Realism is an art movement that emerged halfway through the mid-nineteenth century, ensuing after the 1848 revolution. A direct response to Romanticism, it repudiated the exaggerated emotions in art and leaned toward depicting things as real as they are without sugarcoating it.
Moreover, realism broke free from the drama of the Romantic movement and showed everyday life and social situations in the truest setting, often unidealized. Thus, enticing more mainstream attention to the obstacles faced by the underprivileged sector. Subjects were often the working class, presented in a natural, gritty, industrial, and ugly way.
In this article, let’s discover more about the prominent and influential artists who adopted the Realism art movement and became renowned for their paintings created in the realistic style.
1. Gustave Courbet
French painter Gustave Courbet is highly regarded as the leader and the most notable figure behind the Realism movement. His aversion to the grandeur of Romanticism made him focus on the working-class people and other laborers, which then established the foundation of realism.
Courbet surprised and shocked the art realm by deviating from the norms and what was acceptable, depicting non-idealized workers and peasants, tackling social issues through art, and even taking on indecorous subjects, specifically in his close-up work of a naked woman’s abdomen and genitals.
Some of his masterpieces include The Stone Breakers, A Burial At Ornans, La Rencontre (Bonjour Monsieur Courbet), and the Young Ladies of the Village. A true innovator, Courbet also paved the way for the succeeding art movements, such as impressionism, post-impressionism, and cubism.
2. Jean-Francois Millet
Another painter renowned for his realistic paintings is Jean-Francois Millet. His works are known for their representations of the peasant in their present social conditions, highlighting the hardships and challenges in the jobs they had to perform. Some of his most famous realistic paintings include The Winnower, The Angelus, The Sower, and The Gleaners. In his initial exhibitions, art commentators and the public disdained how rural poverty was portrayed in such an extremely honest approach. Today, some of Millet’s most notable works are displayed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts.
3. Winslow Homer
Chiefly self-taught, American painter Winslow Homer first worked as a commercial illustrator for about two decades before mainly focusing on being a landscape painter. He became famous as a realist artist for his marine paintings that depicted man’s struggle with nature and rural paintings that showed children, young people, and their lives on the farm
Homer’s realism was authentic, emotionally controlled, and unprejudiced. He also inspired later American realist painters like Edward Hopper and George Bellows. Today, he is considered one of American art’s most prominent figures in the 19th century and a revered artist in the American art world in general.
4. Ilya Yefimovich Repin
Ilya Yefimovich Repin is a Russian realist painter, who served as one of the pillars of the social realism art movement in his country in the 19th century. He was part of the Peredvizhniki (The Itinerants’ Society), a group of Russian realist painters who objected to the social environment and academic restrictions in Tsarist Russia.
Emanating from the same humble background, Repin’s works portrayed the poor and the working-class people’s everyday conditions while also being critical of all the social structures that contributed to the existence of such circumstances.
Some of his famous works that depicted peasant life include Barge Haulers on the Volga, Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan, and Religious Procession in Kursk Province. Ilya Repin is considered the most notable Russian artist of the 19th century, with many placing his prominence on the same level as Leo Tolstoy in literature.
5. Rosa Bonheur
Rosa Bonheur is a female French artist renowned for his paintings of animals in the realistic painting style, highlighting these creatures’ coarse life in the field and on farms. Her works include Ploughing in the Nivernais (1848), showing images of two yoke of oxen helping farmers cultivate the land, and her pronounced masterpiece, The Horse Fair (1852), portraying dealers selling their horses at a Paris horse market.
Bonheur’s paintings were not only admired in France but were also acclaimed internationally. In the United States, her works were collected by American railroad business magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, while Queen Victoria of England was also known to be one of Bonheur’s greatest admirers.
6. Thomas Eakins
Thomas Eakins is an American painter, fine arts educator, photographer, and sculptor, who received little critical praise during his lifetime. Today, he is now considered one of American art history’s most influential figures. People from his hometown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were among his favorite subjects, depicting them in the truest manner possible.
His collection includes hundreds of paintings that provide an excellent glimpse of life in the state during the 19th to the 20th century. His famous work is The Gross Clinic, a medical history painting considered one of the greatest American paintings of all time. Aside from being among the prominent realists of his era, Eakins is also noted for introducing the camera to the American art studio.
7. Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper is another American painter known for his realistic paintings. His works centered on distance, isolation, and stillness, with almost no mobility and sign of life. He utilized creative means to convey his subjects’ psychological states while presenting them usually detached from their environments. In addition, he coerces viewers of his works to complete the narrative, leaving them an active role in providing their own understanding of what has been depicted.
In rural and urban settings, Hopper’s work realistically captured different aspects of American life during his lifetime. Among his famous artworks include Nighthawks, Automat, American Village, and Chop Suey, with the latter bought at an auction for nearly $92 million USD in 2018.
8. Honoré Daumier
Another leading figure in France’s realist art movement, Honoré Daumier, was a prominent printmaker, sculptor, and painter, who became widely popular for his caricatures that depicted the glaring gap in political and social life in the country in the 19th century. His works realistically present economic differences between the lower and upper classes. Thus, enticing interest and attention to the challenging circumstances most French citizens faced.
Daumier looked for heroes in the working class while satirizing the bourgeoisie and government officials. He even endured six-month imprisonment after denigrating King Louis Philippe’s regime. His renowned realistic paintings include Rue Transnonain, Gargantua, and Les Gens de Justice. His massive influence earned him the title “Michelangelo of Caricature.”
9. Adolph Von Menzel
Adolph Von Menzel is one of the most prominent German realist artists of the 19th century. His works were renowned for realistically depicting subjects, objects, and scenes from everyday life with incredible precision, detail, and unparalleled liveliness. They highlight one of the main differences between abstract art from realistic art, which is presenting things in their truest form.
Some of the most famous artworks from his oeuvre of paintings, drawings, and etchings include The Iron Rolling Mill, Frederick the Great Playing the Flute at Sanssouci, and The Dinner at the Ball.
10. Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Wyeth is among the most famous 20th-century artists based in the United States. For over seven decades, he adopted the realistic painting style, precisely depicting genuine views of rural life.
His most preferred subjects were the landscapes and people surrounding him. Some of his most popular works include Olson House, Wind from the Seal, Coot Hunter, and Christina’s World, with the latter being the most renowned images in 20th-century American art.
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy conferred Wyeth the Presidential Medal of Freedom, making him the first painter to receive such award, the highest civilian accolade in the United States.
Uhalisi ni harakati ya sanaa iliyoibuka katikati ya karne ya kumi na tisa, kufuatia mapinduzi ya 1848. Kama jibu la moja kwa moja kwa Romanticism, ilikataa hisia zilizozidi kiasi katika sanaa na kuelekeza kuelekea kuelezea mambo kama halisi kama walivyo bila kuifunika sukari. Zaidi ya hayo, uhalisi ulivunja uhuru kutoka kwa mchezo wa kuigiza wa harakati ya kimapenzi na kuonyesha maisha ya kila siku na hali za kijamii katika mazingira ya kweli zaidi, mara nyingi yasiyo ya kimapenzi. Hivyo, kuvutia tahadhari zaidi ya kawaida kwa vikwazo vinavyokabiliwa na sekta isiyo na haki. Mara nyingi watu waliochorwa walikuwa wafanyakazi, waliowasilishwa kwa njia ya asili, yenye uchungu, ya viwanda, na yenye kuchukiza. Katika makala hii, hebu kugundua zaidi kuhusu wasanii mashuhuri na wenye ushawishi ambao walichukua harakati ya sanaa ya Realism na wakawa maarufu kwa michoro yao iliyoundwa katika mtindo wa kweli. 1. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Gustave Courbet, mchoraji wa Ufaransa, ni kiongozi wa harakati ya uhalisi. Kwa sababu ya kutopenda kwake mambo makubwa ya kimapenzi, alilenga hasa watu wa tabaka la wafanyakazi na wafanyakazi wengine, jambo ambalo lilitokeza msingi wa uhalisi. Courbet alishangaza na kushtua ulimwengu wa sanaa kwa kupotoka kutoka kwa kanuni na kile kilichokubaliwa, akielezea wafanyakazi na wakulima wasio na mawazo, kushughulikia masuala ya kijamii kupitia sanaa, na hata kuchukua mada zisizofaa, haswa katika kazi yake ya karibu ya tumbo na viungo vya uzazi vya mwanamke uchi. Baadhi ya kazi zake kuu ni pamoja na The Stone Breakers, A Burial At Ornans, La Rencontre (Bonjour Monsieur Courbet), na Young Ladies of the Village. Courbet alikuwa mvumbuzi wa kweli, naye alifungua njia kwa harakati za sanaa zilizofuata, kama vile ushawishi, ushawishi wa baada ya ushawishi, na ushawishi wa kubisimu. 2. Uwezekano wa kupata Jean-Francois Millet Mchoraji mwingine anayejulikana kwa michoro yake ya kweli ni Jean-Francois Millet. Kazi zake zinajulikana kwa uwakilishi wao wa wakulima katika hali zao za sasa za kijamii, zikikazia ugumu na changamoto katika kazi walizopaswa kufanya. Baadhi ya michoro yake maarufu ya kihalisi inatia ndani The Winnower, The Angelus, The Sower, na The Gleaners. Katika maonyesho yake ya kwanza, wachambuzi wa sanaa na umma walichukia jinsi umaskini wa vijijini ulivyoonyeshwa kwa njia ya uaminifu sana. Leo, baadhi ya kazi mashuhuri zaidi za Millet zinaonyeshwa katika Jumba la Makumbusho la Sanaa Nzuri huko Boston, Massachusetts. 3. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Winslow Homer alikuwa mchoraji wa kwanza wa Marekani kufanya kazi kama mchoraji wa picha za biashara kwa miaka ishirini kabla ya kujihusisha na uchoraji wa mandhari. Homer alikuwa mchoraji wa picha za baharini na za vijijini, na alichora picha za watoto, vijana na maisha yao katika shamba. Pia aliwachochea wachoraji wa baadaye wa Marekani kama vile Edward Hopper na George Bellows. Leo, yeye ni kuchukuliwa moja ya American sanaa takwimu maarufu katika karne ya 19 na msanii kuheshimiwa katika dunia ya sanaa ya Marekani kwa ujumla. 4. Uwe na uhakika Ilya Yefimovich Repin alikuwa mchoraji wa Urusi wa karne ya 19 ambaye aliwahi kuwa mmoja wa nguzo za harakati ya sanaa ya uhalisi wa kijamii nchini mwake. Alikuwa sehemu ya Peredvizhniki (The Itinerants' Society), kikundi cha wachoraji wa Urusi wa kweli ambao walipinga mazingira ya kijamii na vizuizi vya kitaaluma katika Urusi ya Tsarist. Kutoka kwa asili hiyo hiyo ya unyenyekevu, kazi za Repin zilionyesha hali za kila siku za maskini na watu wa darasa la kazi wakati pia zilikuwa za kukosoa miundo yote ya kijamii ambayo ilichangia kuwepo kwa hali kama hizo. "Mambo yake maarufu zaidi ni ""Barga Haulers on the Volga,"" ""Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan,"" na ""Religious Procession in Kursk Province.""" Ilya Repin ni msanii maarufu wa Urusi wa karne ya 19, na wengi wanamweka katika nafasi sawa na Leo Tolstoy katika fasihi. 5. Uwe na mtazamo mzuri. Rosa Bonheur ni msanii wa Ufaransa anayejulikana kwa michoro yake ya wanyama katika mtindo wa uchoraji wa kweli, akisisitiza maisha ya wanyama hawa katika shamba na mashamba. "Kama vile ""Ploughing in the Nivernais"" (1848), ""The Horse Fair"" (1852), ""The Horse Fair"" (1852) na ""The Horse Fair"" (1852), ""The Horse Fair"" (1852) na ""The Horse Fair"" (1852) ni picha za wauzaji wa farasi katika soko la farasi la Paris." Michoro ya Bonheur haikupendwa tu nchini Ufaransa bali pia ilisifiwa ulimwenguni pote. Katika Marekani, kazi zake zilikusanywa na American reli biashara tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt, wakati Malkia Victoria wa Uingereza pia alijulikana kuwa mmoja wa Bonheur ya kubwa admirers. 