Realist Art
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
Artist Comments
A light-filled seascape features a monolithic rock at the ocean's edge, with silhouettes of people accentuating its grandeur. The ethereal pastel sky contrasts ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
Artist Comments
Porter Creek runs under a high canopy of conifers. Quintessential to the Pacific Northwest, it is wet and green, with flora growing from every crevice. In a sho...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Under the dense canopy of conifers, with lush green flora filling every crevice, Porter Creek flows through the wilderness. In a short series of four paintings,...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Acrylic
1830s Realist Art
Engraving
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Oil, Board
Artist Comments
A girl carries freshly picked daisies as she walks through a meadow. The beauty of the flowers, the clear sky, and her presence convey peace and a deep connecti...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Bold clouds in subtle purple tones float over calm waters and lush grass. Light glows near the horizon, linking the vibrant green marsh to the moody sky. Soft b...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Fluffy clouds, a blue sky, and soft light on the horizon evoke a quiet yet dramatic seaside atmosphere. Carefully blended colors and shadows depict breezy movem...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Realist Art
Acrylic, Oil, Canvas, Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
Artist Comments
A young woman walks through a myriad of water lilies, her illuminated figure contrasting sharply with the dark lake. Her posture and radiant hair create a feeli...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
Artist Comments
A delicate woman steps into a lake, poised to swim among the water lilies. With soft tones and a calm atmosphere, the scene conveys serenity and harmony with na...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
Artist Comments
In the remote high desert where Oregon and Idaho meet lies the Owyhee Canyonlands. This deep, rugged, and beautiful area is home to wild horses, mountain lions,...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
