Russian realism as a literary movement. Realism in art (XIX-XX centuries) Russian realist artists of the 19th century

At the beginning of the lesson, the teacher explains to the students the essence of the concept of realism, talks about the concept of "natural school". Further, the postulates of naturalism of the French writer Emile Zola are given, the concept of social Darwinism is revealed. A detailed story is given about the features of Russian realism of the late XIX - early XX centuries, the most significant works of Russian writers are considered, how they form the literature of that period.

Rice. 1. Portrait of V. Belinsky ()

The key event for Russian realism in the middle of the 19th century was the release in the 40s of two literary collections - this is the collection "Physiology of Petersburg" and "Petersburg Collection". Both of them came out with a preface by Belinsky (Fig. 1), where he writes that Russia is divided, there are many classes in it that live their own lives, they know nothing about each other. People of different classes speak and dress differently, believe in God and earn their living. The task of literature, according to Belinsky, is to acquaint Russia with Russia, to break down territorial barriers.

Belinsky's concept of realism had to endure many difficult trials. From 1848 to 1856 it was even forbidden to mention his name in print. Issues of Otechestvennye Zapiski and Sovremennik with his articles were confiscated in libraries. Profound changes began in the very camp of progressive writers. The "natural school" of the 1940s, which included various writers - Nekrasov and A. Maikov, Dostoevsky and Druzhinin, Herzen and V. Dal - was possible on the basis of a united anti-serfdom front. But by the end of the 40s, democratic and liberal tendencies intensified in it.

The authors opposed "tendentious" art, for "pure artistry", for "eternal" art. On the basis of "pure art" Botkin, Druzhinin and Annenkov united in a kind of "triumvirate". They mistreated the true disciples of Belinsky, such as Chernyshevsky, and in this they received support from Turgenev, Grigorovich, Goncharov.

These individuals did not simply advocate the aimlessness and apolitical nature of art. They challenged the pointed tendentiousness that the Democrats wanted to give to art. They were satisfied with the outdated level of tendentiousness, although they could hardly come to terms with it during Belinsky's lifetime. Their position was typically liberal, and they were later completely satisfied with the limited "glasnost" that was established as a result of the tsarist reform. Gorky pointed to the objectively reactionary meaning of liberalism in the context of the preparations for a democratic revolution in Russia: “The liberals of the 1860s and Chernyshevsky,” he wrote in 1911, “are representatives of two historical trends, two historical forces that, from then until our time determine the outcome of the struggle for a new Russia.

The literature of the middle of the 19th century developed under the influence of the concept of V. Belinsky and received the name "natural school".

Emile Zola (Fig. 2) in his work "Experimental Novel" explained that the task of literature is the study of a certain period in the life of its heroes.

Rice. 2. Emile Zola ()

In his ideas about man, E. Zola relied on the study of the famous French physiologist C. Bernard (Fig. 3), who considered man as a biological being. Emile Zola believed that all human actions are based on blood and nerves, that is, the biological motives of behavior determine a person's life.

Rice. 3. Portrait of Claude Bernard ()

The followers of E. Zola were called social Darwinists. For them, Darwin's concept is important: any biological individual is formed, adapting to the environment and fighting for survival. The will to live, the struggle for survival and the environment - all these principles will be found in the literature of the turn of the century.

Zola's imitators appeared in Russian literature. For Russian realism-naturalism, the main thing was to photographically reflect reality.

Naturalist writers of the late 19th century were characterized by: a new look at the estates from the outside, a realistic presentation in the spirit of a psychological novel.

One of the most striking manifestos of the literature of that time was the article by the critic A. Suvorin (Fig. 4) “Our poetry and fiction”, which answered the questions “Do we have literature?”, “How to write?” and "What does an author need?". He complains that new people from the works of this time - representatives of different classes - are engaged in old, familiar activities for literary heroes (fall in love, marry, divorce), and writers for some reason do not talk about the professional activities of heroes. The writers are not aware of the occupations of the new heroes. The biggest problem writers face is not knowing the material they are writing about.

Rice. 4. Portrait of Suvorin ()

“A fiction writer should know more or should choose for himself some one corner as a specialist and try to become, if not a master, then a good worker,” wrote Suvorin.

At the end of the 80s, a new wave appeared in literature - this is M. Gorky, Marxists, a new idea of ​​​​what sociality is.

