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What is the definition of realism in art?
1 Answer

In art, the definition of realism is work that 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. Realism as an artistic movement usually refers to 19th-century French artists such as Honoré Daumier, who explored social and political issues in biting prints, and Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet, who painted people 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. On 1stDibs, shop a range of realist art.
1stDibs ExpertAugust 26, 2024
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Shop for Realist Art on 1stDibs
Summer Landscape and Lake, Oil on Canvas, 1880, Signed
Located in Stockholm, Stockholm
A peaceful summer landscape depicting the lake Finnsjön in Järnboås, north of Nora in the historic Bergslagen region of central Sweden. The still lake occupies the foreground, its da...
Category
1880s Realist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Ricardo Bolliger, Italy, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late-1980s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Ricardo Bolliger sitting beside a swimming pool on the island of Capri, Italy, in September 1989. A ma...
Category
1980s Realist Portrait Photography
Materials
Lambda
Hyperrealistic Acrylic Painting 'The Missing Move', 90x120 cm, Signed
Located in Zofingen, AG
Certain works of art do not describe an event—they preserve its emotional residue. They remind us that the most profound transformations rarely occur in moments of visible drama, but in the quiet intervals that divide life into what existed before and everything that follows. This painting inhabits precisely that elusive territory.
The composition presents an interior of remarkable stillness. A young woman, dressed in white and seen only from behind, stands before expansive panoramic windows. Beside her, a black cat quietly shares the moment. In the foreground, an antique billiard table...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Barcelona Beach Night Horizon, Nocturnal Seascape Cyanotype on Watercolor Paper
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype.
Outstanding "Barcelona Beach Night Horizon" shows a nocturnal seascape, taken on the Barcelona beach.
Details:
+ Title: B...
Category
2010s Realist Landscape Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Printer's Ink, Watercolor, Photographic Paper, Color, Photogram
Ballerina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this piece, I captured the delicate introspection of a quiet moment. Using oil, I aimed to blend fine realism with an intimate, almost tangible stillness. The softness of her skin...
Category
2010s Realist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Portrait of a Spaniel, " France 19th century
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Portrait of a Spaniel
France, 19th century
Oil on canvas, original gold leaf frame
15 ¾ x 14 ¼ (21 x 19 ½ frame) inches
Signed illegibly, lower left
Above the signature reads the not...
Category
1850s Realist Animal Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil


