Realism: The Truth of the Ordinary
Realism began in France in the 1840s, rejecting Romanticism’s idealism. Realists aimed to depict contemporary customs, ideas, and appearances with objective accuracy.
Social Consciousness
Realism often focused on the unidealized lives of the working class and the poor, which was considered scandalous by the art establishment of the time.
Leading Figures
Gustave Courbet, Jean-François Millet, and Honoré Daumier.