Impressionism and Realism

Bonheur

Cassatt

Cassatt

Corot

Corot

Courbet

Courbet

Courbet

Courbet

Courbet

Courbet

Courbet

Courbet

Daumier

Daumier

Daumier

Daumier

Daumier

Daumier

Degas

Degas

Degas

Degas

Degas

Degas

Degas

Degas

Degas

Degas

Degas

Degas

Eakins

Eakins

Eakins

Homer

Homer

Homer

Homer

Homer

Homer

Manet

Manet

Manet

Manet

Manet

Manet

Manet

Manet

Manet

Manet

Manet

Millais

Millais

Millet

Millet

Millet

Monet

Monet

Monet

Monet

Monet

Monet

Nadar

Nadar

Nadar

Paxton

Rodin

Rodin

Sargent

Rossetti

Whistler

Sargent

Whistler

Whistler

Whislter

Whistler

Realism

The artistic movement (1840-1880) defined by the truthful, unvarnished depiction of modern life, rejecting idealization and academic hierarchy

Courbet

The artist known as the lead avant-guardist who asserted his independence by constructing his own "Pavilion of Realism" right outside the entrance of the 1855 World’s Fair

Stone Breakers

In this 1849 work, the artist used a shallow, claustrophobic composition with a hillside blocking the horizon to symbolize a lack of social mobility for the working class. The work’s technique identifier is the mechanical, non-heroic detail given to stones and tattered clothes, used to portray the cycle of generational poverty

Burial at Ornans

Courbet’s massive 1819 painting that shocked audiences by treating a provincial country funeral with the monumentality usually reserved for kings. Its identifier is the blunt, frontal arrangement of lower-class figures, giving them a level of dignity and importance previously denied in the Salon

The Painter’s Studio

Described as a "Real Allegory," this work portrays the artist as the center of the universe and a synthesis of "the livers" and "the thinkers". The painting’s identifier is its monumental scale used to elevate an ordinary contemporary scene into a work of "high art" that penetrates the human condition

Honoré Daumier

The Realist artist and caricaturist who used lithography to comment on the court ruling that recognized photography as a legitimate art form. His identifier is the use of social criticism and satire, such as depicting the photographer Nadar elevating his medium "to the height of an art" from a hot-air balloon

Winslow Homer

The "Quintessential American Painter" who transitioned from a Civil War artist-correspondent to a master of National Optimism. His technique identifier is the use of journalistic objectivity and simple, fluid strokes to capture the stoic relationship between man and a neutral wilderness

The Gulf Stream

In this late work by Winslow Homer, the fragility of transient human life is contrasted against the timeless power of nature as a man faces sharks in a damaged boat. The work’s identifier is the use of serial imagery and outdoor lighting to reflect a strenuous theme of human effort against the sea

Joseph Paxton

This English landscape gardener was knighted for designing the revolutionary 18-acre Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition of 1851. His technique identifier is the use of iron-frame construction, utilizing slender iron rods to sustain massive walls of clear glass

Henri Labrouste

This architect established a training workshop known for rationalism and was among the first to realize the structural importance of iron-frame construction. His identifier is the use of iron to create modern, functional spaces that moved away from academic artifice

Louis Daguerre

The physicist who reduced photographic exposure time to just 20 to 30 minutes with his namesake process. His identifier is the Daguerreotype, which utilized a silver-plated copper sheet to produce a single, permanent image

William Henry Fox Talbot

The pioneer of the Calotype, an early photographic process that was an improvement over previous methods because it used a negative. His identifier is the ability to produce multiple prints from a single exposure, fundamentally changing the industry

Édouard Manet

The "Spiritual Leader" of the Impressionists who acted as a visual flâneur, providing a cool, detached observation of disconnected urban life. His technique identifier is alla prima (applying paint in a single, "wet on wet" layer) and the intentional use of flatness to remind the viewer they are looking at a painting

Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe

Manet’s "serious farce" that broke traditional stereotypes of the female nude by showing subjects as self-possessed, modern women. The work’s identifier is its lack of a clear narrative and the use of harsh, "unfinished" color patches that baffled contemporary critics

Claude Monet

A founding member of Impressionism who rejected studio methods to capture momentary visual experience and pure optical sensations. His technique identifier is en plein air painting, using broken color—separate strokes that blend visually when viewed from a distance

Gare St.-Lazare

Monet's 1877 interior scene that uses the steam of technology to symbolize the "moderns" and the shifting atmosphere of the city. Its identifier is the use of quick, visible brushstrokes to capture the transience of light and smoke within a modern train station

Edgar Degas

This artist focused on indoor scenes, movement, and posture, often depicting the physical strain behind the scenes of the ballet. His technique identifier is the use of unusual angles and cropped compositions influenced by photography and Japanese prints

Little Dancer of Fourteen Years

Degas’ famous sculpture that shocked audiences with its uncompromising realism and rejection of idealized beauty. Its identifier is the use of unconventional materials (such as real fabric and hair) to capture the posture and balance of a young dance

Mary Cassatt

In her work The Coiffure, this artist combined drypoint and aquatint to mimic the flat planes of color found in Japanese woodblock prints. Her identifier is the removal of the "male gaze" from private domestic scenes, showing women engaged in intimate acts of grooming for themselves

Auguste Rodin

This sculptor radically broke tradition in The Burghers of Calais by placing his figures at ground level to force a direct, empathetic connection. His technique identifier is the use of rough, deeply textured surfaces that catch the light and emphasize the agonizing psychological turmoil of the figure

Whistler

The artist whose prioritize of color harmony and atmospheric mood over narrative led to a famous lawsuit against critic John Ruskin. His identifier is the philosophy of "Art for Art's sake," utilizing a loose, splattered application of paint to evoke a specific mood

Madame X

This Sargent portrait caused a scandal at the 1884 Salon for its overt sensuality and for daring to show the subject's stark, unvarnished vanity. Its technique identifier is the use of sharp contrasts between pale, powdered skin and a dramatic black dress to capture the "modern edge" of high society

Haussmannization

The massive mid-19th-century urban renovation of Paris that provided a wealth of new, modern subject matter for Impressionist artists. Its identifier is the creation of the modern cityscape, which artists like Caillebotte documented through a detached, urban perspective

En plein air

The technique of painting outdoors, which was crucial for Impressionists to capture the shifting effects of natural light and atmosphere. Its identifier is the spontaneous, "unfinished" appearance of the work, created by working directly in front of the subject