Rice. 5. Collection of partnership "Knowledge" ()

"Knowledge" (Fig. 5), a book publishing partnership in St. Petersburg, organized in 1898-1913 by members of the Literacy Committee (K.P. Pyatnitsky and others) for cultural and educational purposes. Initially, the publishing house produced mainly popular science books on natural science, history, public education, and art. In 1900, M. Gorky joined Znanie; at the end of 1902 he headed the publishing house after its reorganization. Gorky united realist writers around Knowledge, reflecting the oppositional moods of Russian society in their works. Having released in a short time the collected works of M. Gorky (9 vols.), A. Serafimovich, A.I. Kuprin, V.V. Veresaeva, Wanderer (S. G. Petrova), N.D. Teleshova, S.A. Naydenova et al., "Knowledge" has gained fame as a publishing house that focuses on a broad democratic circle of readers. In 1904, the publishing house began publishing the Collections of the Knowledge Association (up to 1913, 40 books were published). They included works by M. Gorky, A.P. Chekhov, A.I. Kuprin, A. Serafimovich, L.N. Andreeva, I.A. Bunina, V.V. Veresaeva and others. Translations were also published.

Against the background of the critical realism of the majority of the “Znanievists”, Gorky and Serafimovich, representatives of socialist realism, stood out, on the one hand, and Andreev and some others, subject to the influences of decadence, on the other. After the revolution of 1905-07. this division has intensified. Since 1911, the main editing of the collections "Knowledge" passed to V.S. Mirolyubov.

Along with the release of collected works of young writers and collections, the Knowledge partnership published the so-called. "Cheap Library", in which small works of "Knowledge" writers were printed. In addition, on the instructions of the Bolsheviks, Gorky published a series of socio-political brochures, including works by K. Marx, F. Engels, P. Lafargue, A. Bebel and others. circulation - about 4 million copies).

During the years of reaction that came after the revolution of 1905-07, many members of the Knowledge partnership left the publishing house. Gorky, forced to live abroad during these years, broke with the publishing house in 1912. M. Gorky's letters speak more and more about the timeliness of literature and its usefulness, that is, the need to develop the reader and instill in him the correct worldview.

At this time, the division into friends and foes is characteristic not only of writers, but also of readers. The main reader for Gorky and the Znanevites is the new reader (the working man, the proletariat, who is not yet accustomed to reading books), and therefore the writer needs to write simply and clearly. The writer must be the teacher and leader of the reader.

The Znaniev concept in literature will form the basis of the concept of Soviet literature.

Since what is stated in a work of art should be clear and understandable, the main path for Znaniev literature is allegory I (allegory, an abstract concept is illustrated by a specific object or image).

For each concept: "valor", "faith", "mercy" - there were stable images that were understood by readers. In this period of literature, such concepts as “stagnation” and “revolution”, the world “old” and “new” are in demand. In each of the stories of the partnership there is a key image-allegory.

Another important feature of realism at the end of the 19th century is the appearance of writers from the provinces: Mamin-Sibiryak, Shishkov, Prishvin, Bunin, Shmelev, Kuprin and many others. The Russian province appears unknown, incomprehensible, in need of study. The Russian outback of this time appears in two guises:

1. something motionless, alien to any movement (conservative);

2. something that keeps traditions, important life values.

The story "Village" by Bunin, "Uyezdnoe" by Zamyatin, the novel "Small Demon" by F. Sologub, stories by Zaitsev and Shmelev and other works that tell about the provincial life of that time.

1. Naturalism ().
2. "Natural school" ().
3. Emile Zola ().
4. Claude Bernard ().
5. Social Darwinism ().
6. Artsybashev M.P. ().
7. Suvorin A.S. ().

Publishing house of the partnership "Knowledge"

critical realism artistic herzen

Guy de Maupassant (1850-1993): he passionately, painfully hated the bourgeois world and everything connected with it. He painfully searched for antitheses to this world - and found it in the democratic strata of society, in the French people.

Works: short stories - "Dumbnut", "Old Sauvage", "Crazy", "Prisoners", "Chair Weaver", "Papa Simone".

Romain Rolland (1866-1944): the meaning of being and creativity initially consisted in faith in the beautiful, kind, bright, which never left the world - it is simply necessary to be able to see, feel and convey to people.

