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Realist Figurative 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
Native American Portrait "Wisdom" - Emin Abbasov (b. 1950, Azerbaijan)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Native American Portrait "Wisdom" Emin Abbasov (b. 1950, Azerbaijan) Oil on cardboard, signed 4 7/8 x 3 1/2 (15 7/8 x 14 5/8 frame) inches Emin Abbasov ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

"Presque Isle (Day 126), July 21, 2024" by Primary Hughes, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Presque Isle (Day 126), July 21, 2024" by Primary Hughes (United States) is a handmade landscape painting that is created on location or en plein air. The piece is framed, and ready...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

InPublic: Utility Cover .315
Located in Greenwich, CT
Signed verso American, b. 1956 Scott Duce is an international artist working in New York. Duce’s work is included in many corporate, museum, and private collections. Notable collec...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

The Fog
Located in Zofingen, AG
Some time ago Evgeniy bet with his good friend that he could paint a painting where about half of it would be pure white primer but painting will look finished anyway. So this story ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Tempera, Wood Panel

Aika - Hyperrealistic Oil Portrait of a Young Woman in Traditional Attire, 2024
Located in Denver, CO
Kazuya Ushioda's "Aika" (2024) is a masterful hyperrealistic oil painting on panel, capturing the delicate grace of a young woman adorned in a richly patterned blue kimono. With exce...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Pistoia Street" by Christopher Clark, Original Oil Painting, Italian Cityscape
Located in Denver, CO
Christopher Clark's "Pistoia Street" is an original, hand made oil and acrylic painting that depicts a brightly lit city street. Christopher has been an artist since early childhood, when he would watch Bob Ross on PBS and mimic the famed oil painter’s art with crayons. He considers himself a self-educated artist, with his studies ranging from personal training with contemporary masters, to classical academic art technique, with much inspiration from 19th Century art and the Impressionist Movement. Christopher lived in Italy for a time, immersing himself in Italian culture and art, which continues to influence his painting. His fan base has grown considerably since his return to the US, gaining the attention of Lucasfilm and Marvel Fine Art, which both signed him as an officially licensed artist in 2016. Other clients include George Lucas, Major League Baseball, Louisville Slugger, and Fender Guitars. Christopher’s painting skills are not his only talent in the arts. He has won several national swing dance championship competitions, and also studies tango and blues dancing. He has played guitar since the age of 12, and during his time as lead guitarist for a rock band, he opened for Blue Oyster Cult and Eddie Money...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Black Pride 6 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Beautiful Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Bend of the River" (2025), Original Midwestern Landscape, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Andrzej Skorut's "Bend of the River" is an impressive landscape oil painting piece which rests at 12 x 12 inches on stretched canvas, and is framed at 13.5 x 13.5 inches ready to han...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Young girl in a pink dress and red headband (verso nude study) signed and dated
Located in Genève, GE
Work on cardboard signed E. Chambon and dated 1950 Dimension with frame :60 x 49 x 6 cm This captivating work, dated 1950, presents a striking portrait of a young girl captured in a ...
Category

1950s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of My Barber (At The Barber Shop) - 21st Century, Contemporary, Africa
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. Abou...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Pastel, Ink, Acrylic, Mixed Media

"Portrait of Horace" by Emin Abbasov (b. 1950, Azerbaijan), oil on cardboard
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"Portrait of Horace" Emin Abbasov (b. 1950, Azerbaijan) Oil on cardboard, signed 4 7/8 x 3 7/8 (16 3/4 x 14 3/4 frame) inches Emin Abbasov is classicall...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Cardboard, Oil

