8 THEMES OF REALISM TO UNDERSTAND MOVEMENT - ART - 2024

The themes of realism are characterized mainly by being very close to the artist and his context. This movement, which was born between the years 1840 and 1880, stood out for rejecting the romantic ideas of the time and seeking to represent reality in the most objective way possible.

Realism originates in France, in the framework of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. The main protagonists of the works of realism were men and women, both represented in their everyday contexts; and nature, represented as it was observed by the artists.

"The gleaners", by Millet, (1857).

Among the main representatives of realism are the painters Gustave Coubert and Honoré Daumier, the writers Gustave Flaubert and Charles Dickens, or the sculptors Ponciano Ponzano and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, among other artists.

Most relevant topics covered in realism

1- Emphasis on the reality of the time

As an element opposed to Romanticism, the exposition of reality was a fundamental tendency of realism. The artists were determined to face reality, rather than flee from it.

Faced with the romantic and idealized vision of the reality of Romanticism, realism emphasized expressing itself as closely as possible to reality.

In literature and in the theater, more importance was given to the representations of real events, close and known to the artists.

The themes dealt with in realism should not have necessarily occurred, but they did seek to refer to credible situations or elements that could happen in the context of the time.

2- The fantastic is relegated

Fantasy themes took a back seat. The artists of realism were interested in close characters, credible situations, and capturing reality, sometimes in the crudest way possible.

For this reason, the works of art typical of realism stopped focusing on religious and mythological elements.

Instead, they focused on man and his reality. Personal interpretations of a certain reality were put aside, and an attempt was made to express this reality in the most faithful way possible.

3- Social criticism

Realism was born in the framework of important changes in the social structure of the time. The works of art typical of this period focus more on the middle class and the proletariat, with the intention of showing their living conditions.

The intention was to record the social differences existing at the time. The artists representing the different artistic expressions became chroniclers of that historical moment.

During the mid-nineteenth century, the time when realism was born, various reforms were being carried out with progressive intentions, which sought to create democratic spaces.

Positivist ideas are on the rise and workers are beginning to look for ways to claim their rights.

In this context, the works of art of realism became the channels through which the less privileged classes were given more prominence, seeking their demands.

You may be interested in 7 Very Representative Poems of Realism.

4- Characters of everyday life

The characters in works of art were no longer mythological, fantastic, idealized heroes or divine representations.

The new protagonists of the works of art of realism were man and his real context, and nature.

The bourgeois class was quite portrayed in the works of art of realism. It was sought to represent it with great emphasis on its reality: both the beautiful and happy aspects were shown, as well as the critical moments of worries or problems.

The working class was also widely represented. Their working conditions were portrayed, the misery of their daily lives, their desire to claim their rights, often truncated by the ruling classes.

5- Social intention

By primarily reflecting the characteristics and conditions of the middle and working classes of the time, realism played an important role in the expression of a reality hitherto left in the background.

The protest framework typical of the second half of the 19th century was the ideal setting for the arts to have a concrete social meaning.

Beauty for beauty's sake was not the most important thing: the main idea was to generate useful art, with social implications and with real influence in the context of the time.

6- Integrated bourgeoisie and then despised

The emergence of the bourgeois class came as a consequence of the breakdown of the predetermined social order. The bourgeoisie became the dominant social class, in the framework of a revolution driven by positivist ideas.

The rise of the bourgeois class is accompanied by an increase in industrialization, economic growth and the emergence of the proletarian class.

In the beginning, the bourgeois class was frequently represented within realism, seen as the new ruling class of the moment. But, by taking power, it moves away from the claims of demands and becomes an oppressive class.

With the emergence of the working class and its evidently deplorable living conditions, the artists of realism focused their attention on this situation, which represented a strong criticism of the bourgeois class, which was the one that favored such unfavorable conditions for the proletariat.

7- Emphasis on the present

The idealization of the past is part of romanticism. In contrast to this conception, realism sought to focus on the present, on the real, on the concrete, on what could be observed and understood by the artists themselves.

This is why the themes of realism have to do with situations close to the artist. It seeks to highlight the objective, and the past is not part of the elements that can be counted by the artist from his own observation.

8- Detailed description

The expression of the most realistic version of situations and people led the artists of realism to focus on the details.

All forms of artistic expression, such as painting, sculpture, literature, architecture, among others, focused their efforts on portraying people, situations and contexts in the most detailed way possible.

This is why, for example, you can see paintings on nature in which all the elements are greatly detailed, or human sculptures in which the features of the body are perfectly defined.

References

1. Oleza, J. "Realism and naturalism: the novel as a manifestation of bourgeois ideology" in Miguel De Cervantes Virtual Library. Retrieved on August 13, 2017 from Miguel De Cervantes Virtual Library: cervantesvirtual.com.
2. Bonilla, J. "Above realism" in El Mundo Libro. Retrieved on August 13, 2017 from El Mundo Libro: elmundo.es.
3. Valcárcel, M. "Realism or the eternal present" (March 21, 2016) in ABC Cultura. Retrieved on August 13, 2017 from ABC Cultura: abc.es.
4. Lissorgues, Y. “Realism. Art and literature, technical proposals and ideological stimuli ”in Miguel De Cervantes Virtual Library. Retrieved on August 13, 2017 from Miguel De Cervantes Virtual Library: cervantesvirtual.com.
5. "El Realismo" in In Colombia. Retrieved on August 13, 2017 from In Colombia: encolombia.com.
6. "Realism" in The Art Story. Retrieved on August 13, 2017 from The Art Story: theartstory.org.
7. "Realism" in Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on August 13, 2017 from Encyclopedia Britannica: britannica.com.