Works: the novel "Jean Christoff", the story "Pierre and Luce".

Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880): His work indirectly reflected the contradictions of the French Revolution of the mid-nineteenth century. The desire for truth and hatred for the bourgeoisie were combined in him with social pessimism and distrust in the people.

Works: novels - "Madam Bovary", "Salambo", "Education of the Senses", "Bouvard and Pécuchet" (not finished), novels - "The Legend of Julian the Hospitable", "A Simple Soul", "Herodias", also created several plays and extravaganza.

Stendhal (1783-1842): The work of this writer opens the period of classical realism. It was Stendhal who took the lead in substantiating the main principles and program for the formation of realism, theoretically declared in the first half of the 19th century, when romanticism still dominated, and soon brilliantly embodied in the artistic masterpieces of the outstanding novelist of that time.

Works: novels - "Parma Convent", "Armans", "Lucien Leven", stories - "Vittoria Accoramboni", "Duchess di Palliano", "Cenci", "Abbess of Castro".

Charles Dickens (1812-1870): Dickens's works are full of deep drama, social contradictions are sometimes tragic in him, which they did not have in the interpretation of writers of the 18th century. Dickens also deals with the life and struggle of the working class in his work.

Works: "Nicholas Nickleby", "The Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewitt", "Hard Times", "Christmas Stories", "Dombey and Son", "The Antiquities Shop".

William Thackeray (1811-1863): Arguing with the Romantics, he demands strict truthfulness from the artist. "Let the truth not always be pleasant, but there is nothing better than the truth." The author is not inclined to depict a person as either a notorious scoundrel or an ideal being. unlike Dickens, he avoided happy endings. Thackeray's satire is riddled with skepticism: the writer does not believe in the possibility of changing life. He enriched the English realistic novel by introducing the author's commentary.

Works: The Book of Snobs, Vanity Fair, Pendennis, The Career of Barry Lyndon, The Ring and the Rose.

Pushkin A.S. (1799-1837): founder of Russian realism. Pushkin is dominated by the idea of ​​the Law, the patterns that determine the state of civilization, social structures, the place and importance of a person, his independence and connection with the whole, the possibility of authorial sentences.

Works: "Boris Godunov", "The Captain's Daughter", "Dubrovsky", "Eugene Onegin", "Belkin's Tales".

Gogol N.V. (1809-1852): a world far from any ideas about the law, vulgar everyday life, in which all concepts of honor and morality, conscience are mutilated - in a word, Russian reality, worthy of grotesque ridicule: "to blame everything on the mirror, if the face is crooked" .

Works: "Dead Souls", "Notes of a Madman", "Overcoat".

Lermontov M.Yu. (1814-1841): sharp enmity with the divine world order, with the laws of society, lies and hypocrisy, all kinds of upholding the rights of the individual. The poet strives for a concrete image of the social environment, the life of an individual person: the combination of the features of early realism and mature romanticism into an organic unity.

Works: "Hero of Our Time", "Demon", "Fatalist".

Turgenev I.S. (1818-1883): Turgenev is interested in the moral world of people from the people. The main feature of the cycle of stories was truthfulness, which contained the idea of ​​the liberation of the peasantry, presented the peasants as spiritually active people capable of independent activity. Despite his reverent attitude towards the Russian people, Turgenev the realist did not idealize the peasantry, seeing, like Leskov and Gogol, their shortcomings.

Works: “Fathers and Sons”, “Rudin”, “Noble Nest”, “On the Eve”.

Dostoevsky F.M. (1821-1881): Regarding Dostoevsky's realism, it was said that he had a "fantastic realism." D. believes that in exceptional, unusual situations, the most typical appears. The writer noticed that all his stories were not invented, but taken from somewhere. Main feature: creating a philosophical basis with the detective - there is a murder everywhere.

Works: "Crime and Punishment", "Idiot", "Demons", "Teenager", "The Brothers Karamazov".

From the end of the XVIII century. France played a major role in the socio-political life of Western Europe. 19th century was marked by a broad democratic movement that embraced almost all sectors of French society. The revolution of 1830 was followed by the revolution of 1848. In 1871, the people who proclaimed the Paris Commune made the first attempt in the history of France and all of Western Europe to seize political power in the state.

