Realism Flashcards
1
Q
Background
A
- Was a response to the subjective mindset of Romanticism
- Felt that romanticists were too detached from reality
- Depicted every day lives, especially of the poor
2
Q
Characteristics
A
- Believed should be true to appearances
- Strongly against stylisation and idealisation
- Emphasis on the pursuit of truth and accuracy
3
Q
Subject matter
A
- Mainly depicted those who were affected by poverty
- Showed the simple life
- Depicted poor doing labour and ‘unglamourous’ work
- Critical view of societal structures
4
Q
Composition
A
Like the view of an ongoing scene
5
Q
Shapes
A
Shapes were clearly defined
6
Q
Colour
A
Colour palette was sombre and earthy colours as they suited the tone and theme of their work
7
Q
Application
A
Brushstrokes were often visible
8
Q
Jean Desire Gustave Courbet
The stone breakers
A
- His work created protest because art about labourers/peasants was supposed to be small adn picturesque but his was large in scale and depicted hard work
- Painting depicts two stone breakers trying to survive inspired by two men he saw
- Painting is supposed to make the viewer feel the hard work and poverty of the men
- Did not try to idealise
- This work was a reflection of Courbet’s concern for the injustices of the poor and his support of socialism
- His expression of his defiance made him a radical artist of the19th century
9
Q
Jean-Francois Millet
The Gleaners
A
- Work depicts three peasant women gleaning and holding wheat
- Space of the landscape is very flat and dull
- Gives the women a sense of beauty and dignity
- All his work, including this one, had a strong sense of truthfulness
- Shows the back-breaking work that the women did as they are all crouched over
10
Q
Honore Daumier
Third class carriage
A
- Was a caricaturist and mercilessly mocked and depicted the mistakes and short-comings of people in power
- Spent six months in jail
- The Third Class Carriage uses high contrast colours to depict the reality of working class public transportation
