representing what is real; not abstract or ideal; "realistic portraiture"; "a realistic novel"; "in naturalistic colors"; "the school of naturalistic writers"
art work that attempts a photographic likeness of the subject matter; sometimes refers to the choice of subject that is commonplace as opposed to courtly and idealized
aware or expressing awareness of things as they really are; "a realistic description"; "a realistic view of the possibilities"; "a realistic appraisal of our chances"; "the actors tried to create a realistic portrayal of the Africans"
Paintings intended to look as much like real life as possible such that you would not be able to tell if you were looking at a painting or a photograph.