The critical situation in the country could not but affect the attitude of the people. In this era, the advanced French intelligentsia seeks to find new ways in art and new forms of artistic expression. That is why realistic tendencies were discovered in French painting much earlier than in other Western European countries.

The revolution of 1830 brought democratic freedoms into the life of France, which graphic artists did not fail to take advantage of. Sharp political cartoons aimed against the ruling circles, as well as the vices prevailing in society, filled the pages of the Sharivari and Caricature magazines. Illustrations for periodicals were made in the technique of lithography. Such artists as A. Monnier, N. Charlet, J. I. Granville, as well as the remarkable French graphic artist O. Daumier worked in the genre of caricature.

An important role in the art of France between the revolutions of 1830 and 1848 was played by the realistic trend in landscape painting - the so-called. barbizon school. This term comes from the name of the small picturesque village of Barbizon near Paris, where in the 1830s and 1840s. many French artists came to study nature. Not satisfied with the traditions of academic art, devoid of living concreteness and national identity, they rushed to Barbizon, where, carefully examining all the changes taking place in nature, they painted pictures depicting modest corners of French nature.

Although the works of the masters of the Barbizon school are distinguished by truthfulness and objectivity, they always feel the mood of the author, his emotions and feelings. Nature in the landscapes of the Barbizons does not seem majestic and distant, it is close and understandable to man.

Often, artists painted the same place (forest, river, pond) at different times of the day and under different weather conditions. The etudes made in the open air were processed in the workshop, creating a picture that was integral in terms of composition. Very often, in the finished painting work, the freshness of colors characteristic of etudes disappeared, so the canvases of many Barbizons were distinguished by a dark color.

The largest representative of the Barbizon school was Theodore Rousseau, who, already a well-known landscape painter, moved away from academic painting and came to Barbizon. Protesting against the barbarian deforestation, Rousseau endows nature with human qualities. He himself spoke of hearing the voices of the trees and understanding them. An excellent connoisseur of the forest, the artist very accurately conveys the structure, species, scale of each tree (“Forest of Fontainebleau”, 1848-1850; “Oaks in Agremont”, 1852). At the same time, the works of Rousseau show that the artist, whose style was formed under the influence of academic art and the painting of the old masters, could not, no matter how hard he tried, solve the problem of transmitting light and air. Therefore, the light and color in his landscapes are most often conditional.

The art of Rousseau had a great influence on young French artists. Representatives of the Academy, involved in the selection of paintings in the Salons, tried to prevent the work of Rousseau at the exhibition.

The well-known masters of the Barbizon school were Jules Dupre, whose landscapes contain features of romantic art (“The Big Oak”, 1844-1855; “Landscape with Cows”, 1850), and Narcissus Diaz, who inhabited the forest of Fontainebleau with naked figures of nymphs and ancient goddesses (“Venus with cupid", 1851).

The representative of the younger generation of Barbizons was Charles Daubigny, who began his career with illustrations, but in the 1840s. dedicated to the landscape. His lyrical landscapes, dedicated to the unpretentious corners of nature, are filled with sunlight and air. Very often Daubigny painted from life not only sketches, but also finished paintings. He built a workshop boat on which he sailed along the river, stopping at the most attractive places.

The life of the largest French artist of the 19th century is close to the Barbizons. K. Koro.

Jean Baptiste Camille Corot

Camille Corot - French painter and graphic artist, master of portrait and landscape, is one of the founders of the French landscape school of the 19th century.

Born in Paris in 1796. He was a student of A. Michallon and JV Bertin - academic artists. Initially, he adhered to the generally accepted point of view that only a landscape with a historical plot, taken mainly from ancient history or mythology, is high art. However, after visiting Italy (1825), his views change dramatically, and he begins to search for a different approach to reality, which is already evident in his early works (View of the Forum, 1826; View of the Colosseum, 1826). It should be noted that Corot's sketches, where he changes his attitude to the nature of lighting and color gradations, conveying them more realistically, are a kind of impetus in the development of a realistic landscape.

However, despite the new principle of writing, Corot sends paintings to the Salon that meet all the canons of academic painting. At this time, in the work of Corot, there is a gap between the sketch and the picture, which will characterize his art throughout his life. Thus, the works sent to the Salon (including Hagar in the Desert, 1845; Homer and the Shepherds, 1845) indicate that the artist not only refers to ancient subjects, but also preserves the composition of the classical landscape, which nevertheless less does not prevent the viewer from recognizing the features of the French landscape in the depicted area. In general, such a contradiction was quite in the spirit of that era.

