Realism

Realism

Realism refers to the accuracy, unembellished representation of the observational world without idealisation. Art realism is known for the objects and figures as they appear in real life. The art realism movement emerged in France, in the early 1848 Revolution and lasted till 1880.  Several attempts at infusing realism into art had been made throughout art history, but the actual wave of realism art swept the art world after Courbet's independent exhibition in 1855 of his shocking truthful realism paintings to a scandalized publish who until then had only been exposed to original art steeped in the sublime aesthetics of Romanticism or the classical ideal of the Old Masters. In realism paintings, ordinary, familiar and unadorned figures and objects become worthy subjects. Realism paintings present a straightforward depiction of the grim lives of the common folk. Realism paintings are not all intentionally imbued with social consciousness or political subversion. Some realist paintings capture every day scenes of contemporary life the the audience may find sweetly sentimental or innocuously spontaneous. 

Reference:

• Realism Art | Art Realism | Realism Paintings. 2013. Realism Art | Art Realism | Realism Paintings. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.starrabbott.com/article-realism-paintings.htm. [Accessed 05 March 2013].