What is realistic art?
Realism in art can be used to describe the depiction of artistic impressions as they exist. The emergence of the school of art is as a result of a response to the introduction of the school of Neoclassism and Romanticism. Neoclassical art, artists used classical styles in describing their ideas about bravery, sacrifice and patriotism. Romanticism on the other hand placed a great deal of importance on emotions, creativity and imagination.
Characteristics of Realistic Art
According to Lewis, Realism in arts involves personal bias subjectivity or emotionalism that depicts the painting theme in an empirical style (Lewis 2008). The reason why realists rejected the Romantic era characteristics is because realists believed that the characteristics portrayed art with a sense of objective reality. Realism in art is all about depicting an object as it is and not covering any flaws on the object. Realist artists argue that realistic art is all about accurate portrayal of ordinary people and events.
Motivation of the realists
Realists basically draw their inspiration from the contemporary life. Most of the subject matter in realistic art generally includes daily scenes and ordinary people. Realists depict contemporary life in a realistic and accurate manner. Realists take a relatively different approach towards painting and the depiction of objects. This implies that realists don't use any techniques to change the appearance of the object.
How did they achieve their aims?
Realists achieve their aims of depicting contemporary life in a realistic and accurate manner by rejecting idealization and accurate portrayal of ordinary people and events. For instance, famous paintings from Realistic school during the industrial revolution depicted workers performing their tasks in the factories. Realists tried to depict workers in this industrial era as they regardless how unaesthetic the surroundings looked. This implies that no changes were carried out by the artists to change the surroundings to be aesthetically pleasing.
