogenic Lambda print from the original transparency Printed Later Certificate of Authenticity included Collector will get the next number in the edition Over the course of a career lasting half a century, Slim Aarons (1916-2006) portrayed high society, aristocracy, authors, artists, business icons, the celebrated and their milieu. In doing so, he captured a golden age of wealth, privilege, beauty and leisure that occurred alongside—but quite separate from—the cultural and political backdrop of the second half of the Twentieth Century. The Slim Aarons Estate has released the limited Estate edition as a Lambda print, which is a modern c-type prints. They have chosen Lambda prints for their sharpness, clarity, colour saturation and quality, compared to archival inkjet prints. Lambda printing gives true continuous tone. Photograph is unframed Slide show includes a close-up of the Slim Aarons estate's stamp. Collector will get the next number in the edition * We are pleased to offer the entire archive of the Slim Aarons Estate, offering the official Slim Aarons Estate Edition (only offered in this edition of 150). Please contact us for additional photographs from Slim Aarons * Now in his 70s, Giacomo Mantegazza...
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Baby's Blue
Located in Dallas, TX
Words fall short when art speaks for itself. A language all its own. "Inspiration was never something to seek out but to be awake for." Based in Southern California, Miriam contin...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

River Landscape - Arun Sussex - British art 1950 landscape oil painting Arundel
Located in London, GB
This superb large oil on canvas painting of a river landscape is by British artist William Thomas Wood. Painted in 1950, the river is the Arun near Arundel in Sussex. Wood beautifull...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Abstract Floral Acrylic Painting, Framed 48 H X 36" W Floral Inspiration
Located in Sherman Oaks, CA
Abstract Floral Acrylic Painting, Framed 48 H X 36" W *Acrylic on Stretched Canvas *Frame: Black Float Frame FLORAL ART Irena Orlo...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

The Pecking Order
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Hubner is a German artist born in Hermsdorf, Germany in 1943. Hubner studied commercial graphic arts in Amsterdam. He was a member of the Internal Arts Guild in Monte Carlo since 1...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Masonite

Venice Grand Canal at Sunset, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original oil painting of a view of a canal in Venice with a special use of light, colour and brushstrokes. * Original hand-painted painting. * The artwork is signed on the back a...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Faun and Fawn" Aaron Bohrod, Realist Still Life, Deer and Putti
Located in New York, NY
Aaron Bohrod Faun and Fawn, 1984 Signed lower right Oil on gesso board 16 x 12 inches Aaron Bohrod's work has not been limited to one style or medium. Initially recognized as a regionalist painter of American scenes, particularly of his native Chicago, Bohrod later devoted himself to detailed still-life paintings rendered in the trompe l'oeil style. He also worked for several years in ceramics and wrote a book on pottery. Born in 1907, Bohrod began his studies at Chicago's Crane Junior College in 1925, and two years later enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago. But it was at the Art Students League in New York City, from 1930 to 1932, that he studied under the man believed to be his most significant early influence, John Sloan. Sloan's romantic realism is reflected in the many depictions of Chicago life, which comprised most of Bohrod's early work. Under Sloan's tutelage, Bohrod came to subscribe to the belief that painters should find the subjects of their art in the immediate world around them. These paintings emphasized architecture unique to north Chicago and featured Chicagoans engaged in such everyday activities as working, playing or going to the theatre. The romantic aspect was conveyed by the use of misty colors, and the realism by attention to detail. In 1936, Bohrod won the Guggenheim Fellowship award in creative painting...
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Margaret Crutchley, Cedar of Lebanon at Sunset, Tree Art, Sunset Painting
Located in Deddington, GB
Cedar of Lebanon at Sunset By Margaret Crutchley [2021] original Acrylic on a deep canvas Image size: H:50 cm x W:50 cm Complete Size of Unframed Wor...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Portrait. Watercolor on paper, 42x37 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Portrait. Watercolor on paper, 42x37 cm Dzidra Ezergaile (1926-2013) Born in Riga. School years alternate with summer work in the countryside. In 194...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Richard Firth Oil Painting, Yachting Scene, 'The Big five'
By Richard Firth
Located in Uppingham, GB
VERY RARE, Original Oil on canvas by Richard Firth (Born 1971) With 'Big Five' Yachts racing off the Royal Yacht Squadron Cowes Westward, Lullworth, Shamrock, White Heather & Britann...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Cross Road II
Located in Greenwich, CT
A house on a hill during winter.
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

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.

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