Very often, the innovations that Corot gradually comes to, he fails to hide from the jury, so his paintings are often rejected. Especially strong innovation is felt in the summer studies of the master, where he seeks to convey the various states of nature in a given period of time, filling the landscape with light and air. Initially, these were predominantly urban views and compositions with architectural monuments of Italy, where he again went in 1834. For example, in the landscape “Morning in Venice” (c. 1834), sunlight, blue sky, and air transparency are beautifully conveyed. At the same time, the combination of light and shadow does not break the architectural forms, but on the contrary, it seems to model them. Figures of people with long shadows extending from them in the background give the landscape a feeling of almost real spatiality.

Later, the painter will be more restrained, he will be interested in a more modest nature, but he will pay more attention to its various states. To achieve the desired effect, Koro's color scheme will become thinner, lighter and begin to line up on variations of the same color. In this regard, such works as “The Bell Tower in Argenteuil” are characteristic, where the delicate greenery of the surrounding nature and the humidity of the air very subtly, but at the same time with great certainty convey the charm of spring, “Hay Carriage”, in which one can feel the joyful thrill of life.

It is noteworthy that Corot evaluates nature as a place where a simple person lives and acts. Another feature of his landscape is that it is always a reflection of the emotional state of the master. Therefore, landscape compositions are lyrical (the above-mentioned "Belfry in Artangei") or, conversely, dramatic (study "Gust of Wind", ca. 1865-1870).

Corot's figurative compositions are full of poetic feeling. If in the early works a person seems somewhat detached from the world around him (“The Reaper with a Sickle”, 1838), then in later works the images of people
are inextricably linked with the environment in which they are located ("The Reaper's Family", ca. 1857). In addition to landscapes, Corot also created portraits. Women's images are especially good, enchanting with their naturalness and liveliness. The artist painted only people who were spiritually close to him, so his portraits are marked by the author's sincere sympathy for the model.

Corot was not only a talented painter and graphic artist, but also a good teacher for young artists, reliable
comrade. This fact is noteworthy: when O. Daumier did not have the funds to pay the rent of his house, Corot bought this house and then presented it to a friend.

Corot died in 1875, leaving behind a huge creative heritage - about 3,000 paintings and graphic works.

Honore Daumier

Honoré Daumier, French graphic artist, painter and sculptor, was born in 1808 in Marseille into the family of a glazier who wrote poetry. In 1814, when Daumier was six years old, his family moved to Paris.

The future artist began his career as a clerk, then worked as a salesman in a bookstore. However, he was not at all interested in this work, he preferred all his free time to wander the streets and make sketches. Soon, the young artist begins to visit the Louvre, where he studies ancient sculpture and the works of old masters, of which Rubens and Rembrandt fascinate him to a greater extent. Daumier understands that by studying the art of painting on his own, he will not be able to advance far, and then (since 1822) he begins to take drawing lessons from Lenoir (administrator of the Royal Museum). However, all teaching was reduced to simple copying of plasters, and this did not in the least satisfy the needs of the young man. Then Daumier leaves the workshop and goes to Ramole to study lithography, while at the same time earning money as a messenger.

The first work that Daumier did in the field of illustration dates back to the 1820s. They almost did not survive, but what has nevertheless come down to us allows us to speak of Daumier as an artist in opposition to the official power represented by the Bourbons.

It is known that from the first days of the reign of Louis Philippe, the young artist draws sharp caricatures of both himself and his entourage, thereby creating a reputation for himself as a political fighter. As a result, Daumier is noticed by the publisher of the weekly "Caricature" Charles Philippon and invites him to cooperate, to which he agrees. The first work, published in "Caricature" dated February 9, 1832 - "Applicants for Places" - ridicules the servants of Louis Philippe. After her, satires on the king himself began to appear one after another.

Of the earliest lithographs by Daumier, Gargantua (December 15, 1831) deserves special attention, where the artist depicted a fat Louis Philippe, absorbing gold taken from a hungry and impoverished people. This sheet, exhibited in the window of the Aubert company, gathered a whole crowd of spectators, for which the government took revenge on the master, sentenced him to six months in prison and a fine of 500 francs.