"Rain King" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Shelli Langdale's "Rain King" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a feminine figure holding a small white horse with bright colored flowers in the background. Artist...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Wrapped" (2020) By Daud Akhriev, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Daud Akhriev's (EUR and US based) "Wrapped" (2020) is an original, handmade oil painting. Artist Biography: The Soviet educational system singled out 8-year-old Daud Akhriev for spe...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Whispers of the Soul 4
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Red Chillies” Contemporary Fine Realist Still-Life Painting of Red Chillies
Located in Utrecht, NL
During his successful career as a goldsmith the desire to paint grew on Dutch artist René Smoorenburg (1954). The attention to detail, which was of great importance in his work as a ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Winter Mist at a Farm in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Winter Mist at a Farm in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Wendy Reeves Art measures 40 x 20 inches Frame measures 46 x 26 inches (framed in a high quality ornate gold moulding) Wendy Reeves garnered acclaim for her Scottish Highland and Lakeland paintings. Born in 1944 in Ewell, Surrey, she took to her father Gordon’s craft, deciding early on that she would be a painter. Prior to her famous paintings of the British Isles, artist Wendy Reeves painted scenes from a trip she made to Spain when she was 21. It was during this time that her dream of following in her father’s footsteps became a reality, and when she returned to England she cemented her name as an artist. Wendy Reeves' paintings showcase her talent with natural landscapes and the wildlife that inhabits them. Her work often features ochre and pink lights...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Oasis
Located in Zofingen, AG
Oasis explores the tension between desire and distance through a surreal desert scene. A figure stands before a colorful mosaic wall framing an unreachable horizon, accompanied by sy...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

"Purple Grapes" Contemporary Fine Dutch Realist Still-Life Painting of Fruit
Located in Utrecht, NL
During his successful career as a goldsmith the desire to paint grew on Dutch artist René Smoorenburg (1954). The attention to detail, which was of gr...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Smile
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
"Smile" by Eyitayo Alagbe is a heartwarming artwork that beautifully captures the essence of joy and innocence embodied in a young boy. The title, "Smile," serves as a thematic ancho...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Ink, Acrylic

Smile
Smile
$1,600 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Figurative Oil Painting of Children Playing
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique figurative oil painting of children playing. Oil on board. Framed.
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Warm Evening Autumn, " Original Autumn Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Warm Evening, Autumn" by Shawn Krueger (United States) is a handmade landscape oil painting that is painted on a cradled board and ready to hang. Krueger depicts trees basking in warm evening light. Shawn Krueger, born 1973, is a contemporary landscape painter whose work sits comfortably in both the American Tonalist and Arts & Crafts traditions. Shawn received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Calvin College in 1998, studying under Chris Stoffel...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Cardinal Fine Antique Portrait Oil Painting in Ornate Gilt Frame
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Cardinal's Letter Otto Eichinger (1922 - 2004) signed oil painting on board, framed framed: 15 x 12 inches board: 12.5 x 10 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: v...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Palazzo Dario, Venice
Located in New York, NY
A classic and elegant Venetian view with a period Barbizon, gold leaf frame! Sheppard did a series of these and two other American painter is more noted for their Venetian views than...
Category

1860s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Oil on Canvas “Jimi” by Christina Major 56 x 66
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Christina Major was born in Concord, New Hampshire in 1982. She currently resides in North Carolina. Major earned her MFA from Florida Atlantic University and has exhibited throughou...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Brighter Prospects" (2023) by Judd Mercer, Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's ( US based) "Brighter Prospects" is an oil painting depicting a the Rocky mountains with a river winding through a forest. Artist bio/statement Judd Mercer is a conte...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Iris (Revisited)" (2014) By Fred Wessel, Egg Tempera Painting on Gold Leaf
Located in Denver, CO
Fred Wessel's "Iris (Revisted)" is a stunning egg tempera painting on gold leaf. Created in 2014, this piece depicts a young woman, looking inquisitively over her shoulder. The gold ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Dreams-original modern abstract landscape trees oil paintings- contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. Dive into the ethereal world of "Always in my Dream" by the ac...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

