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
SMLXLXXL
Height5 - 300 cm
Width10 - 300 cm
Price100 - 20,000 +
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Paintings
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  • Botanical > Trees
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  • Animals > Cows
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All Art
showing 588 pieces
Black Rose Succulent by Michael Pfleghaar
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Black Rose Succulent by Michael Pfleghaar
Black Rose Succulent
Paintings - 91x91 cm
Flesh Study #1 by Karen Turner
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Flesh Study #1 by Karen Turner
Flesh Study #1
Paintings - 26x31 cmRent for $40 /mo
Blue Myrtle Cactus by Michael Pfleghaar
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Blue Myrtle Cactus by Michael Pfleghaar
Blue Myrtle Cactus
Paintings - 51x41 cm
The Ocean by Rhea Cutillo
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The Ocean by Rhea Cutillo
The Ocean
Paintings - 91x91 cm
Hot Mic by Karen Turner
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Hot Mic by Karen Turner
Hot Mic
Paintings - 27x22 cmRent for $70 /mo
Backlit Botanicals by Michael Pfleghaar
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Backlit Botanicals by Michael Pfleghaar
Backlit Botanicals
Paintings - 51x41 cm
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Suspension (upcoming) by Peter Roux
Suspension (upcoming)
Paintings - 102x102 cm
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Let me hear you say the words I want to hear by Paula MacArthur
Let me hear you say the words I want to hear
Paintings - 200x300 cmRent for $535 /mo
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Polka Dot Begonia 1 by Michael Pfleghaar
Polka Dot Begonia 1
Paintings - 51x41 cm
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Fleeting Wild by Peter Roux
Fleeting Wild
Paintings - 117x117 cm
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Bipolarités  by Jacques KÉDOCHIM
Bipolarités
Paintings - 100x100 cm
Free and easy 14 days returns
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Untitled Flowers Study 7 by Narbi Price
Untitled Flowers Study 7
Paintings - 30x25 cmRent for $90 /mo
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Monstera in Ink by Michael Pfleghaar
Monstera in Ink
Paintings - 36x28 cm
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Moments of Connection by Michael Pfleghaar
Moments of Connection
Paintings - 91x91 cm
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Untitled Flowers Study 2 by Narbi Price
Untitled Flowers Study 2
Paintings - 30x25 cmRent for $90 /mo
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Road to the Sea  by Tony Girolo
Road to the Sea
Paintings - 51x61 cm
Trees
Paintings - 27x19 cm
little prayer
Paintings - 117x25 cm
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Bain de soleil by Jacques KÉDOCHIM
Bain de soleil
Paintings - 40x40 cm
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Ath, Wallonia by Michael Coppelov
Ath, Wallonia
Paintings - 35x20 cmRent for $38 /mo
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Tabletop Trio by Michael Pfleghaar
Tabletop Trio
Paintings - 51x41 cm
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