Despite the fact that Daumier's early works are still quite overloaded compositionally and affect not so much the expressiveness of the image as the narrative, they already have a style. Daumier himself is well aware of this and begins to work in the genre of a caricature portrait, while he uses a very peculiar method: first he sculpts portrait busts (in which the characteristic features are brought to the grotesque), which will then be his nature when working on lithography. As a result, he obtained figures that differed in the maximum volume. It was in this way that the lithograph “The Legislative Womb” (1834) was created, which shows the following picture: directly in front of the viewer on the benches located in the amphitheater, the ministers and members of the Parliament of the July Monarchy settled down. In each face, a portrait resemblance is conveyed with deadly accuracy, while the most expressive group is represented by Thiers listening to Guizot's note. Exposing the physical and moral inferiority of the ruling elite, the master comes to the creation of portrait types. Light plays a special role in them, it emphasizes the author's desire for the greatest expressiveness. Therefore, all the figures are given under harsh lighting (it is known that, while working on this composition, the master put the busts-models under the bright light of a lamp).

It is not surprising that with such hard work, Daumier found a great monumental style in lithography (this is very strongly felt in the work "Down the curtain, the farce is played", 1834). The power of influence is just as high in works that reveal the role of workers in the fight against oppressors: “He is no longer dangerous to us”, “Do not interfere”, “Transnonin Street April 15, 1834”. As for the last leaf, it is a direct response to the uprising of the workers. Almost all the people actually living in one of the houses on Transnonen Street (including children and the elderly) were killed because one of the workers dared to shoot a policeman. The artist captured the most tragic moment. The lithograph depicts a terrible picture: on the floor, next to an empty bed, lies the corpse of a worker, crushing a dead child under him; in a darkened corner is a murdered woman. On the right, the head of a dead old man is clearly visible. The image presented by Daumier evokes a double feeling in the viewer: a sense of horror from what he has done and indignant protest. The work performed by the artist is not an indifferent commentary on events, but an angry denunciation.

The drama is enhanced by the sharp contrast of light and shadow. At the same time, the details, although receding into the background, at the same time clarify the situation in which such atrocity took place, emphasizing that the pogrom was carried out at a time when people were sleeping peacefully. It is characteristic that already in this work the features of Daumier's late paintings are visible, in which a single event is also generalized, thereby giving the composition a monumental expressiveness in combination with the "accident" of a snatched life moment.

Such works largely influenced the adoption of the "September Laws" (which entered into force at the end of 1834), directed against the press. This led to the fact that it became impossible to fully work in the field of political satire. Therefore, Daumier, like many other masters of political caricature, switches to topics related to everyday life, where he searches for and brings to the surface burning social issues. At this time, entire collections of cartoons were published in France, depicting the life and customs of the society of that era. Daumier, together with the artist Travies, creates a series of lithographs called "French Types" (1835-1836). Like Balzac in literature, Daumier in painting exposes his contemporary society, in which money rules.

Minister Guizot proclaims the slogan "Get rich!". Daumier responds to him by creating the image of Robert Macher - a swindler and a rogue, either dying or resurrecting again (series of "Caricaturan", 1836-1838). In other sheets, he refers to the theme of bourgeois charity ("Modern Philanthropy", 1844-1846), the venality of the French court ("Judges of Justice", 1845-1849), the pompous complacency of the townsfolk (sheet "It is still very flattering to see your portrait at the exhibition" , part of the Salon of 1857 series). Other series of lithographs were also executed in an accusatory manner: “A Bachelor’s Day” (1839), “Marriage Mores” (1839-1842), “The Best Days of Life” (1843-1846), “Pastorals” (1845-1846).

Over time, Daumier's drawing is somewhat transformed, the stroke becomes more expressive. According to contemporaries, the master never used new sharpened pencils, preferring to draw with fragments. He believed that this achieved a variety and liveliness of the lines. Perhaps that is why his works over time acquire a graphic character, displacing their earlier plasticity. It must be said that the new style was more suitable for graphic cycles, where the story was introduced, and the action itself unfolded either in the interior or in the landscape.

However, Daumier is still more prone to political satire, and as soon as the opportunity arises, he again takes up his favorite pastime, creating sheets filled with anger and hatred for the ruling elite. In 1848 there was a new revolutionary surge, but it was suppressed and the republic was threatened by Bonapartism. Responding to these events, Daumier creates Ratapual, a cunning Bonapartist agent and traitor. This image captivated the master so much that he transferred it from lithography to sculpture, where he was able to achieve great expressiveness with a bold interpretation.