After Party 70x90 cm, canvas/oil, 2009
Located in Riga, LV
Igor Maikov (1966) Education: 1981 - 1984 The Art Academy of Latvia 1973 - 1983 Salaspils Primary and Secondary School Exhibitions: 1994 - Group Exhibition «Rol-Art», Latvia ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Nebula" - Oil Painting, Introspective Model
Located in Denver, CO
Nebula by Alexandra Manukyan This painting portrays a figure immersed in introspection. Her delicate posture reflects both vulnerability and strength. The swirling pink hues behind ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Kazuya Ushioda "The Sound Of Prayer" - Oil On Panel Figurative Painting 2021
Located in Denver, CO
Kazuya Ushioda’s The Sound of Prayer (2021) is a striking figurative oil on panel that captures a moment of quiet reflection. Measuring 44.12 x 11.87 x 0.70 inches, this tall and slender composition features a single figure clothed in a white kimono adorned with delicate blue floral motifs and cinched by a vivid red sash. The woman’s eyes are closed, and her hands are gently positioned near her head, suggesting an intimate state of concentration or contemplation. Painted in oil on a carefully prepared panel, this original, handmade work showcases Ushioda’s meticulous technique, evident in the rendering of subtle skin tones and nuanced folds of fabric. The vertical format accentuates the graceful poise of the figure, drawing the viewer’s gaze downward from her serene expression to the richly detailed kimono patterns. The neutral background highlights the subject’s form, creating a harmonious interplay of color and space. Executed in 2021, The Sound of Prayer stands...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Purpose of Existence 14 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

"Genocide"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The painting was painted as a reflection on Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

“5 Peaches” Contemporary Fine Realist Still-Life Painting of Peaches, Fruit
Located in Utrecht, NL
During his successful career as a goldsmith the desire to paint grew on Dutch artist René Smoorenburg (1954). The attention to detail, which was of great importance in his work as a ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Green River Abstracted" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Quang Ho's "Green River Abstracted" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts an abstracted landscape with blue and white clouds. About the artist: Quang Ho was born on Ap...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"A shepherd teaching a shepherdess to play the flute"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Unknown artist, copy François Boucher (1703–1770) "A Shepherd Teaching a Shepherdess to Play the Flute" Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions (Framed): 115 x 100 cm Dimensions (Canvas): ...
Category

18th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Invocation
Located in Denver, CO
"Invocation," is an original oil painting by Christopher Remmers. It is framed and ready-to-hang.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

"The Evening Walk, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Shawn Krueger's "The Evening Walk" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts trees on a sloping hillside cocooned by bright orange light of a setting sun. About the Artist: Shawn Krueger, born 1973, is a contemporary landscape painter whose work sits comfortably in both the American Tonalist and Arts & Crafts traditions. Shawn received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Calvin College in 1998, studying under Chris Stoffel...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Cherries” Contemporary Fine Realist Still-Life Painting of Red Cherries, Fruit
Located in Utrecht, NL
During his successful career as a goldsmith the desire to paint grew on Dutch artist René Smoorenburg (1954). The attention to detail, which was of gr...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Red Coat” Contemporary Fine Realist Still-Life Painting of a Red Coat
Located in Utrecht, NL
During his successful career as a goldsmith the desire to paint grew on Dutch artist René Smoorenburg (1954). The attention to detail, which was of gr...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Grow with Me II, " Mixed Media Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Ifeoluwa Alade ( Nigeria based) "Grow with Me II" is an original, handmade acrylic painting that depicts flowers and butterflies with a heavily textured tan background. Artist bio:...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Truth-Soul. Portrait, figurative girl, butterfly, vertical, watercolor on canvas
Located in Oslo, NO
This poetic work of art was painted on canvas with watercolors and impregnated with a special composition - “liquid watercolor paper”. "I wrote a poem (in Russian) that encodes the ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Beflowered II
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
"Be-Flowered" is deeply rooted in the African cultural heritage of a female child. In African culture, it is revered that a young woman should maintain her sexual purity until marriage, which brings immense joy and honor to her family when her husband finds her a virgin on their wedding night. The title "Be-Flowered" is derived from the concept of "Deflower," which signifies taking away a lady's innocence or dispossessing her of her virginity. However, in this painting series, my premise is centered on empowering women and celebrating their pride and inherent power. The first two pieces of the series feature ladies adorned in traditional South African bids worn during the Virgin festival. The gentle pink clouds symbolize feminine power and poise, evoking the strength and grace embodied by women. A community that empowers women tends to uphold higher moral standards than one that does not. My perspective veers away from the idea of gender equality, recognizing its limitations, and instead, I believe in gender equity, providing each gender with the opportunities they need to fulfill their potential. This series aims to leave my audience with a profound appreciation for empowerment and a celebration of cultural heritage. I hope viewers will reflect on the significance of embracing one's roots while acknowledging the strength and beauty that women contribute to society. Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Paul Ayihawu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic

