Lecture 19-19th century art Part 1-2

Realism Movement

• Overview

  • 2nd largest art movement of the 19th century.

  • Active from 1848 to 1880.

  • Associated with French painters Gustave Courbet and Édouard Manet.

  • A rejection of Romanticism and the rules of the French Royal Art Academy.

  • Focused on modern subjects from contemporary French life.

  • Considered an avant-garde movement, ahead of its time and the first of its kind.

Characteristics of Avant-Garde Art

• Definition: Art that is innovative and breaks with tradition.

• Characteristics:

  • Provocative and controversial.

  • Subject to heavy critique by contemporaries.

Analysis of Realist Artwork

Painting Analysis

• Depictions in Realist Paintings:

  • Focus on laborers, modern life, and social inequalities.

  • Example painting features 2 figures in the foreground (young and old men) engaging in breaking stones.

  • No middle ground in composition; background with shaded hills and blue sky.

  • Dominant colors: earthly tones such as browns, greens, and grays.

Figures and Composition

• Two laborers depicted realistically:

  • Young Man: Carries a basket of heavy rocks.

  • Old Man: Kneels with a hammer, preparing to break larger rocks.

• Labor depicted as backbreaking and cyclical, symbolizing the cycle of life.

• Unequal portrayal of lower-class laborers, reflected in their ragged clothing and facelessness.

Social Commentary in Realism

• The subject matter emphasizes the hard realities of modern labor.

• The painting shows laborers preparing for urban expansion by breaking stones for a new road, linking rural areas to Paris.

• Courbet's choice to depict faceless figures directs focus on labor rather than individual identity.

Reception of Realist Art

• Courbet exhibited The Stone Breakers at the French Salon of 1850.

• Reception was negative; criticized for its realistic portrayal of crude labor and techniques that differed from traditional ones.

• Similar fate to Gericault's The Raft of the Medusa, aimed at showcasing social realities.

  • The Stone Breakers represents a work of social realism, demonstrating the uncomfortable truths of lower-class existence in France.

Édouard Manet's Contribution

Olympia (1863)

• Composition:

  • Foreground features a reclining nude woman who engages directly with the viewer.

  • Modern subject: depicted as a Parisian prostitute instead of a mythological figure.

  • Surrounding elements: green curtain, Japanese robe, and a black servant holding flowers.

• Challenged traditional sensibilities about the female nude in art, using recognizable objects that symbolize the modern life of a prostitute.

Parallels to Classical Art

• Manet’s Olympia is compared to Titian's Venus of Urbino (1538).

• Similarities in composition and pose, but differences in gaze and expression.

• Manet replaced ancient symbols and figures with contemporary references, critiquing societal norms.

Controversies Surrounding Olympia

• Exhibited at the French Salon in 1865; caused public scandal due to its direct portrayal of a prostitute.

• Viewed as mocking classical traditions and artistic masterpieces.

• Criticism stemmed from the urban, unfashionable elements and unidealized portrayal of femininity.

Scandalous Aspects

• Symbols associated with prostitution and female sexuality embedded into the work (e.g., bouquet, cat).

• The painting utilized modern techniques that rejected Renaissance methods, resulting in critiques of its lack of perspective and detail.

Conclusion

• Both The Stone Breakers and Olympia challenge academic traditions, presenting raw realities of working class life.

• Critically viewed as avant-garde, both paintings reveal social injustices and provoke thought on modern labor.

• Their reception illustrates the transition of art towards reflecting contemporary experiences and issues, remaining relevant in discussions of innovation and art's societal role.