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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
Pocket Gooseberry (Hairy) 2, Orig. Oil Painting, Still Life, Gooseberry, Frui
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Green Gooseberry (Hairy) 2 is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to b...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Untitled [Seascape] Original Oil Painting by Robert White, Frameless Display
Located in Encino, CA
Untitled [Seascape], an original oil on canvas by Robert K. White, is a piece for the true collector. White’s careful attention to detail and vivid use of blues, blue-greens, and bro...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Blue Jay" Original Oil Painting by Susan McDonnell, Avian Art
Located in Denver, CO
Susan McDonnell's "Blue Jay," created in 2021, is a masterful oil on panel that captures the vibrant essence and lively demeanor of its avian subject. Measuri...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Treeing Walker Coonhounds and Bear - Figurative Landscape
Located in Soquel, CA
Dramatic western figurative landscape oil painting of three Treeing Walker Coonhounds (aka: Tennessee Lead) "treeing" a bear in a tree by western artist Kim L Powers (American, 20/21st Century). Signed "Powers 1993" lower right corner. Image, 29.5"H x 23.5"W. Long years on the Navajo reservation as a working cowboy/bull rider...
Category

1990s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Pocket Pink Rose with Leaf, Original Painting, Pink, Flower, Black, Single rose
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Pink Rose with Leaf is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Cold Winter River - winter landscape painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Professional realistic winter painting with a river is wonderful part of collection, looks great in the interior. Winter is one of the most challenging seasons of the year in terms o...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Seville Guadalquivir River Spain oil on canvas painting
By Carlota Rosales Martínez de Pedrosa
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Carlota Rosales Martínez de Pedrosa was born in Madrid in 1872 and was the second daughter of the painter Eduardo Rosales, after the birth the Rosales...
Category

1940s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pocket Blackbird's Egg 3 (c), Original Painting, Egg, Realism
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Blackbird's Egg 3 (c) is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroqu...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'A Young Parisienne', Royal Academy of Arts, Academie Colarossi, Jeu-de-Paume
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed center left, 'Christine Sundberg' (Swedish, 1837-1892) and dated 1888. Displayed in a period golden maple frame; Framed dimensions: 25.5 x 1...
Category

1880s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Dust Storm" by Morgan Cameron, Oil painting Featuring Galloping Horse
Located in Denver, CO
Morgan Cameron’s (US based) “Dust Storm” is an oil painting on panel that depicts a red and white horse galloping with it's mane flowing. This painting is framed and ready to hang. ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Hurry up" Blue teapot Oil cm. 90 x 55
Located in Torino, IT
Bright work with blue teapot, egg, white and blue Luisa Albert was born in Turin, Italy where she currently lives and works. In 1989 she enrolled at the Istituto Europeo di Design i...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Erabadu Flower" Oil Painting D 39" inch by Sasha Sokolova
Located in Culver City, CA
"Erabadu Flower" Oil Painting D 39" inch by Sasha Sokolova Bio Born in Moscow into a family of artists, Sasha Sokolova is an award winning contemporary realist painter, working acr...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Small fragments of light" cm. 30 x 40 2024
Located in Torino, IT
Bright interior of ancient house with fireplace and white cat Luisa Albert was born in Turin, Italy where she currently lives and works. In 1989 she enrolled at the Istituto Europeo...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'Une Consultation de Sigmund Freud' by Hubert - Denis Etcheverry (1867 – 1950)
Located in Bruges, BE
Hubert-Denis Etcheverry Bayonne 1867 – 1950 Paris French Painter 'Une Consultation de Sigmund Freud' Signature: signed lower right and dated ‘D. Etcheverry / Paris 1900’ Medium: oi...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'The Old Antiques Dealer', Berlin Royal Academy, Thieme-Becker, Exhibited Oil
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Wilh. A. Wrage' for Wilhelm August Wrage (German, 1861-1941) and dated 1920. Titled, verso, on canvas, 'Der Althandler', additionally signed with monogram and da...
Category

1920s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Mystique n.1" Oil Painting 28" x 28 "inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Mystique n.1" Oil Painting 28" x 28 "inch by Dmitriy Krestniy ATTENTION: Painting ships rolled in a tube. A look through Dmitriy’s designs reveals a glamorous, feminine, provocat...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Horse with Gazzuolo Eye" Oil cm. 80 x 80
Located in Torino, IT
Beautiful and realistic Horse with clear eye Luisa Albert was born in Turin, Italy where she currently lives and works. In 1989 she enrolled at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Mi...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Regina dei Fiori - 19th Century Oil Painting Portrait of Italian Society Beauty
Located in Gerrards Cross, GB
‘Regina dei Fiori’ by Frédéric Soulacroix (1858-1933). The painting – which depicts an aristocratic Italian beauty sitting beside a porcelain vase full of peonies – is signed by th...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

