Realism

"The beautiful is in nature, and it is encountered under the most diverse forms of reality. Once it is found it belongs to art, or rather to the artist who discovers it."

(Gustave Courbet)
 

Realism is the 19th century movement that developed in France with the main objective to represent reality through the depiction of real-life events and subjects in a naturalistic manner. By rejecting both the idealism of Neoclassicism and the strong emotionalism of Romanticism, the movement sought to portray the contemporary society and its ordinary life with great ‘realism’, not avoiding even the unpleasant aspects of it. Explore the movement by starting from What is Realism? and browse our curated list of artworks from romantic painters such as Gustave Courbet, Jean-François Millet, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and others.

Realism Quotes

 

The beautiful is in nature, and it is encountered under the most diverse forms of reality. Once it is found it belongs to art, or rather to the artist who discovers it.

Gustave Courbet

 

Painting is the representation of visible forms. The essence of realism is its negation of the ideal."

Gustave Courbet

 

Beauty in art is truth bathed in an impression received from nature. I am struck upon seeing a certain place. While I strive for conscientious imitation, I yet never for an instant lose the emotion that has taken hold of me.

Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot

 

Listen to the advice of others, but follow only what you understand and can unite in your own feeling. Be firm, be meek, but follow your own convictions. It is better to be nothing than an echo of other painters.

Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot

 


Reality is one part of art; feeling completes it... Before any site and any object, abandon yourself to your first impression. If you have really been touched, you will convey to others the sincerity of your emotion.

Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot
 

Art will never come except from some small disregarded corner where an isolated and inspired man is studying the mysteries of nature.

Jean-François Millet

 

Beauty does not lie in the face. It lies in the harmony between a person and his or her industry. Beauty is expression. When I paint a mother I try to render her beautiful by the mere look she gives her child.

Jean-François Millet