Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Realist \Re"al*ist\, n. [Cf. F. r['e]aliste.]
   1. (Philos.) One who believes in realism; esp., one who
      maintains that generals, or the terms used to denote the
      genera and species of things, represent real existences,
      and are not mere names, as maintained by the nominalists.

   2. (Art. & Lit.) An artist or writer who aims at realism in
      his work. See {Realism}, 2.

Source : WordNet®

realist
     n 1: a philosopher who believes that universals are real and
          exist independently of anyone thinking of them
     2: a person who accepts the world as it literally is and deals
        with it accordingly
     3: a painter who represents the world realistically and not in
        an idealized or romantic style