Beflowered II
Beflowered II
$5,080 Sale Price
20% Off
"Clematis Blossom" (2025), Egg Tempera Painting on Panel
Located in Denver, CO
Fred Wessel's "Clematis Blossom" is an egg tempera painting with gold leaf and lapis gems on a panel. This piece measures 12.5 x 12.25 inches framed and is ready to hang. About the ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Le Grand Basin des Tuileries. Oil on canvas, 74x93 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Le Grand Basin des Tuileries. Oil on canvas, 74x93 cm
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Israeli Oil Painting Ruth Schloss Child, Doll, Wagon, Kibbutz Social Realist Art
Located in Surfside, FL
Large magnificent colorful Ruth Schloss oil painting of a child with a wagon with a doll or a baby in a carriage stroller.. Signed in Hebrew size measures 31x43 with frame , 23x35.25 without the frame. (this is being sold unframed). Ruth Schloss (22 November 1922 – 2013) was an Israeli painter and illustrator who mainly depicted neglected scenes such as Arabs, transition camps, children and women at eye-level as egalitarian, socialist view via social realism style painting and drawing. Schloss became Israeli painting’s sensitive, conscious, remembering eye. Ruth Schloss was born on 22 November 1922, in Nuremberg, Germany, to Ludwig and Dian Schloss, as the second of three daughters of bourgeois assimilationist Jewish family well-integrated into German culture. As the Nazis came into power in 1933, her family immigrated to Israel in 1937, and settled in Kfar Shmaryahu, then an agricultural settlement. Schloss studied at the Department of Schloss graphic design at "Bezalel" from 1938 to 1942 alongside Friedel Stern and Joseph Hirsch. She was a realistic painter who focused on disadvantaged people in the society and social matters as an egalitarian. Her realism was thus an “inevitable realism,” motivated by an inner necessity: the need to observe reality as it is. Her painting repeatedly addressed the door pulled from its frame, employing drawing’s unique ability to stop time and prolong the image’s persistence in the retina, she repeatedly committed to paper - in a matter-of-fact, non-evasive manner devoid of mystery – man’s tendency to generate chaos, suffering and pain. Throughout her life, Schloss remained minimalist. Painting about human fate was the main subject of her artworks. Her natural inclination was to describe the darker aspect of human existence. 1930s The Schloss household was characterized by open, liberal spirit, in keeping with the parents’ progressive views. It deeply influenced Ruth’s mental development, as she learned to tie culture and art with sensitivity towards the weak and underprivileged. In Jerusalem, she joined a commune of Hashomer Hatzair in which she shaped her socialist views, which she maintained throughout her long career. 1940s In this period she mainly depicted landscapes of kibbutz and wretched women living hard life, children in huger, older people, refugees. After completing her art studies, Schloss joined a training group at Kibbutz Merhavia in 1942, and after two years moved to Karkur region, the nucleus established Kibutz Lehavot Habashan in the Upper Galilee. Through this time, she fell in love with the surroundings and drew landscapes. They are simple and direct with fresh, lucid lines. These paintings were selected as the main works of her first exhibition in 1949. In early 1945, Schloss started to draw illustrations in the children’s magazine Mishmar Leyeladim, and designed the logo of Al Hamishmar, the paper’s new name in 1948. In 1948, upon the founding of Mapam (United Workers’ Party), she designed her party’s emblem, which became a well-known icon. She kept working as an illustrator for Mishmar Layeladim until 1949. "Mor the Monkey" project yielded financial profits and this income was used for a study trip to Paris for two years. She was succesfull as illustrator however, she had inner conflicts of her identity as witnessed painter toward neglected class in Israeli society. First Exhibition at Mikra-Studio Gallery, 1949 She presented forty drawings on paper in her first solo exhibition, representing a selection of the themes of kibbutz landscape, its lifestyle. Schloss confidently proposed her direction through simplicity without using colors in her drawings. 