1840s - 1880s

Realists believe that only what they can see and experience is worthy subject matter

Subjects had to be treated as natural and realistic as possible

Main Criticism: Did not understand the progressive realist philosophy that glorified the working class. They believed it lacked spirit and was therefore not art.

Subjects:

• Real and existing scenes from everyday life

• Represented truthfully (joyful scenes and harsh realities)

• Rejection of religion, mythology, idealism, and social criticism (one exception)

Artists:

• Courbet

  • “I can’t paint angels, because I haven’t seen any”

  • Received negatively by critics, remained undeterred

  • The Stonebreakers, A Burial At Ornans

  • Believes painting should only consist of objects that the painter can see and touch

• Rosa Bonheur

  • Female painter that dressed as a man with short hair (avoid harassment)

  • Worked in sculpture and painting

  • Loved painting animals (positive painting & brought her fame)

  • Used to dissect horses at slaughterhouses for anatomy

  • The Horse Fair, Ploughing in the Nivernals

• Daumier

  • Used the grid method to enlarge his sketches onto canvases

    • As seen in The Third Class Carriage due to thin washes of muted color

  • Depicts socio-economic changes

  • Was also a well-known social caricaturist in the newspapers (criticizing King Louis Philip, judges, and lawyers)

  • Was jailed for 6 months

• Millet

  • Inspired by Courbet

    • Initially received negatively by critics

    • Later gained popularity

    • Conservative style/technique

    • Commonly painted sowing seed, harvestings, plowing, and gleaning

    • The Gleaners depicts realism from its color, form, and simplicity (simple dignity) from its strong light and deep shadows

• Homer

  • Known for painting like a picture

  • Homer had to record the civil war by sketching for a magazine (a very dangerous job)

    • More than 800 drawings

  • His career began by making wood engravings in Harper's Weekly magazine

  • At the time, watercolor was used as preliminary studies/sketches for oil paintings (Homer was very interested in this medium)