Here's a breakdown of their key goals:
In Painting:
* Depiction of everyday life: They sought to paint scenes from daily life, including working-class people, landscapes, and still lifes.
* Attention to detail: Artists focused on capturing accurate details, light, and color, striving for a sense of verisimilitude.
* Absence of idealism: They eschewed idealized or romanticized portrayals, preferring to show the world as it actually was, even if it was sometimes harsh or unpleasant.
* Focus on naturalism: They often used a technique known as *plein air* painting, where they would work outdoors to capture the effects of natural light.
In Literature:
* Authentic portrayal of characters: Writers aimed to create characters that were relatable and believable, with complex emotions and motivations.
* Focus on the ordinary: They preferred to write about ordinary people and their everyday struggles, often focusing on social issues like poverty, inequality, and injustice.
* Realism in dialogue: Writers used realistic and colloquial language, reflecting the speech patterns of their characters.
* Objectivity and observation: They sought to present events and characters objectively, without moralizing or offering easy solutions.
Examples:
* Painting: Gustave Courbet, Jean-François Millet, Édouard Manet
* Literature: Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Leo Tolstoy, Honoré de Balzac
It's important to note:
* Realism was not a monolithic movement. Different artists and writers had their own unique styles and perspectives within the broader realist framework.
* Realism was a reaction against Romanticism, which emphasized emotion, imagination, and the ideal.
* The impact of Realism extended beyond painting and literature, influencing other art forms like music and photography.
Overall, Realism aimed to bring a sense of authenticity and verisimilitude to art, challenging the romantic ideals that had dominated art for so long. It sought to portray the world as it truly was, with all its complexities and contradictions.