Realism--section+1



The style of art known as realism began in the middle of the 19th century. Realism is the accurate, detailed, and quite simple depiction of a subject. Realism rejects the idea of using one’s imagination in art. Instead, realists depict things just the way they are seen, focusing on the outward appearance. The beginnings of realism can be attributed mainly to the rapid growth of industrialization. Contrary to the previous romantic art, people of the mid-19th century – especially industrial workers – lived harsh lives in dirty conditions. People of this time realized that the ideal portrayal of life by the romantics could not be achieved. So, the realists tried to show life not as it should be, but as it actually was. Both paintings and novels were crucial to this time period, as they both portrayed the cruel lives of the working class and their importance in society.





Jean-Francois Millet, a famous realist painter, grew up in Gréville, Normandy but later moved to Paris to pursue his love for art. Millet lived through poverty as he was growing up so he knows from a firsthand perspective how life is like. His paintings that reflected realism truly helped the community. For example, one of his most famous works, //The Angelus// displays this. Depicted in the painting are two people staring down at the unyielding earth. Here is where the viewer can conclude that the crops that are supposed to have been growing here have not grown. It also can mean that they are of a lot of importance to these two people because they are both closely watching. This shows the poverty that these people were living in - they depended on their crops as their only income. In addition, he had a tendency to paint farming or working atmospheres because as a child he worked in his father’s fields. Realism is seen in this painting especially because it shows the hard times of the poor, and it does not try to make the situation any better. It shows the life of peasants just how it was. Another example of this is displayed in the painting, //The Winnower//. In this painting, is a man moving crops into a barn using much energy. What made Millet a true realist was the way in which he went about painting his art pieces. He is said to have gotten his point across by using a “religious or idyllic gloss.” Along with the paints he used, Millet connected to his artwork through his childhood. Millet ’s paintings show realism at its finest with both the technique and subject matter.







 Gustave Courbet was one of the most well-known realist painters. Although he was born into a privileged family, he addressed social issues such as the working conditions of the poor in his paintings. He also painted landscapes and seascapes. Courbet’s main goal in his artwork was to depict the truth, as he believed this would help to remove social disagreements and inequities.  Two of his most important works were //Burial at Ornans// and his self-portrait, //The Desperate Man//. //Burial at Ornans// depicts the funeral of Courbet’s grand uncle, and more importantly is a true realist painting. The people in the picture are illustrated exactly how the people at the funeral looked, whether they were pleasant to look at or not. Courbet did not try to paint the people to look ideal or perfect; he merely painted them as he saw them, which is the true point of realism. This painting was important also because it marked the end of Romanticism. Courbet is quoted saying, “The Burial at Ornans was in reality the burial of Romanticism.” Courbet’s self-portrait, //The Desperate Man// is also an extremely important realist painting. Symbolic in this painting are the eyes, not only because the viewer is drawn first to them, but because they may symbolize the eyes of a realist and how realists see things exactly how they are and not a different, ideal image. The style of Courbet is easily seen in the painting – the contours of his face seem extremely real and one can almost even see veins popping out of his wrist. Gustave Courbet was a true realist in the sense that he understood the way things really were and incorporated this into his paintings.









Beck, Roger B., et al. //World History: Patterns of Interaction//. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2007. Print. //Gustave Courbet //. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. biography.html>. Pioch, Nicholas. //Millet, Jean-Francois//. N.p., 19 Aug. 2002. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. wm/ ‌ paint/ ‌ auth/ ‌ millet/>. Pioch, Nicolas. //<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">Courbet, Gustave //<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">. N.p., 19 Dec. 2003. <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD;">Web. 11 Mar. 2010. [|http://www.ibiblio.org/] ‌ <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD;">wm/ ‌ <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD;">paint/ ‌ <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD;">auth/ ‌ <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD;">courbet/.

By: Christina Sirabella and Claire Ryan