Major Themes of Realism

Darwinism

Charles Darwin's theories of natural selection and evolution had a strong impact on the beliefs and values of Realism. The publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859) presented data that proved that biological organisms developed over time, evolving from simpler forms to more complicated modern forms. The process by which evolution takes place is called natural selection, during which certain biological traits become extinct when the individuals with those traits fail to survive and reproduce.

Cultural Exchange and Diversity in the Realist Period

Cultural exchange and diversity played an important role in the art of the second half of the 19th century. In particular, Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Art Nouveau artists looked to the art of Japan for inspiration. Beginning in the late 1600s, Japan saw the emergence of woodblock painting and began perfecting the craft. By the late 19th century, artists across Europe were incorporating elements of the Japanese woodblock prints into their own creations.

Key Concepts: Major Themes of Realism

Darwinism: Charles Darwin's theory of evolution due to natural selection shed new light on the development of humans as a species; Realists valued Darwin's empirical proof over religious faith.Scientific materialism is the philosophical view that nothing exists but the physical reality that can be seen through the natural sciences. Industrialization: Realists wanted to portray the realistic consequences of the Industrial Revolution, which exposed the large differences between the wealthy and the working classes. Industrialism in England and the United States, especially, was a subject for Realist artists and writers, who were focused on the difficult working conditions brought about by industrialization. Later in the period, Realists also tackled the issues of inequality and oppression caused by imperialism and colonialism. Individualism: Realism sought to portray individuality with accurate, scientific detail. Realists attempted to recreate people and existence as realistically as possible, and their approach was more logical, more objective, and more fixated on minute detail. Age of Doubt: The tension between the idealism of the past, the harsh new realities of the present, and the insecurity of the future helped shape a particular sensibility during the Realist Period that is characterized by both optimism and anxiety. In their most positive manifestations, social values among the middle classes during this time comprised an earnest sense of individual responsibility, propriety, and productivity. However, underlying 19th-century ideologies of progress is a competing attitude of foreboding regarding the dramatic effects of modernization.

Key Concepts: Cultural Exchange and Diversity in the Realist Period

During the Realist Period, European artists found inspiration from Japanese woodblock printing, which became popular with Japanese artists during the late 1600s and early 1700s. As with many other forms of Japanese art, printmaking organized itself into stylistic movements or schools. The first two of these schools were the Torii School and the Kaigetsudō School, both active starting around 1700. Perhaps the most famous Japanese woodblock print is Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa," part of the artist's Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series. Hokusai's creative influence was felt throughout the world, impacting the Art Nouveau style and Impressionist works of his European contemporaries and followers. Following the gradual disintegration of the Katsukawa School, the Utagawa School came to prominence in the mid-19th century. The term "Japonisme" was coined in the late 19th century to describe the influence of Japanese art on those of European or Western descent. A long list of artists embraced Japonism, including Vincent van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, Renoir, and Monet. These artists were drawn to the fantastic colors, natural scenery, and simplicity of ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") prints. Since the beginning of the 20th century, two new schools of printmaking have flourished in Japan. The sōsaku hanga, or "creative prints," movement was a shift away from traditional collaborative printmaking, while the shin hanga, or "new prints" movement refocused on it.

Industrilization - Rapid Industrial and Technological Change

In the United States, industrialism lured immigrants and farmworkers to American cities and a new way of life. Southern rural populations migrated North after the destruction of the Civil War, and immigrants in Europe sought a better life in the New World. Inventions such as the cotton gin and sewing machine boosted production in factories and provided a promising source of jobs in cities such as New York and Boston. The difficult working conditions for those enmeshed in the Industrial Revolution became a focus for many artists and writers of the period.

