Discover our collection of contemporary realistic paintings for collectors today. Our range of affordable realistic art by emerging artists has been carefully selected by our curatorial team to offer a variety of styles and subject matter.
Start by exploring our online gallery below to discover a selection of realistic oil paintings for modern interiors. Our collection also features sweeping realistic watercolour landscapes and studies of natural wildlife.
The History of Realistic Paintings
Realistic painting began in the 19th century with the Realism movement, championed by French painter Gustave Courbet. In reaction to the idealised styles of Romanticism and Neoclassicism, Courbet and his contemporaries sought to represent the world as they saw it – faithfully, without embellishment, and with a focus on everyday subjects. The Realists aimed to capture life truthfully, grounded in observable reality, and rejected the symbolism that earlier movements had embraced.
As art evolved, the concept of realism expanded. By the mid-20th century, realism’s influence could be seen even in highly experimental styles, such as abstract expressionism and surrealism. Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalà painstakingly studied classical realism to make his dreamlike compositions tangible and convincing, heightening their psychological implications. You can explore a selection of rare Dalà prints, such as The Rebel Poet (1974), on Rise Art.
In the United States, realism took on a distinct character. American realist painters, such as Edward Hopper, explored the mood and isolation of modern urban life with haunting clarity. Hopper’s artwork, alongside that of Andrew Wyeth, a master of rural realism, paint a portrait of the depth and complexity of the United States through scenes of solitude and introspection.
Photorealists emerged in the late 1960s, closely followed by hyperrealism. Photorealist painters, such as Chinese painter Leng Jun, mimic photographic images to create an almost uncanny resemblance to his live models. Photorealists often omit human emotion, political value, and narrative elements – sharply mechanical, with an emphasis on mundane, everyday imagery.
Hyperrealism, by contrast, although photographic in essence, often involves a more complex interpretation of the subject. Objects and scenes in hyperrealism paintings and sculptures are meticulously detailed to create the illusion of a reality not seen in the original photo. Hyperrealism images become a simulation of reality – challenging viewers to rethink their relationship with the visible ‘realistic’ world.
Realistic Paintings for Sale on Rise Art
Hartlepool artist Narbi Price is a photorealistic oil painter, known for his artwork of details from locations of important or shocking moments – from instances of violence to locations from TV and film. Price’s series of meticulously detailed bouquets in plastic wrap, such as *Untitled Flowers Study 4 (2022), calls to mind memorials and the practice of wreath-laying while leaving interpretation open to the viewer.
In contrast, award-winning figurative artist Karen Turner uses oil paint to celebrate the female body. Turner’s portrait paintings are characterised by a liberating perspective, as she seeks to normalise and celebrate larger bodies. Are There Any Questions? is a tender but provocative portrait, in which a woman poses nude, at ease in her body and challenging the societal expectations of weight and gender.
Explore more of our curated selection of realistic art online in the gallery below.
