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
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
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
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
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
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
1940s Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Photogram
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
1950s Realist Art
Etching
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Bronze
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Plexiglass
1970s Realist Art
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Art
Linen, Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A rose blooms quietly, its petals glowing softly in the light. The branches in the distance stretch out, piercing the night sky like steel knives. Painted with ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Two roses bloom next to each other, exuding a sense of roughness and passion. The leaves sprawl from below, adding depth and contrast to the delicate colors of ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
The sea exudes an atmosphere of comfort and peace at sunset. The water mirrors the glorious colors of the sky, creating a captivating display of light. The real...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
2010s Realist Art
Pastel, Paper
2010s Realist Art
Pastel, Paper
2010s Realist Art
Pastel, Paper
2010s Realist Art
Pastel, Paper
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Linen
2010s Realist Art
Pastel, Paper
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Pastel