Realism
subject, can be used in depicting any type
Historical Background
was an artistic movement that
began in France in the 1850s, after the
1848 Revolution. Realists rejected
Romanticism, which had dominated
French literature and art since the late 18th
century. Realism revolted against the
exotic subject matter and exaggerated
emotionalism and drama of the Romantic
Movement.
General Features in Art
• Illusionistic realism
• Realism or naturalism as the
depiction of ordinary, everyday
subjects
• The Realist
• Realism or naturalism as resisting
idealization
Illusionistic Realism
Thedevelopmentincreasinglyaccura
te representation of the visual appearances
of things has a long history in art. It
includes elements such as the of the
anatomy of humans and animals, of
perspective and effects of distance, and of
detailed effects of light and color.
Naturalism (as the depiction of ordinary,
everyday subjects)
The depiction of ordinary,
everyday subjects in art also has a long
history, though it was often squeezed into
the edges of compositions, or shown at a
smaller scale. This was partly because art
was expensive, and usually commissioned
for specific religious, political or personal
reasons, that allowed only a relatively
small amount of space or effort to be
devoted to such scenes.
Naturalism (as resisting idealization)
Unidealizing depiction of the
of subject, without any
commitment to treating the typical or
everyday. Despite the general idealism of
classical art, this too had classical
precedents, which came in useful when
defending such treatments in the
Renaissance and Baroque.
Realism Schools of Painting
 The Realists
 Barbizon School

 Hudson River School
The Realist movement began in the
mid-19th century as a reaction to
Romanticism and History painting. In
favor of depictions of 'real' life, the Realist
painters used , and ordinary
people in ordinary surroundings engaged
in real activities as subjects for their
works. The chief exponents of Realism
were Gustave Courbet, Jean-François
Millet, Honoré Daumier, and Jean-
Baptiste-Camille Corot. Jules Bastien-
Lepage is closely associated with the
beginning of Naturalism, an artistic style
that emerged from the later phase of the
Realist movement and heralded the arrival
of Impressionism.
Barbizon School
The Barbizon school of painters
were part of an art movement towards
Realism in art, which arose in the context
of the dominant Romantic Movement of
the time. The Barbizon school was active
roughly from 1830 through 1870. It takes
its name from the village of Barbizon,
France, near the Forest of ,
where many of the artists gathered. Some
of the most prominent features of this
school are its tonal qualities, color, loose
brushwork, and softness of form.
Pre-Raphaellite Brotherhood
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later
known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group
of English painters, poets, and critics,
founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt,
John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel
Rossetti. The three founders were joined
by William Michael Rossetti, James
Collinson, Frederic George Stephens and
Thomas Woolner to form the seven-
member "brotherhood". Their principles
were shared by other artists, including
and Ford Madox Brown.
Hudson River School
The Hudson River School was a
mid-19th century American art movement
embodied by a group of landscape painters
whose aesthetic vision was influenced by
romanticism. The paintings for which the
movement is named depict the Hudson
River Valley and the surrounding area,
including the Catskill, Adirondack, and
White Mountains; eventually works by the
second generation of artists associated
with the school expanded to include other
locales in New England, the Maritimes, the
American West, and South America.
Famous Artists
 Gustav Courbel
 Honore Daumier
 Edouard Manet
Gustav Courbel
Was a French painter who led the 
in 19th-century French painting.
Committed to painting only what he could
see, he rejected academic convention and
the Romanticism of the previous
generation of visual artists. His
independence set an example that was
important to later artists, such as
the Impressionists and the Cubists.
Courbet occupies an important place in
19th-century French painting as an
innovator and as an artist willing to make
bold social statements through his work.
Works: The Desperate Man, The Painter's
Studio, The Wounded Man
Honore Daumier
Was a French printmaker, caricaturist,
painter, and sculptor, whose many works
offer commentary on social and political
life in France in the 19th century.
Daumier produced over 500
paintings, 4000 lithographs, 1000 wood
engravings, 1000 drawings and 100
sculptures. A prolific draughtsman, he was
perhaps best known for his caricatures of
political figures and satires on the behavior
of his countrymen, although posthumously
the value of his painting has also been
recognized.
Works: The Laundress, Crispin and
Scapin, the Drinkers
Edouard Manet
Was a French painter. He was one of the
first 19th-century artists to paint modern
life, and a pivotal figure in the transition
from Realism to Impressionism.
Born into an upper-class household
with strong political connections, Mamet
rejected the future originally envisioned
for him, and became engrossed in the
world of painting. His early
masterworks, The Luncheon on the Grass
(Le déjeuner sur l'herbe) and Olympia,
both 1863, caused great controversy and
served as rallying points for the young
painters who would create Impressionism.
Today, these are considered watershed
paintings that mark the start of modern art.
Works: Nana, .