Realism (arts)
Realism in the arts is a movement that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century, specifically during the 1840s to 1860s, as a reaction against Romanticism and its idealized portrayals. The core objective of Realism is to depict everyday life and reality as accurately and objectively as possible, shunning romanticized or mythical representations. This artistic style emphasizes straightforward renditions of real people and events, often highlighting the lives of the lower classes without glossing over the harsh realities of existence. Key artists associated with the movement include Gustave Courbet, Jean-François Millet, and Édouard Manet, each contributing to its legacy through their focus on social themes and candid portrayals.
Realist artists often employed precise details, naturalistic colors, and careful consideration of light and shade to enhance the authenticity of their work. The movement sought to challenge the standards set by academic art institutions, advocating for a focus on contemporary life and the experiences of ordinary individuals. This genre is known for its anti-intellectual stance and commitment to portraying the "nitty-gritty" of life, which includes the struggles and dignity of working-class individuals. Overall, Realism represents a significant shift in artistic expression, prioritizing real-life subjects over grand historical or mythological themes.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Realism (arts)
Realism in the arts refers to the movement arising in the middle of the nineteenth century, particularly during the 1840s, 1850s, and 1860s. The aim of Realism is to present a truthful depiction of reality in the most objective way possible. That which is perceived to be romantic, exotic, mythical, or not grounded in reality is spurned. Rather, real life is shown candidly, and the subject matter involves real people. Stylized artistic methods are not used; instead, accurate renditions of scenes and people are the themes of the works of this period. The use of light and color as a detail is pertinent to the Realist artists. Precision and detail are essential to the realistic and accurate representation of the subject. Realism implies the event occurring in real time and space, placing it as an historical recording and oftentimes social commentary. There is no attempt at whitewashing over the "dirty details"; instead, whatever needs to be portrayed is, including the "nitty gritty."
History
The Realist movement occurred in France following the 1848 revolution when King Louis-Phillipe's monarchy was overthrown. The period encompasses the Second Empire reign of Napoleon III. Against a backdrop of Romanticism, Realism in the arts emerged as a reaction to the Romantic art form and its idealized Classicism. Romanticism emphasized the depth of emotions, imagination, and expressiveness of the individual. This movement was dominant in Northern Europe and the United States during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Realism became the new movement emerging in the mid-nineteenth century.
Prior to the Realism movement, nineteenth-century art had been influenced by academic theories. The grandioseness of High Art had been prevalent, manifesting as artificiality. The emphasis began to change to depicting real subjects rather than High Art.
Realism is anti-intellectual, presenting a faithful portrayal of everyday life with simple accuracy. The notion of photographic accuracy is synonymous with Realism. Artists strive to be objective in their work without the need to glamorize or romanticize their subject matter. The everyday is presented as it is, often revealing the lives of the lower classes. This is in stark contrast to previous themes of religion and mythology. Light and shade in realistic tones and colors are a further characteristic of this style of painting, adding to the sense of realism.
French artist Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875), influenced artists in regard to landscape paintings and particularly the use of light and color as evident in Gustave Courbet's paintings.
When Courbet's first realistic work was exhibited at the Paris World Exhibition (1855) there was quite a reaction. The idea of peasants and working-class people replacing the bourgeois life in art, both in terms of subject matter and audience, created a stir. Courbet soon set the stage of acceptance in the field of realism, placing real life and the natural world at the forefront of art, rather than academic or intellectual subject matter.
A literary contemporary of Courbet's, Champfleury (pseudonym of Jules Francois Felix Fleury-Husson), created the term Realism in the 1840s. He was a French novelist and art critic, who championed the cause of the Realists and favorably reviewed Courbet's work.
Overview
The main artists of this period are Gustave Courbet, Jean Francois Millet, Edouard Manet, and Henry O. Tanner. Courbet stated that "painting is an essentially concrete art and can only consist in the representation of real and existing things" (Metropolitan Museum of Art). He challenged the historical art form propounded by the state-funded art academy, the Ecole des Beaux-Arts: Realist art drawn from contemporary life observes and records the real in the here and now.
Courbet (1819-77) is considered one of the central figures of the Realism movement. He was painting in France during the mid-nineteenth century in a style that depicted everyday life. Courbet desired to show what French society looked like, displaying its customs and contemporary norms. He chose to do this in what he determined to be an objective recording of reality. Courbet was a social realist. His aim was to present paintings with a social message. His life-size oil on canvas The Stone Breakers presents a picture of two men working at the side of the road. There is a sharp contrast between the objectivity of the portrayal alongside the message of the tediousness and laboriousness of the task at hand.
Millet (1814-19) was a member of the Barbizon School, focusing on a combination of Realism and Romanticism in landscape paintings. Peasant life was typically included in the artists’ scenes. These artists revered the simplicity of peasant life and the value of working the land. This was a deliberate choice in contrast to the display of bourgeois city life. Women Baking Bread is a rich portrayal of a peasant woman baking. She is depicted as the dominant subject matter with a sense of heroism. His painting The Gleaners reveals peasant women in arduous labor. The colors are gold and light in stark contrast to their back-breaking task, thus making a social commentary at the same time.
Manet (1832-83) strove to be a Realist, going so far as to deny being associated with the Impressionist movement. His works, however, show an artistic side of the reality he was painting. His paintings present real people within harmonious colors, sometimes appearing mythical. Lighting and visual atmospheric effects give a further sense of the Impressionist feel that was to develop in the new artistic reality style by later painters of the 1860s. Manet's Dejeuner sur l'herbe (The Picnic) caused outrage when first presented, showing a nude woman casually picnicking with two contemporary dressed men.
The American painter Tanner (1859-1937) came to prominence at a time when people of color and women were not given professional opportunities. Tanner's The Banjo Lesson depicts a relationship between student and teacher, the reality of the characters set against a slightly out-of-focus background.
Honore Daumier (1808-79), known as a socially conscious artist as well as a lithographer, produced works satirizing the government and bourgeois life. It was not unusual for these types of art works, including those of Courbet, to be considered politically subversive.
Bibliography
Ball State University Museum of Art. Art In Sight. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
<http://bsu.edu/artinsight/Timeline/timeline‗realism.html>.
Dictionary of Art Historians. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
<https://dictionaryofarthistorians.org/champfleuryj.htm>.
Metropolitan Museum of Art (The). "Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Nineteenth-Century French Realism. Web. 10 Nov. 2015. <http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/HD/rlsm/hd‗rlsm.htm>.
National Gallery (The). Web. 10 Nov. 2015. <www.nationalgallery.org.uk>.
Phaidon. The Art Book. London: Phaidon Press, 1994. Print.
Scheidenhelm, Carol. "American Literary History: Romanticism, Realism and Naturalism." 14 Aug. 2007. Web. 10 Nov. 2015. <http://luc.edu/faculty/cschei1/teach/rrn2.html>.
Sporre, Dennis J. A History of the Arts. London: Bloomsbury, 1990. Print.
Tate. Web. 10 Nov. 2015. <www.tate.org.uk>.
White, Craig. "Realism." University of Houston Clear Lake. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
<http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/terms/R/Realism.htm>.