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Realist Drawings and Watercolor 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
Overlooking the Bay
Overlooking the Bay

Ephraim SamsonOverlooking the Bay, 2003

$765

Overlooking the Bay

By Ephraim Samson

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "Overlooking the Bay" 2003 Is a watercolor on paper by Filipino artist Ephraim Samson, b.1947. It is signed and dated at the lower right co...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Wolf Portrait Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Artyom AbrahamyanWolf Portrait Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind, 2026

$150

Wolf Portrait Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

By Artyom Abrahamyan

Located in Granada Hills, CA

Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2026 Style: Classic Art Title: Wolf Portrait Size: 12 x 16 inc...

Category

2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Yellow Cardinal Bird Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Artyom AbrahamyanYellow Cardinal Bird Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind, 2026

$120

Yellow Cardinal Bird Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

By Artyom Abrahamyan

Located in Granada Hills, CA

Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2026 Style: Classic Art Title: Yellow Cardinal Size: 12 x 16 i...

Category

2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Industrial Nesting, Original Painting
Industrial Nesting, Original Painting

Dwight SmithIndustrial Nesting, Original Painting, 2026

$550

Industrial Nesting, Original Painting

By Dwight Smith

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Soft washes of steel gray and muted blue shape an austere industrial landscape of vents, ducts, and pipes. Tucked into this manufactured geometry, a small nest ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Portrait of Leopold Myers by Sir William Rothenstein
Portrait of Leopold Myers by Sir William Rothenstein

Sir William RothensteinPortrait of Leopold Myers by Sir William Rothenstein, 1936

$2,600Sale Price|20% Off

Portrait of Leopold Myers by Sir William Rothenstein

By Sir William Rothenstein

Located in Soquel, CA

Stately sanguine portrait of Leopold Hamilton Myers (Novelist) by Sir William Rothenstein (English, 1872-1945). Captured in Rothenstein's characteristic style, Myers looks directly at the viewer with a neutral expression. Although this portrait uses only two colors and minimal shading, the likeness of Myers is incredibly well captured. Leo (Leopold) Hamilton Myers (1881 – 1944) was a British novelist. Numerous examples like this one of the writer are in the Tate Museum. Initialed and dated in the lower right corner ("W.R. 1936") Inscription on verso indicating materials, subject, and artist. Presented in a new cream colored mat with foamcore backing. Mat size: 18"H x 12"W Paper size: 15.25"H x 10.75"W William Rothenstein (English, 1872-1945) was born into a German-Jewish family in Bradford, West Yorkshire. His father, Moritz, emigrated from Germany in 1859 to work in Bradford's burgeoning textile industry. Soon afterwards he married Bertha Dux, and they had six children, of which William was the fifth. Rothenstein was knighted in 1931. Rothenstein left Bradford Grammar School at the age of sixteen to study at the Slade School of Art*, London (1888-1893), where he was taught by Alphonse Legros, and the Académie Julian* in Paris (1889-1893), where he met and was encouraged by James McNeill Whistler, Edgar Degas and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. Whilst in Paris he also befriended the Anglo-Australian artist Charles Conder, with whom he shared a studio in Montmartre. In 1893 he returned to England to work on "Oxford Characters" a series of lithographic* portraits. In Oxford he met and became a close friend of the caricaturist* and parodist Max Beerbohm, who later immortalised him in the short story Enoch Soames (1919). During the 1890s Rothenstein exhibited with the New English Art Club* and, in 1900, won a silver medal for his painting The Doll's House at the Exposition Universelle. In 1898 he co-founded the Carfax Gallery in St. James' Piccadilly with John Fothergill. During its early years the gallery was closely associated with such artists as Charles Conder, Philip Wilson Steer, Charles Ricketts and Augustus John. It also exhibited the work of Auguste Rodin, whose growing reputation in England owed much to Rothenstein's friendship and missionary zeal. The gallery was later the home for all three exhibitions of The Camden Town Group*, led by Rothenstein's friend and close contemporary Walter Sickert. Rothenstein is best known for his portrait drawings of famous individuals and for being an official war artist in both World War I and World War II. He was also a member of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters & Gravers. The style and subject of his paintings varies, though certain themes reappear, in particular an interest in 'weighty' or 'essential' subjects tackled in a restrained manner. Good examples include Parting at Morning (1891), Mother and Child (1903) and Jews Mourning at a Synagogue (1907) - all of which are owned by the Tate Gallery. The National Portrait Gallery owns over two hundred of his portraits. In 2011 the BBC and the Public Catalogue Foundation began cataloguing all of his paintings in public ownership online. Between 1902 and 1912 Rothenstein lived in Hampstead, London, where his social circle included such names as H.G.Wells, Joseph Conrad and the artist Augustus John. Amongst the young artists to visit Rothenstein in Hampstead were Mark Gertler...

Category

1930s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Conté, Handmade Paper

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of A Young Boy In His Fishing Gear
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of A Young Boy In His Fishing Gear

John Rabone HarveyBritish Chalk Pencil Sketch of A Young Boy In His Fishing Gear, 1966

$108Sale Price|20% Off

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of A Young Boy In His Fishing Gear

By John Rabone Harvey

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 7 x 5.5 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Ha...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

"Into the Ring"
"Into the Ring"

Paul Sample"Into the Ring", circa 1940

$37,000

"Into the Ring"

By Paul Sample

Located in Lambertville, NJ

signed Lower Right Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Paul Sample established his reputation as a Regionalist landscape, figure and genre painter, particularly of New England subject matter. In 1925, he moved to California and enrolled at the Otis Art Institute where his teacher was Jonas Lie, and he took private lessons from Stanton MacDonald-Wright and Frank Tolles Chamberlin...