19th Century Neoclassical Oil Painting of Ancient Greek Goddess Hera Olympian
Located in Gerrards Cross, GB
‘Hera’ by Eduard Niczky (1850-1919). The painting - which depicts the Greek queen of the gods in golden diadem and yellow robe - is signed by the artist and hangs in a newly commis...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Marlon Brando Oil on Canvas by Christina Major
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Quotes within painting: "All I want to be is normally insane. Never surrender to the momentum of mediocrity. Only the one who walks his own way can’t be over taken. I watched a snail...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Pocket Ripe Red Pomegranate, Baroque Still Life, fruit
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Ripe Red Pomegranate is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Landscape with a willow. 1964, oil on cardboard, 48x67 cm
Located in Riga, LV
A. Zviedris was a member of the Latvian Artists’ Union since 1945 and had more than 50 solo exhibitions in Latvia. He travelled extensively by yacht around Scandinavia and Western Eu...
Category

1960s Realist Paintings

Materials

Cardboard, Oil

Antique Dog Painting: "Hunting Dogs at the Kennel, 1901" Jules-Bertrand Gélibert
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Dog Painting: "Hunting Dogs at the Kennel, 1901" Jules-Bertrand Gélibert (France, 1834-1916 Oil on canvas Signed lower left 24 x 19 inc...
Category

Early 1900s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Dolly Oil on Canvas by Christina Major
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Quotes within painting: "I'm optimistic about whatever is going to happen. We all have a childhood dream that when there is love, everything goes like silk, but the reality is that m...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Grace Oil on Canvas by Christina Major
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Quotes within painting: " As an undergraduate Christina Major developed into a portrait painter. Major has been interested in the ways the identity of both artist and subject can c...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Ava Gardner Oil on Canvas by Christina Major 66 x 88
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Quotes within painting: "I'm optimistic about whatever is going to happen. We all have a childhood dream that when there is love, everything goes like silk, but the reality is that m...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Elvis Oil on Canvas by Christina Major 66 x 88
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Elvis 66 x 88 writing Whatever I will become will be what God has chosen for me. I ain't no saint, but I've tried never to do anything that would hurt my family or offend God. I figu...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Afternoon Repose By Gustave Léonard De Jonghe
Located in New Orleans, LA
Gustave Léonard de Jonghe 1829-1893 | Flemish Afternoon Repose (The Artist's Studio — Antibes) Signed “Gustave De Jonghe” (lower right) Oil on canv...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lions
By Geza Vastagh
Located in Houston, TX
Vastagh, Geza (1866-1919) Well listed Hungarian artist. Unsigned 22 x 28. Oil on canvas, depicting a lion and lioness, one of his favourite subjects. Expert's report on hand, circa ...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Small Room" Oil Painting 47" x 39" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Small Room" Oil Painting 47" x 39" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy ATTENTION: Painting ships rolled in a tube. A look through Dmitriy’s designs reveals a glamorous, feminine, provocative...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Karnak by Eleanor Parke Custis
Located in New Orleans, LA
Eleanor Parke Custis 1897-1983 American Karnak Signed 'Eleanor Parke Custis -' (lower right) Gouache and charcoal on paper American painter Eleanor Parke Custis demonstrates her mastery of the gouache medium in Karnak. A celebration of color and a relic of the artist’s travels abroad, the composition is well-balanced, exuding photojournalistic and documentarian qualities. In Karnak, Custis paints a compelling and dynamic image of a great ancient Egyptian ruin. Seven distant men, likely Bedouins dressed...
Category

20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Gouache

Traditional English Landscape Countryside Scene by 20th Century British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Traditional English Landscape Countryside Scene by 20th Century Modern British Artist Art measure 18 x 12 inches Frame measures 24 x 18 inches Peter Coulthard was brought up in the Pennine...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

Aqua Bailer Shell - Single Bailer Sea Shell on Brown Table w/ Watered Backdrop
Located in Chicago, IL
The simplicity of "Aqua Bailer Shell" is deceptive. The upturned pale yellow shell has a beautiful light emanating from its center revealing the delicacy of the shell. It sits upon a deep, rich brown table with its reflection seen in the highly polished surface. The background is delicate aqua colored moiré pattern to give an even more opulent feel while adding to the meditative quality of the painting. The bailer shell can be found in Southeast Asia, from Burma, Thailand and Malaysia, to the South China Sea and the Philippines. This large, prehistoric sea snail shell could traditionally be used by native fishermen to bail out their leaking fishing vessels. This artwork is framed in a simple walnut frame measuring 25 x 25 inches. Helen Oh...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Panel, Oil

Romanee Conti - rustic, vivid detail, realist, food, still-life oil on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Wine connoisseurs treasure this wine - a 1960 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole, cote de Nuits, France. This still life of the bottle celebrates a wine that is ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Olde World Charm, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Olde World Charm" by Deb Komitor (United States) is a handmade landscape oil painting that is ready to hang. Deb Komitor was born and raised in Ohio and now resides in Colorado Sp...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Pine, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
"This work is a representation of the unadorned beauty of nature," shares artist Jose Luis Bermudez. The clear blue sky stretc...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"1940 - New Mexico Farmers" Orig. Mixed Media on Board by Tom Perkinson, Framed
Located in Encino, CA
"1940 - New Mexico Farmers" is an original mixed media on board by Tom Perkinson. His use of saturated violets, vivid yellows, and resplendent oranges pushes color to almost-otherwor...
Category

1970s Realist Paintings

Materials

Pastel, Color Pencil, Watercolor, Mixed Media, Ink

Ukrainian woman
Located in Aberdeen Dyce, GB
Ukrainian woman in folk clothes with ears of wheat
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Pocket Very Ripe Strawberry, Original Painting, Baroque still life, Fruit, Food
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Very Ripe Strawberry is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

pocket dark blue sloes, Baroque Still Life Painting, Small Art, Fruit Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Dark Blue Sloes is an original still-life painting by artist Dani Humberstone. This painting is a small scale renaissance inspired still life in a photorealistic style and sol...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pocket Blue Tit's Egg, Original Painting, Egg , Nature, Still life
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Blue Tit's Egg is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque still...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Pocket Autumn Collection Autumn leaf #3 [2024], Baroque Still Life, Small art
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Autumn Leaf Collection (Pinky Ochre) is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pocket Blackbird's Egg (c), Original Painting, Bird, Nature, Egg, Blue
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Blackbird's Egg (c) is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Boris in Bomber Jacket
Located in New York, NY
Oil on canvas Signed in red, u.l. 12 x 9 inches, canvas size 15.75 x 12.75 inches in distressed silver leaf frame This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “B...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

King Charles Spaniel Diptych, 19th century oil on canvas
Located in Hillsborough, NC
This early to mid 19th century diptych features a pair of King Charles Spaniels, one with a Blenheim coat (left) and one with a black coat. The unidentified artist chose a medium of ...
Category

Early 19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Mountain Road, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Samantha Buller's (US based) "Mountain Road" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a red roof of a building and the road that runs alongsi...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Canoe on the shore of the lake
Located in Vienna, AT
Was born in 1993 in the city of Marganets, Ukraine. Artist Gorbachenko Multiple participants of group and solo exhibitions and Art Fair Vilnius. The artist's works are in private col...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache, Watercolor, Acrylic

[Buggereau (b. 1956)] Untitled #1
Located in New York, NY
Oil on canvas with silver leaf, black painted wood frame with gold leaf Signed and dated in red, l.r. $6000.00 + $500.00 framing This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Antique Male Academic Nude Painting Henri Brugnot Exposition Label 1st Prize
By Henri Brugnot
Located in New York, NY
Antique Male Academic nude painting Henri Brugnot with exposition label (1st prize). by Henri Brugnot (1874-1940) Oil on canvas board 15" x 30" The lab...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Pocket White Anemone, Original Painting, Baroque style, Realism, Floral, Flowers
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket White Anemone is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque still ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Mini Vache 4" by Marina Dieul, Original Oil Painting, Cow
Located in Denver, CO
Marina Dieul's "Mini Vache 4, 2024" is an exquisite handmade original oil on panel artwork, measuring 4 x 4 x 1 inches, that comes directly from the artist's studio. This piece is a ...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Panel, Oil

Corgi
Located in Charleston, US
Karen Bendersky's charming and romantic dog painting features a Corgi proudly posing and gazing lovingly at its owner, adding beauty and personality to any home. This tribute to belo...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Chaton 51" by Marina Dieul, Original Oil Painting, Kitten with Blue Eyes
Located in Denver, CO
Marina Dieul's "Chaton 51, 2024" is an exquisite handmade original oil on panel artwork, measuring 4 x 4 x 1 inches, that comes directly from the artist's studio. This piece is a pri...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"The snake's gaze. Hypnosis" Original Oil Painting by Liliya Volskaya
Located in Zofingen, AG
The paintings are drawn with acrylic on the hardboard (back side made of the double cardboard). Acrylic paints are used to create the painting on canvas animals and ecology. A cruci...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Lacquer

Pocket Bluer Blackbird's Egg (c), Original Painting, Bird, Nature, Egg, Blue
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Bluer Blackbird's Egg (c) is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to ba...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Melancholy in Red" Oil Painting by Joseph Lorusso, Female Portrait
Located in Denver, CO
Joseph Lorusso's (US based) "Seeing Shadows" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a female figure at a table with a wine glass in the foreground. The painting is frame...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Paintings

Materials

Panel, Oil

The fall
Located in Vienna, AT
Was born in 1993 in the city of Marganets, Ukraine. Artist Gorbachenko Multiple participants of group and solo exhibitions and Art Fair Vilnius. The artist's works are in private col...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache

Andrada Trapnell's 'Shadows' Original Pair of Black Horses Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Andrada Trapnell's "Shadows" is a captivating original artwork created in 2023. This piece measures 30 x 40 inches and features a masterful blend of oil on board. The painting depict...
Category

2010s Realist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

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.

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