Realism
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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- contrast: idealization
Realism in the visual arts and literature is the depiction of subjects as they appear in everyday life, without embellishment or interpretation. The term is also used to describe works of art which, in revealing a truth, may emphasize the ugly or sordid.
Realism also refers to a mid-19th century cultural movement with its roots in France, where it was a very popular art form around the mid to late 1800’s. It came about with the introduction of photography - a new visual source that created a desire for people to produce things that look “objectively real”. Realism was heavily against romanticism, a genre dominating French literature and artwork in the mid 19th century. Undistorted by personal bias, Realism believed in the ideology of objective reality and revolted against exaggerated emotionalism. Truth and accuracy became the goals of many Realists. Olympia by Édouard Manet, painted in 1863, it stirred an uproar when it was first exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon. Today, it is considered as the start of modern art.
See also
- Anti-realism
- Irrealism
- Philosophical realism, the belief that reality exists independently of observers
- Realism (dramatic arts)
- Realist visual arts
- Realism in film
- Realism in literature
- Magic realism
- Reality
- Reality television
- Real-time
- Photorealism
- Naturalism (art), an artistic style
- Naturalism (literature), a literary, cinematic, or theatrical style
- Surrealism