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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
Nuit Bleue
Located in PARIS, FR
Anne Dewailly’s work is a nuanced blend of classical heritage and contemporary figurative painting, with a strong emphasis on light and emotional presence. She paints mostly human ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Sun Tea in Darkness" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
David Cheifetz's "Sun Tea in Darkness" is an oil painting featuring a yellow, ceramic tea pot with wine glasses. About the artist: David is an internationally acclaimed and colle...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Butterfly, 19th c, German, Realism, Genre Scene, Children, Landscape
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Carl Johann Lasch was born in 1822 in Leipzig, Germany. Lasch was known for his historical and genre paintings. He attended the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts where he studied with Edu...
Category

19th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"The Light on Jupiter" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Robin Cole's (Us based) "The Light on Jupiter" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a man in foliage in dappled sun. Nature and those that ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Poderes" Contemporary Realistic Figurative Red Toned Social Commentary Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Black and red toned realistic acrylic painting by Cuban artist Douglas Perez Castro. The painting features a fictional scene of a black female fig...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

"Rebirth" Original oil painting on maple burl with custom base
Located in Denver, CO
"Rebirth" is a masterful collaboration between the artistic duo, Oda and Kit King, who together form a harmonious creative partnership both in life and on can...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Wood, Oil

Robert Kenneth White "Classic Beauty" Signed Oil, Modern Realist Portrait
Located in Miami, FL
ROBERT KENNETH WHITE – "CLASSIC BEAUTY" ⚜ Oil on Canvas ⚜ Hand Signed Lower Right ⚜ Frameless Display A MODERN HOMAGE TO TIMELESS ELEGANCE In “Classic Beauty” (2017), Robert Kenneth...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Red flover"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
A SERIE OF ARTWORKS «FAIRIES OR SPIRITS» We are humans, and each of us has our own life. We are so immersed in it that we do not see others. Often while seeing the problems of others...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, 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 Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Campo de maiz". Contemporary, realism, figurative, oil, landscape, waterscape
Located in MADRID, ES
Contemporary, realism, figurative, oil, landscapa, waterscape, pastel colors
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Wood, Oil

"Plastic Figure 1" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Jason Walker's (CAN based) "Plastic Figure 1" is an oil painting that depicts a lone pink plastic Cowboy figure toy standing with his gun on his shoulder...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

German Contemporary Art by Frank Suplie - Döllnfließ, Brückenblick
Located in Paris, IDF
Egg tempera on canvas, Shadow joint frame Frank Suplie is a German artist born in 1950 lives and works in Berlin, Germany. He is a member of the Painters Association of the North Ge...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Egg Tempera

Piece Of Wood - Oil Acrylic Figurative Painting Ivory Purple Blue White Brown
Located in Sofia, BG
"Piece of wood" is a modern art line painting by Maestro Dimitar Voynov -Junior, About the artwork: TECHNIQUE: Acrylic, oil on canvas painting STYLE...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Judaica "The Rebbe " European Hasidic Rabbi Portrait Oil Painting
By Charles Hannaford
Located in Surfside, FL
Signed with monogrammed initials and has his name written on verso. Realistic portrait of an older rabbi. CHARLES E. HANNAFORD, English; 1863-1955, Hannaford was a British waterco...
Category

20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Wish It Was, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Mia Bergeron's (US based) "Wish It Was" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a woman in profile, her face cast in shadow as her hair bun catches...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Nightfall" romantic nocturne painting of Italian Countryside, oil on brass
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Nightfall" is an oil on brass painting of the Italian Countryside at night. Dark blue skies soften as our eye drifts down to the horizon, where a mountainous landscape frames the ba...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Brass

"A Season of Red" (2023) By Seth Winegar, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"A Season of Red" by Seth Winegar (United States) is a handmade landscape painting that is framed and ready to hang.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Tamarisk Invasion, Original Dirt and Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Tamarisk Invasion" by Lisa Lebofsky (United States) is a handmade landscape dirt and oil on aluminum painting that is unframed, but ready to hang
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Presque Isle (Day 95) June 24, 2022, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Presque Isle (Day 95) June 24, 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 Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

On the Road to Nattyville 2, Original Pencil and Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"On the Road to 'Nattyville' 2" by Lisa Lebofsky (United States) is a handmade landscape, pencil and oil, painting that is framed and ready hang.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Painting with Pinecone, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Painting with Pinecone" by Lisa Lebofsky (United States) is a handmade landscape oil on paper painting that is framed and ready hang.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Presque Isle (Day 81) June 2, 2022, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Presque Isle (Day 81) June 2, 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 Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Contemporary portrait "Gas - Disel"
Located in Zofingen, AG
I sought to capture a moment of bold independence amidst the stark expanse of the American roadside. The crisp realism contrasts with a punchy assertiveness expressed through the assertive stance of the figure in the leather jacket. Set against the backdrop of a vintage gas...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

