Realistic Paintings For Sale

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 Dalí painstakingly studied classical realism to make his dreamlike compositions tangible and convincing, heightening their psychological implications. You can explore a selection of rare Dalí 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.

Size
Height
Width
Price
Orientation
    No mediums available
    No styles available
    No subjects available
    No countries available
    No colors available
    sort
    All Art
    showing 584 pieces
    Black Rose Succulent by Michael Pfleghaar
    View in a room interior
    Black Rose Succulent by Michael Pfleghaar
    Black Rose Succulent
    Paintings - 91x91 cm
    Solitude à deux by Jacques KÉDOCHIM
    View in a room interior
    Solitude à deux by Jacques KÉDOCHIM
    Solitude à deux
    Paintings - 40x40 cm
    Suspension (traveling) by Peter Roux
    View in a room interior
    Suspension (traveling) by Peter Roux
    Suspension (traveling)
    Paintings - 102x102 cm
    Snake Plant and Lamp by Michael Pfleghaar
    View in a room interior
    Snake Plant and Lamp by Michael Pfleghaar
    Snake Plant and Lamp
    Paintings - 36x28 cm
    Organic Plastic by Michael Pfleghaar
    View in a room interior
    Organic Plastic by Michael Pfleghaar
    Organic Plastic
    Paintings - 51x41 cm
    Suspension (upcoming) by Peter Roux
    View in a room interior
    Suspension (upcoming) by Peter Roux
    Suspension (upcoming)
    Paintings - 102x102 cm
    Tracer by Peter Roux
    Tracer
    Paintings - 117x25 cm
    Porsche Art Car by Vincent Bardou
    View in a room interior
    Porsche Art Car by Vincent Bardou
    Porsche Art Car
    Paintings - 116x90 cm
    Tabletop Trio by Michael Pfleghaar
    View in a room interior
    Tabletop Trio by Michael Pfleghaar
    Tabletop Trio
    Paintings - 51x41 cm
    Click to discover similar artworks

    Use visual search to find art with a similar style

    View in a room interior
    Mary's Planters 1 by Michael Pfleghaar
    Mary's Planters 1
    Paintings - 51x41 cm
    View in a room interior
    Monstera in Ink by Michael Pfleghaar
    Monstera in Ink
    Paintings - 36x28 cm
    View in a room interior
    Soleil d’ors by Jacques KÉDOCHIM
    Soleil d’ors
    Paintings - 100x100 cm
    View in a room interior
    Amaryllis on Aqua by Michael Pfleghaar
    Amaryllis on Aqua
    Paintings - 43x36 cm
    View in a room interior
    Luminous Anthurium by Michael Pfleghaar
    Luminous Anthurium
    Paintings - 51x41 cm
    View in a room interior
    Acer Triflorium by Robert Pereira Hind
    Acer Triflorium
    Paintings - 80x80 cmRent for $115 /mo
    View in a room interior
    Loch Katrine by Gavin Weir
    Loch Katrine
    Paintings - 70x120 cmRent for $205 /mo
    View in a room interior
    Suffolk Beacon by Sue Blandford
    Suffolk Beacon
    Paintings - 43x45 cmRent for $160 /mo
    View in a room interior
    Fleeting Wild by Peter Roux
    Fleeting Wild
    Paintings - 117x117 cm
    Free and easy 14 days returns
    View in a room interior
    Big Apple by Andrea Vandoni
    Big Apple
    Paintings - 100x100 cm
    View in a room interior
    Such a Bitch by Karen Turner
    Such a Bitch
    Paintings - 90x50 cmRent for $140 /mo
    View in a room interior
    Suspension (upcoming) by Peter Roux
    Suspension (upcoming)
    Paintings - 102x102 cm
    View in a room interior
    Bipolarités  by Jacques KÉDOCHIM
    Bipolarités
    Paintings - 100x100 cm
    View in a room interior
    Dancer #10 by Joseph Piccillo
    Dancer #10
    Paintings - 31x25 cm
    View in a room interior
    7 Favourites  by Ian Robinson
    7 Favourites
    Paintings - 60x100 cmRent for $590 /mo
    Trusted by collectors and leading brands

    See our latest collaboration with Soho Home

    little prayer
    Paintings - 117x25 cm
    View in a room interior
    Polka Dot Begonia 1 by Michael Pfleghaar
    Polka Dot Begonia 1
    Paintings - 51x41 cm
    View in a room interior
    Bucha by Erwin Stab
    Bucha
    Paintings - 10x14 cm
    Refine your search. find the perfect artwork

    Filter by size, medium, price and more

    Regional Settings
    English
    US (USD)
    United States
    Metric (cm, kg)