Realism Artists Index
Alphabetical Index of the Great Masters of Realism
Realism in art history refers to an artistic movement that emerged in Europe in the mid-19th century as a response to the romanticized and idealized imagery of previous art movements. Realist artists sought to depict the world as it really was, with all its imperfections and contradictions, and focused on ordinary people and everyday life. Realism represented a significant shift in the way artists approached their work, rejecting idealization and seeking to capture the truth of the human experience in all its complexity and nuance.
Realism is considered the beginning of modern art, due to its conviction that everyday life and the modern world were suitable subjects for art. Realist artists embraced the progressive aims of modernism, seeking new truths through the reexamination and overturning of traditional systems of values and beliefs.
The Realism movement placed greater focus on the realism present within the subject matter, as artworks began to depict ordinary and everyday scenes in a very realistic manner. Realist art emerged as a result of the great social changes sparked by the Industrial Revolution, which had a significant impact on society and the way people lived their lives.
Some of the key figures of the Realism movement include Gustave Courbet, who famously declared that "painting is an essentially concrete art and can only consist of the representation of real and existing things," Jean-Francois Millet, who focused on rural life and the plight of the peasant class, and Honoré Daumier, who used his art to satirize the social and political issues of his day. In literature, Realism was characterized by a focus on ordinary people and everyday life, as well as a rejection of the romanticized and idealized imagery of previous literary movements. Some of the key writers of the Realist movement included Gustave Flaubert, Émile Zola, and Leo Tolstoy.
Overall, Realism in art history represented a significant shift in the way artists and writers approached their work, rejecting idealization and seeking to capture the truth of the human experience in all its complexity and nuance through a focus on ordinary people and everyday life.
Realism is considered the beginning of modern art, due to its conviction that everyday life and the modern world were suitable subjects for art. Realist artists embraced the progressive aims of modernism, seeking new truths through the reexamination and overturning of traditional systems of values and beliefs.
The Realism movement placed greater focus on the realism present within the subject matter, as artworks began to depict ordinary and everyday scenes in a very realistic manner. Realist art emerged as a result of the great social changes sparked by the Industrial Revolution, which had a significant impact on society and the way people lived their lives.
Some of the key figures of the Realism movement include Gustave Courbet, who famously declared that "painting is an essentially concrete art and can only consist of the representation of real and existing things," Jean-Francois Millet, who focused on rural life and the plight of the peasant class, and Honoré Daumier, who used his art to satirize the social and political issues of his day. In literature, Realism was characterized by a focus on ordinary people and everyday life, as well as a rejection of the romanticized and idealized imagery of previous literary movements. Some of the key writers of the Realist movement included Gustave Flaubert, Émile Zola, and Leo Tolstoy.
Overall, Realism in art history represented a significant shift in the way artists and writers approached their work, rejecting idealization and seeking to capture the truth of the human experience in all its complexity and nuance through a focus on ordinary people and everyday life.