"Compelling, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Mia Bergeron's (US based) "Compelling" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a birthday cake with white and blue frosting on a white table surrounded with white, green, ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Judaica "The Rebbe " European Hasidic Rabbi Oil Painting
Located in Surfside, FL
Realistic portrait of an older rabbi visiting and blessing a child in a European marketplace. Here the artist conveys a sense of quiet grandeur th...
Category

20th Century Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French/American Chinoiserie Japonaise Woman in a Boudoir w/ Shrine
Located in New York, NY
Here we have a signed French/American Oil Painting, of a beautifully rendered Japonaise Lady in Her Boudoir with a Shrine I Cannot figure out the artist! Very well done and detail...
Category

1960s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Water Bottle", Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Dianne L. Massey Dunbar's (US based) "Water Bottle" is an oil painting that depicts a Aquafina Water Bottle with an open lid in an interior setting. A...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Stained glass project. Paper, tempera, 42x33
Located in Riga, LV
Stained glass project. Paper, tempera, 42x33.5 cm
Category

1980s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Tempera

"Clouds" Landscape Oil Painting 39" x 35.5" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Clouds" Landscape Oil Painting 39" x 35.5" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy ATTENTION: Painting ships rolled in a tube. A look through Dmitriy’s designs reveals a glamorous, feminine, pro...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Chains 3
Located in Fort Lee, NJ
Yuriy Grigoryan loves to work with symbols, the chain is something, on the one hand, chaining us, on the other, it is something that connects us to something or someone. This is both...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

dusk is dawn is day
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original contemporary oil painting by Amanda Besl from her most recent body of work created in 2017. Throughout her career, Amanda Besl has focused primarily on the inner worlds ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Smoking Break
Located in Zofingen, AG
It's good to have someone to smoke with on the way. In this painting, I captured a moment between two individuals during a smoking break in a vast desert. Using stark acrylic contras...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Fun. 2017, oil on canvas, 68x86 cm
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

Cirkus Amazing Amalie. 2012, oil on canvas, 74x70 cm
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

Playful physalis. 2015, oil on canvas, 90x70 cm
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

"Evening Light, Florence" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Daud Akhriev's (EUR and US based) "Evening Light, Florence" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a street within the terracotta lined walls of an Italian city. Artist Biography: The Soviet educational system singled out 8-year-old Daud Akhriev for special arts training. He painted and drew under the best painters and instructors for the next fourteen years. This culminated in a master’s degree from the Russian Academy in Leningrad (sic), after an obligatory two years in the Russian army. Though representational in orientation, Russian Academic philosophy encourages sampling, experimenting, and referencing styles and techniques from all of art history. The Russian academic training at its best imparts an artist a wide array of abilities honed to such that technical struggle is greatly reduced, leaving more time for experimentation and creativity. Akhriev, who enthusiastically cultivated all skills and styles while at the Academy, is an artist with public works in mosaic, oil on linen, water media, cast bronze monumental sculpture and ceramics. He is comfortable working in decorative styles, designing fabrics and patterns, and is equally at ease switching into Old Master oil painting. He admires Rembrandt and Schiele, Moser and Mailloll, Velasquez, Sargent and Sorolla. Akhriev is a Master Signature member of Oil Painters of America, the Artists Union of Russia, as well as the Association of Pastel Painters of Spain, the British Association of Modern Mosaicists, and the Society of American Mosaic Artists. He has won numerous prizes from the Salon International and International Masters Exhibitions in Texas, and at OPA regional and national exhibitions. He won Grand Prize from Pastel Magazine’s international 100 competition in 2015 and was twice honored again in 2017. Erlanger Hospital awarded Akhriev and team the creation of their non-denominational chapel which won “Ten Best Mosaic in Situ” in 2016 from the Society of American Mosaic Artists. He is an internationally renowned instructor of figurative and landscape painting and drawing. His work is published in several art books in Russian, Chinese and English. Magazines such as Fine Art Connoisseur, Pastel Journal and Artists Magazine have large features on his work. Currently his pastel paintings are at the Ming Gallery of Pastel Painting in Suzhou, China, by invitation, and are going to be in the inaugural exhibition of the new Chinese museum pastel painting throughout history through the present day. He has served as a juror for Oil Painters of America, and he frequently teaches masterclasses in Italy. The artist is a huge sports fan and loves film and travel. He speaks Russian, Ingush, English, basic Spanish, and can communicate using hand gestures in any other language. His extracurricular passion is teaching young artists. He resides in Tennessee and Andalusia, Spain with his artist wife, Melissa Hefferlin.
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Linen

