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
Oil
1980s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
1990s Realist Art
Paper, Oil Crayon, Oil Pastel, Pastel, Board
1910s Realist Art
Bronze
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Mixed Media
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Oil, Cardboard
2010s Realist Art
Lithograph, Offset
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Oil, Board
1990s Realist Art
Bronze
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil
1940s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Realist Art
Paper, Color, Lithograph
1980s Realist Art
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
2010s Realist Art
Digital, Giclée
18th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Oil
1950s Realist Art
Lambda
18th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Realist Art
Lambda
2010s Realist Art
Wood, Oil
Mid-20th Century Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A lone rowboat rests on a lake, securely tied to a post and anchored underwater. Ripples gently disturb the reflection of the vessel, adding movement to the sce...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
17th Century Realist Art
Etching
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Realist Art
Watercolor, Laid Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Realist Art
Watercolor, Handmade Paper
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 19th Century Realist Art
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Realist Art
Oil, Panel
Artist Comments
Wooden spools convey a natural landscape reminiscent of towering cliffs. Hues of blue threads form a vista mimicking rain pouring down on dry land. The interp...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Watercolor
1960s Realist Art
Lambda
1990s Realist Art
Resin
2010s Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A pair of little woodpeckers perch on opposite sides of a branch, busy probing the small holes they've made for fresh tree sap. The intricate features of their plumage and the textured bark create a striking contrast against the stark white background. Rendered in vibrant colors and fine detail, artist Emil Morhardt brings this charming scene to life.
About the Artist
Emil Morhardt is an acrylic painter from Santa Barbara, California who expresses his passion for birds through realistic acrylic paintings. He paints at home in a studio room that has large windows and a north-facing view of the mountains. He observes the animals from this window, watching roadrunners, foxes, bobcats, deer, and coyote run by. Surrounded by this wildlife, Emil paints bird portraits reminiscent of those by artist John James Audubon. He bases his paintings off hundreds of photographs he takes of birds in the wild and at wildlife recovery centers. Emil captures the freedom and inquisitiveness that birds display...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
1910s Realist Art
Gouache, Illustration Board
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 1900s Realist Art
Oil, Board
2010s Realist Art
Oil
1910s Realist Art
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Realist Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 1900s Realist Art
Paper
1980s Realist Art
Oil, Board
2010s Realist Art
Bronze
19th Century Realist Art
Bronze
19th Century Realist Art
Canvas, Oil