Category

1940s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Tinker Bell
Tinker Bell

William StoutTinker Bell, 2023

$7,500

Tinker Bell

By William Stout

Located in Pasadena, CA

Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "2023 WM Stout" in lower right UNFRAMED: 15.75" x 11" FRAMED: 23.375" x 18.5" x 1.125" Artist Statement “‘Tinker Bell’ is ...

Category

2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Panel

Cottages in Devon
Cottages in Devon

Samuel ProutCottages in Devon, circa 1800

$2,000

Cottages in Devon

By Samuel Prout

Located in Middletown, NY

An early Devonshire landscape, ex-collection West Collection of British Watercolors & the Fine Art Society, London. Circa 1800 Ink and brown wash on paper, 7 1/8 x 10 1/4 inches (...

Category

Early 1800s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Graphite

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of Farmers Harvesting the Fields
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of Farmers Harvesting the Fields

John Rabone HarveyBritish Chalk Pencil Sketch of Farmers Harvesting the Fields, 1966

$108Sale Price|20% Off

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of Farmers Harvesting the Fields

By John Rabone Harvey

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 5.5 x 7 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Ha...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Cow Climbing The Hill To Water
British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Cow Climbing The Hill To Water

John Rabone HarveyBritish Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Cow Climbing The Hill To Water, 1966

$108Sale Price|20% Off

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Cow Climbing The Hill To Water

By John Rabone Harvey

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 5.5 x 7 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Ha...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

Violinist (Portrait of Young Man with Violin)
Violinist (Portrait of Young Man with Violin)

Vito TomaselloViolinist (Portrait of Young Man with Violin), 1950

$400

Violinist (Portrait of Young Man with Violin)

By Vito Tomasello

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Outstanding male portrait by 20th-century American artist, Vito Tomasello. Portrait of a Violinist, 1950. Charcoal on paper, sheet measures 13 x 19 inches. Signed lower left. A ...

Category

1950s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

Tayside Sheep Farm, Scotland
Tayside Sheep Farm, Scotland

Ken CherringtonTayside Sheep Farm, Scotland, c.1930

$400

Tayside Sheep Farm, Scotland

By Ken Cherrington

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "Tayside Sheep Farm, Scotland" c.1930, is a watercolor on paper by British artist Ken Cherrington, 1886-1969. It is signed at the lower left corner by the artist. The ar...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Siegfried and Fafnir
Siegfried and Fafnir

William StoutSiegfried and Fafnir, 2010

$3,500

Siegfried and Fafnir

By William Stout

Located in Pasadena, CA

Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "2010 WM Stout" on bottom right. Description Siegfried and Fafnir was painted by William Stout in 2010 as part of...

Category

2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Portrait of a Lady - British art Post Impressionist 40s drawing female portrait
Portrait of a Lady - British art Post Impressionist 40s drawing female portrait

Edward Bainbridge CopnallPortrait of a Lady - British art Post Impressionist 40s drawing female portrait, circa 1940

$4,610Sale Price|20% Off

Portrait of a Lady - British art Post Impressionist 40s drawing female portrait

By Edward Bainbridge Copnall

Located in Hagley, England

A dramatic head and shoulders portrait of a lady in coloured chalks attributed to noted British artist Edward Bainbridge Copnall. This is just a stunning artwork which dates to circa 1940. Signed Bainbridge Copnall. Provenance. Midlands collection. Condition. Coloured chalks on paper, 16 inches by 13 inches and in good colour and condition. Some staining to edges. Housed in its original gallery frame 21 by 18 inches. In excellent condition. Edward Bainbridge Copnall MBE ( 1903-1973) was a British sculptor and painter. He was best known for his architectural and decorative sculptures featuring allegorical and religious subjects. He was the President of the Royal Society of Sculptors from 1961 - 1966. Edward Bainbridge Copnall was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1903 and moved to Horsham, West Sussex in England as a young child after the death of his mother. His father, photographer Edward White Copnall (born 1878, Isle of Wight), lived and worked in Horsham from 1915-1962. His uncle was Liverpool-based portrait painter Frank Thomas Copnall...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Chalk

The Intrepids, Realist charcoal drawing of three women, running flowing dresses
The Intrepids, Realist charcoal drawing of three women, running flowing dresses

Patsy McArthurThe Intrepids, Realist charcoal drawing of three women, running flowing dresses, 2022

$5,800

The Intrepids, Realist charcoal drawing of three women, running flowing dresses

By Patsy McArthur

Located in Dallas, TX

The Intrepids Charcoal and graphite on paper Framed in off white float frame behind anti-reflect/ UV glass Framed size: 27.5 x 47 inches / 70 x 120 cm This contemporary figurative d...

Category

2010s Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Charcoal, Archival Paper, Graphite

Realist drawings and watercolor paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Realist drawings and watercolor 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 drawings and watercolor 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, orange, purple, green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Victor Roschkov, Carl August Walther, Gustave Poetzsch, and Frank Girard. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Watercolor 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 drawings and watercolor paintings, so small editions measuring 0.1 inches across are also available. Prices for drawings and watercolor paintings made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $61 and tops out at $985,000, while the average work sells for $899.

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