Bonjour Monsieur Courbet, 1854

What is realism? 3-point summary

💡Aims to faithfully represent the subject

💡Realistically depicts unbeautiful scenes

💡Often takes social issues as its theme

Ideal of not being idealistic

Realism refers to the principle of faithfully representing the subject by eliminating artificiality and avoiding speculative and supernatural elements.
It can be said to be an attitude that tries to get closer to the truth by deliberately depicting commonplace scenes or things that are considered ugly. Realist painters became increasingly convinced of their own expression as citizens began to feel the winds of liberalism and the rise of left-wing politics. Realists defended their claims by rejecting the Romanticism that dominated French literature and art in the late 18th century.

In general, the word "realistic" as an adjective may be associated with an image similar to that of "realism. It refers to a style that aims to faithfully reproduce reality visually. However, "realism" promoted by Courbet and others did not necessarily seek visual reproduction. Rather, it is more accurate to say that the emphasis was on depicting the "everyday," "less than ideal," and "less than beautiful" reality surrounding the social conditions of the time and the artists themselves.

Rejection of Romanticism

On the eve of the advocacy of realism, the French art world was dominated by the Romanticism, Classicism, and Neoclassicism styles represented by Delacroix, which reproduced ideal beauty and images. Painters who were dissatisfied with this style gradually joined Courbet's uprising. This trend has already been seen in the history of art, and the artistic movements known as the Renaissance and Baroque were also attempts to destroy the idealism of the previous era.

Leading realist artists

Gustave Courbet ,Jean-François Millet, the caricaturist Honoré Daumier, Jules Bastien-Lepage,Alexander Gielmski, and many others.

The Stone Breakers, 1849


Jean-Baptiste Millet,Le Semeur, 1850


Honoré Daumier,Victor Hugo Le Charivari (July 20, 1849)


Jules Bastien-Lepage ( October, 1878 )


Trumna chłopska, 1894

Reception of realism in various countries

The Realist movement that began in France spread to other countries, and in Russia, painters such as Ilya Repin,Vasily Perov, andIvan Syshkin resonated with the movement. These artists organized the " Exhibition of the Migration School," which held exhibitions starting in 1871, and had a profound influence on subsequent Russian art.

Barge Haulers on the Volga, 1870-1873


The Hunters at Rest, 1871


Morning in a Pine Forest, 1889

In England, painters such as Hubert von Herkomer and Luke Fills achieved great success with realistic paintings that dealt with social issues.

Eventide: A Scene in the Westminster Union, 1878


A Venetian Flower Girl, 1877