6. Uwe na uhakika Thomas Eakins alikuwa mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji. Leo, yeye sasa ni kuchukuliwa moja ya Marekani sanaa historia ya takwimu wenye ushawishi mkubwa. Watu kutoka mji wake wa nyumbani huko Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, walikuwa miongoni mwa watu aliowapenda sana, akiwaonyesha kwa njia ya kweli zaidi iwezekanavyo. Mkusanyiko wake unajumuisha mamia ya michoro ambayo hutoa mtazamo mzuri wa maisha katika jimbo hilo wakati wa karne ya 19 hadi 20. Kazi yake maarufu ni The Gross Clinic, mchoro wa historia ya matibabu unaochukuliwa kuwa moja ya michoro bora zaidi ya Marekani wakati wote. Mbali na kuwa miongoni mwa waandishi mashuhuri wa enzi yake, Eakins pia anajulikana kwa kuanzisha kamera katika studio ya sanaa ya Marekani. 7. Uwe na mtazamo gani? Edward Hopper ni mchoraji mwingine wa Marekani anayejulikana kwa michoro yake ya kweli. Kazi zake zilizingatia umbali, kutengwa, na utulivu, bila mwendo wowote na ishara ya uhai. Alitumia njia za ubunifu kuwasilisha hali za kisaikolojia za masomo yake wakati wa kuwasilisha kawaida mbali na mazingira yao. Kwa kuongezea, anawalazimisha watazamaji wa kazi zake kukamilisha hadithi, akiwaacha jukumu la kazi katika kutoa uelewa wao wenyewe wa kile kilichoonyeshwa. Katika mazingira ya vijijini na mijini, kazi ya Hopper ilishika kwa uhalisi mambo tofauti ya maisha ya Marekani wakati wa maisha yake. "Miongoni mwa kazi zake maarufu ni ""Nighthawks,"" ""Automat,"" ""American Village,"" na ""Choop Suey,"" ambayo ilinunuliwa kwa karibu dola milioni 92 katika mnada wa 2018."" 8. Uwe na mtazamo gani? Honoré Daumier alikuwa mchoraji, mchoraji, mchoraji na mchoraji maarufu wa Ufaransa, ambaye alipata umaarufu kwa michoro yake iliyoonyesha pengo kubwa katika maisha ya kisiasa na kijamii nchini humo katika karne ya 19. Kazi zake zinaonyesha kwa njia halisi tofauti za kiuchumi kati ya tabaka la chini na la juu. Hivyo, kuvutia upendezi na uangalifu kwa hali ngumu raia wengi wa Ufaransa walikabiliwa. Daumier alitafuta mashujaa katika tabaka la wafanyakazi huku akichekesha watu wa tabaka la juu na maofisa wa serikali. Hata alivumilia kifungo cha miezi sita baada ya kudharau utawala wa Mfalme Louis Philippe. Michoro yake maarufu ya uhalisi inatia ndani Rue Transnonain, Gargantua, na Les Gens de Justice. Uvutano wake mkubwa ulimpatia jina la cheo <unk>Michelangelo wa Caricature.<unk> 9. Adolph von Menzel alikuwa msanii wa Ujerumani wa karne ya 19. Kazi zake zilijulikana kwa kuigiza kwa njia ya kweli mambo, vitu, na mandhari za maisha ya kila siku kwa usahihi usio wa kawaida, maelezo, na ujasiri usio na kifani. Hii ni moja ya tofauti kuu kati ya sanaa ya abstract na sanaa ya kweli, ambayo ni kuwasilisha vitu katika fomu yao ya kweli. Baadhi ya kazi zake maarufu za sanaa ni The Iron Rolling Mill, Frederick the Great Playing the Flute at Sanssouci, na The Dinner at the Ball. Kumi. Andrew Wyeth ni mmoja wa wasanii maarufu wa karne ya 20 nchini Marekani. Kwa zaidi ya miongo saba, alichukua mtindo wa uchoraji wa kweli, akionyesha kwa usahihi maoni ya kweli ya maisha ya vijijini. Mandhari alizozipenda zaidi zilikuwa mandhari na watu waliokuwa wamemzunguka. Baadhi ya kazi zake maarufu ni pamoja na Olson House, Wind from the Seal, Coot Hunter, na Christina's World, na mwisho kuwa picha maarufu zaidi katika sanaa ya Amerika ya karne ya 20. Mwaka 1963 Rais John F. Kennedy alimpa Wyeth tuzo ya Presidential Medal of Freedom, na kuwa mchoraji wa kwanza kupokea tuzo hiyo, ambayo ni tuzo ya juu zaidi ya raia nchini Marekani.