Major Themes of Realism

Realism was a movement that overlapped chronologically and, in some ways, thematically with the Romantic Period. Like Romanticism, it was also a strong reaction to the turmoil and revolution taking place in the Western world during the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. Realism differed in that it rejected the lofty idealism of Romanticism and concerned itself with solving real-life problems that were largely the result of rapid industrialization, urbanization and the growth of empire. Realism did not focus on glamorized subjects but rather on real people and their everyday, lived experience. It involved a close attention to detail, and it did not shy away from unpleasant topics, like poverty, hunger, and violence. Realism rejected the Neoclassicism of the 18th century that sought to replicate ancient Roman and Greek aesthetics. It would not be unreasonable to say that Realism was a revolutionary movement that highlighted the lives of ordinary people and sought to represent the truth as a product of experience and the senses. To this end, many Realists were influenced by the theories of Charles Darwin, whose ideas about the evolution of organic species (including humans) yielded scientific answers to many of the abstract questions about life that religions had hitherto sought to define. Realists preferred to accept the empirical proof of the senses, rather than relying on truth derived from faith. Realist artists and writers sought to produce accurate and unbiased portrayals of the ordinary, observable world, with a focus on the lower classes and a critique of the established social and political order. Realism became popular just as photography was introduced as a new source of visual images, allowing for film to capture scenes of real life as direct visual representations. Realism reflected the ravages of war, the grittiness of the Industrial Revolution, the hardships of city life, and the injustices that surfaced in a new age. Realists stuck to their goal of representing the hard facts of life by highlighting the individual. Ultimately, they strove to showcase reality through the eyes of individual, ordinary people who were directly impacted by the overarching social, political, technological, and economic changes.

Darwinsim- Scientific Materialism

Scientific materialism is the philosophical view that nothing exists but the physical reality that one can see through the natural sciences. The term "scientific materialism" has, at times, been linked to schools of thought like Marxism and atheism. Materialists don't accept religious faith or belief in the unseen, and Marxism and Darwinism did shake the religious faith of many during the 19th century. Many Realist artists and writers expressed materialistic sentiments. Gustave Courbet, the French Realist painter, once said: "I have never seen angels. Show me an angel and I will paint one."

Industrialization- Economic and Class Consciousness

The Industrial Revolution and the Revolutions of 1848 (a series of political upheavals that swept through numerous European countries over the course of a year) exposed the differences between the wealthy and the working classes. Realists sought to artistically represent the overlooked; in literature, some used vernacular and popular diction, while in art, many depicted the gritty details of life in the common classes. Realism also furthered some of the underlying class and race issues involved in imperialism and colonialism. While Romantics largely glamorized mysterious and "exotic" foreign cultures, Realists promoted their pride in the power of empire by depicting native cultures as being "savage," primitive, and in need of saving. In many ways, this helped to rationalize the project of empire, in which a group aggressively colonizes the resources of native lands and in effect denies the humanity of native populations. It was only toward the end of the nineteenth century that authors like Joseph Conrad began to represent and critique the horrors of colonialism.

Age of Doubt

The tension between the idealism of the past, the harsh new realities of the present, and the insecurity of the future helped shape a particular sensibility during the Realist Period that is characterized by both optimism and anxiety. In their most positive manifestations, social values among the middle classes during this time comprised an earnest sense of individual responsibility, propriety, and productivity. However, underlying 19th-century ideologies of progress is a competing attitude of foreboding regarding the dramatic effects of modernization. "Some celebrated the new age of promise, progress, and triumph, while others challenged the so-called benefits of industrial growth when so many were being affected so negatively"1. This sense of uncertainty was often indicated in the aesthetics of the time. The Realist novel represented in close detail these dramatic transformations within society, emphasizing the development of individual consciousness through characters who are grappling with complex moral choices. Poetry in the Realist Period continues many of the lyrical traditions of Romanticism, but it also often communicates a sense of longing and regret over the loss of traditional ways of being. And in the visual arts, many artists were challenging convention by depicting ordinary people in unidealized settings as a way to expose the harshness of modern life. By the end of the century, (also termed the fin de siècle), this sense of uncertainty would transform into full-blown skepticism about the promises of progress and modernization.

Individualism

With Realism's focus on portraying ordinary life, individualism was just as important a theme as it was for Romanticism. The difference lay in aesthetics: while the Romantic perception of individuality highlighted the passion of emotions and the importance of the subjective experience, in Realism, artists sought to portray individual lives and interactions accurately. Realists attempted to recreate people and existence as realistically as possible, and their approach was more logical, more objective, and more fixated on minute detail. The Realist focus on individualism connects the themes of empirical observation and class consciousness. In attempting to depict how the tumultuous changes in the world affected individuals, Realists turned to scientific evidence and objective logic to inform their artistic ideals. Ultimately, as their classification suggests, Realists did not shy away from portraying hard reality as they saw it.