Teofimo, oil, ARC Salon Finalist, Portrait Society of America, Florence, Italy
Located in Houston, TX
Teofimo 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 mos...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil, Panel

"A Mirror to Presence" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Ken Cunningham's "A Mirror to Presence" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a woman holding a red apple.
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Crocs, Award Winning Cuban Artist, Realism, Oil Painting On Canvas Gallery Wrap
Located in Houston, TX
Check for Free Shipping at Check Out Reduced from $3200 Crocs is a painting by the young Cuban artist, Osley Gil. It was painted in 2021 in Havana in the tr...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

"Submergence" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Shelli Langdale's "Submergence" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a human figure reclining in long grass with a white figurine of a ho...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"One for Sorrow" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Shelli Langdale's "One for Sorrow" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a rural field covered with snow that accentuates a lone red gate. Arti...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"October" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Shelli Langdale's "October" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a feminine figure sitting cross-legged on a green pleated couch with a blue...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

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 Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Rose flower., Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
A girl with red hair, in a white dress with a rose in her hand. Realism. Allegory of flora. Oil painting on canvas, varnished, sides painted in the color of the painting, ready to be...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Outdoor, Winter Self Portrait" Realist oil painting of the artist, outdoors
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Outdoor, Winter Self Portrait" is a realist oil on canvas painting. It depicts a self portrait of Rachel Personett with a blue and brownish gray backdrop. In “Outdoor, Winter Self...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Grow with Me I" (2022) By Ifeoluwa Alade, Original Mixed Media Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Ifeoluwa Alade ( Nigeria based) "Grow with Me I" is an original, handmade acrylic painting that depicts flowers and butterflies with a heavily textured pink background. Artist bio:...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Ina Pesenka, Gordon beach in the winter
Located in Tel Aviv, IL
Ina Pesenka, Gordon Beach in the winter, Oil on canvas, Tel-aviv beach, israeli artist, Israeli art, art
Category

Early 2000s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Street of Shadows - Finding the Light 2
Located in Denver, CO
"Street of Shadows - Finding the Light 2," is an original oil painting on 5 acrylic panels by Michelle Jader. It is framed and ready-to-hang.
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Discover"
Located in Denver, CO
"Discover," is a digital print on 5 acrylic panels by Michelle Jader.
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Panel, Digital

"Calming Chaos"
Located in Denver, CO
"Calming Chaos," is a digital print on 5 acrylic panels by Michelle Jader.
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Panel, Digital

"Wayfinding" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Wayfinding," is an original oil painting on 4 acrylic panels by Michelle Jader. It is framed and ready-to-hang.
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Ready, Steady, Go"
Located in Denver, CO
"Ready, Steady, Go" is a digital print on 5 acrylic panels by Michelle Jader.
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Panel, Digital

"Punisher, " Mixed media painting
Located in Denver, CO
Gregory Block's (US based) "Punisher" is an original, handmade mixed media artwork that depicts the Punisher symbol made entirely of aluminum. Gregory was born in Kansas City, Miss...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Metal

"Prisoner of Love" Figurative Oil Painting 47" x 47" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Prisoner of Love" Figurative Oil Painting 47" x 47" inch by Dmitriy Krestniy 2019 ATTENTION: Painting ships rolled in a tube. A look through Dmitriy’s designs reveals a glamorous,...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Hulk, " Mixed media painting
Located in Denver, CO
Gregory Block's (US based) "Hulk" is an original, handmade mixed media artwork that depicts the Hulk symbol made entirely of aluminum. Gregory was born in K...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Metal

French Contemporary Art by Claudine Picard - Sceaux
Located in Paris, IDF
Claudine Picard is a French artist born in 1949 who lives & works in Sainte Marie, France. She is graduated from the Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs in 1973 (ENSAD).
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Conceptual Realist Painting Diptych Floral Colorful American female artist
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original contemporary oil painting by Amanda Besl from her most recent body of work created in 2017. Throughout her career, Amanda Besl has focused primarily on the inner worlds ...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

"Last Light" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Casey Childs' (US based) "Last Light" is an oil painting that depicts a lone female figure sitting with a red umbrella looking out towards a field and tre...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Contemporary portrait "Red Auto"
Located in Zofingen, AG
I didn't paint because I ran out of canvas. I was in a state of "I should have hung myself back during COVID." Got a new canvas, started painting, and suddenly felt happier. So, pain...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

"Key to all doors."
Located in Zofingen, AG
"A painting is a symbol, a painting is a metaphor. This is a new work of the artist ""Reflections on Life"" to choose from. The key is a symbol, every door is a secret. Whoever choos...
Category

2010s Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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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