Mid-19th Century
Realism is an approach to art in which subjects are portrayed in as
straightforward manner as possible, without idealizing them and without
following the rules of formal theory. The earliest Realist work began to
appear in the 18th century, as a reaction against the excesses of
Romanticism
and Neoclassicism.
This is evident in
John Singleton Copley's
paintings, and some of the works of
Goya.
But the great Realist era was the mid-19th century, as artists
became disillusioned with the Salon system and the influence of the
Academies.
Realism came closest to being an organized movement in France, inspiring
artists such as
Corot and
Millet,
and engendering the
Barbizon School of landscape
painting. French Realism was a guiding influence on the philosophy of the
Impressionists. The
Ashcan School, the
American Scene Painters,
and, much later, on the
Contemporary Realist
movement are all following the American Realist tradition.