1950s Between 1949 and 1951, she studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. She began working in oils, with which she continued throughout the 1960s. The exhibition “Back from Paris” opened in November 1951 at Mikra-Studio Gallery . In 1951 she married Benjamin Cohen, who served as chairman of the national leadership of Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party in Tel Aviv. He was a theoretician and a man of principle, highly esteemed by its leaders who became a professor of history at Tel Aviv University. In 1953, following the Mordechai Oren affair and the publication of Moshe Sneh 's followers from Kibbutz Artzi, she and her husband left the kibbutz and moved to the agricultural farm, Kfar Shmaryahu, where she lived until her death. At a certain point in Israeli history, segments of the socialist movement felt that Israel should become part of the Communist bloc, rather than seek the support of the western world. Because the Schloss couple support of Moshe Sneh’s left-wing party, they had to leave the kibbutz. She loved to depict ordinary women as figurative on her painting without hiding or making up anything. The poet Natan Zach wrote about her works in 1955: “Her motto remains that which has been all these years: life as it is, without bluffing." Schloss’s “Pietà” (1953) became a universal cry expressing the pain of mothers on either side of the divide. In the late 1950s, she was the mother of two daughters. When she drew her daughters, unlike the universal babies she depicted, naked and with clenched fists, the painting of her children employed babyish sweetness to the full in a quiet, peaceful and heart-stirring filling rather than urgency. She also painted children in the transition camp and Jaffa in the 1950s and 1960s. 1960s-1980s – The period of Studio in Jaffa Schloss painted at a studio in Jaffa from 1962 till 1983. In this time, she turned her interest to people around her more than kibbutz – the children, mothers, and poor workers, the alleys and houses. She opened the space to the street and its dwellings, built interactions around it, and was nurtured by the presence of the outside in her work. 1960s Schloss familiarized to an Arab woman, Nabava, lived in poor. Schloss returned to painting images of old people later, and she called her painting figurative elderly people in the old age homes “waiting”. In the late 1960s, Ruth discovered acrylic paint and never turn back to oil painting. In 1965 Schloss devoted a series “Area 9 (1965)”, dedicated to the demolition of Israeli-Arab houses and the expropriation of the land, and carried a definite socio-political messages. The series was exhibited at Beit Zvi, Ramat Gan, in 1966. She was the only artist who addressed the result of the Six-Day War immediately afterward. In 1968, Schloss and Gansser-Markus presented “Drawing of War” in Zurich gallery. She expressed the war as an ultimate expression of destruction and ruin, regardless of victors and vanquished. 1970s In late 1970s Schloss began printing the selected photograph directly on the canvas, posterior reworking it in acrylic. She decided to print her work at Har-El Printers in Jaffa, and these became the surface of her painting. This technique was mainly adopted in two large series: Anne Frank (1979-1980) and Borders (1982). Through this technique she placed the figure of elder Frank next to that of the famous young Frank, and released it at the exhibition at Bet Ariela Cultural Center, Tel Aviv, in 1981. The series touched upon the Nazi Holocaust. 1980s The Lebanon War raised the question of “The Good Fence” and the effect of the war. She dedicated a large series Boarders, one of the most powerful image linked to the series is the figure of Yemenite woman raising her hand. She was the first to raise the Black Panthers demonstration to the level of a social icon. In the 1980s and again in 2000, the Intifada uprisings also led Schloss to the easel to render a good number of representational and symbolic works that in their way denounced Israel's political and military actions. 1990s – 2000s Ruth Schloss never had an exhibition in a major Israeli museum. Her works were presented in private galleries and small museums. The main museums, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Israel Museum, included her works only in group exhibitions, and only in 1991 was her retrospective exhibited at the Herzliya Museum. In the 2000s, Schloss’s metaphors turned into animal kingdom and Bedouins in the south. A huge rhinoceros, birds of prey, and other "bad animals," as Cohen Evron, daughter of Ruth, calls them and "I connected this to the Nazis," said Schloss. Schloss' work after she didn't find human expression able to transmit the endless cruelty she saw in Israel's political mentality. Schloss also continued to follow and collect documentary photographs of destructions of houses from the war, the Intifada, the sequence of her work about ruin from 1949 to 2005, was a cumulative testimony about the painful history of Israel and Palestine. In 2006, a large retrospective exhibition of her work was presented at the Museum of Art in Ein Harod, curated by Tali Tamir. Education 1938-41 Bezalel Art Academy, Jerusalem, with Mordecai Ardon 1946 painting course for Kibbutz Artzi artists with Yohanan Simon and Marcel Janco 1949-51 Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris Awards and recognition 1965 Silver Medal, International exhibition in Leipzig, Germany 1977 Artist-in-Residence, The Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris Selected solo exhibitions 2004 “Micha...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Summer in Guadeloupe
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

"004 - Plein Air-O Fallon Park, CO" (2022) By Judd Mercer, Gouache Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's ( US based) "004 - Plein Air-O'Fallon Park, CO" is a gouache painting depicting a peaceful snowy forest. Artist bio/statement Judd Mercer is a contemporary landscape p...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Portrait of a Soft Rebellion
Located in Zofingen, AG
A figure against the American flag is more than just bold color composition — it sparks deeper conversation. The light blue shirt contrasts with the red and white stripes, creating...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

"Steady Hand" (2024) by Sheri Farabaugh, Still Life Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Steady Hand" (2024) by Sheri Farabaugh (United States Based) is a beautiful handmade still life oil painting that depicts a father helping his son across river stones. Sheri Farab...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Room Alone / oil on canvas - figurative surrealism
Located in Burlingame, CA
'Room Alone' is a masterfully painted oil on canvas, that features a young bespectacled semi-nude woman redlining on a pile of rocks at the interior of a formal room with heavy drape...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

Ayanfe (Favorite)
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic

"Nomos", Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Christopher Remmers' (US based) "Nomos" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a nude man hugging a glowing orb of light to himself as ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Be Still - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Acrylic, Young Girl
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

“A Magic Carpet” oil painting, autumn tree leaves falling, warm tones, realist
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting by Contemporary English painter, Melissa Franklin Sanchez. A whimsical depiction of fall. The bright orange leaves from the tree line the ground outside a structure. ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Copper

"The Winding Path" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Rob Alexander's "The Winding Path" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a dirt foot path snaking its way through the green foothills with large fluffy clouds in the bac...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

"Study for Closer Than We Thought " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Raymond Bonilla's (US based) "Study for 'Closer Than We Thought'" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a quiet scene of a lush green plant growing in a garden with warm...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Tranquil River Scene in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Tranquil River Scene in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, entitled Calm Waters Art measures 28 x 20 inches Frame measures 36 x 28 inches Unique Original Si...
Category

1990s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Board

My Way 1
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Sometimes you need to trust what you have seen and move in that direction and move away from distractions. Focus takes a man to where he should be so I move in my way and forget all the negative words... They don't add to me so I neglect them and move on Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Olaniyi Timothy...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

My Way 1
My Way 1
$1,000 Sale Price
20% Off
Young woman posing naked on the sofa
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas he work depicts a nude woman reclining on a sofa, fusing classicism and modernity. The canvas, with its sober, controlled palette, juxtaposes flesh tones with green a...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Broadway Costume Design Illustration
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Fabulous illustration depicts a costume for Broadway production. Gouache on illustration board, image measures 10.5 x 16.5 inches; 15 x 22 inches framed. Excellent condition in ori...
Category

1960s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gouache, Illustration Board

Realist figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Realist figurative 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 figurative 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, red, orange and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Su Yu, Janusz Szpyt, JC Spock, and Matt Talbert. 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 figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 0.5 inches across are also available.

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