It is not surprising that Daumier hates Napoleon III with the same force as Louis Philippe. The artist does his best to make his accusatory works make the inhabitants feel the evil that comes from the privileged class and, of course, the ruler. However, after the coup that took place on December 2, 1852, the political cartoon was again banned. And only towards the end of the 1860s, when the government became more liberal, Daumier turned to this genre for the third time. So, on one sheet, the viewer could see how the Constitution shortens the dress of Liberty, and on the other - Thiers, depicted as a prompter, telling every politician what to say and what to do. The artist draws many anti-militarist satires (“The world swallows a sword”, etc.).

From 1870 to 1872, Daumier created a series of lithographs exposing the criminal actions of the perpetrators of the disasters in France. For example, in a sheet called "This Killed That," he lets the viewer know that the election of Napoleon III marked the beginning of many troubles. Notable is the lithograph "The Empire is the World", which shows a field with crosses and tombstones. The inscription on the first tombstone reads: "Dead on the Boulevard Montmartre on December 2, 1851", on the last - "Dead at Sedan 1870". This sheet eloquently testifies that the empire of Napoleon III did not bring the French anything but death. All images in lithographs are symbolic, but the symbols here are not only ideologically saturated, but also very convincing.

Another well-known lithograph by Daumier, made in 1871, is noteworthy, where against the background of a formidable and cloudy sky, the mutilated trunk of a once powerful tree blackens. Only one branch survived, but it does not give up and continues to resist the storm. Under the sheet is a characteristic signature: "Poor France, the trunk is broken, but the roots are still strong." With this symbolic image, the master not only demonstrated the results of the tragedy he experienced, but with the help of light and shade contrasts and dynamic lines, he brought out a vivid image that embodies the power of the country. This work suggests that the master did not lose faith in the strength of France and the abilities of its people, who could make their homeland as great and powerful as before.

It should be noted that Daumier created not only lithographs. Since the 1830s he also works in painting and watercolor, but his early paintings (“The Engraver”, 1830-1834; self-portrait, 1830-1831) are characterized by the absence of a developed manner; sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish them from the works of other artists. Later, there is a honing of style, the development of certain themes. So, for example, in the 1840s. the master wrote a series of compositions under the single name "Lawyers". In these paintings, the same grotesque images appear as in the graphic works of Daumier.

His oil paintings and watercolors, as well as lithographs, are imbued with sarcasm. Daumier paints figures of lawyers speaking to the public with theatrical gestures (The Defender, 1840s) or smugly discussing their dirty machinations beyond the reach of someone else's gaze (Three Lawyers). When working on canvas, the painter often resorts to a close-up, depicting the most necessary objects and only outlining the details of the interior. With special care, he draws faces, sometimes stupid and indifferent, sometimes cunning and hypocritical, and sometimes contemptuous and self-satisfied. Depicting black lawyer's robes on a golden background, the author achieves a unique effect, opposing light and dark.

Over time, satire leaves the painting of Daumier. In the compositions of the late 1840s. the central place is occupied by spiritualized and heroic images of people from the people, endowed with strength, inner energy and heroism. A striking example of such works are the paintings "Family at the Barricade" (1848-1849) and "Uprising" (c. 1848).

The first canvas depicts revolutionary events and the people participating in them. The heroes are so close to the frame that only a part of the figures is visible. The artist tries to direct the viewer's attention to the faces fashioned by light. An old woman and a man are marked by severity and concentration, a young woman is marked by sadness and melancholy, and a young man, on the contrary, is filled with desperate determination. It is noteworthy that the heads of the characters are shown in different rotations, which gives the impression that the figures are moving, which further emphasizes the tension of the composition.

The second composition ("Uprising") is an image of a rushing crowd, seized by a revolutionary impulse.

The dynamics of events is conveyed not only by a gesture of a raised hand and figures rushing forward, but also by a strip of light.

Around the same time, Daumier painted paintings dedicated to refugees and emigrants, but these images are not found in his work so often. He found all the subjects for his paintings in everyday life: a laundress going down to the water; barge hauler pulling a boat; worker climbing onto the roof. It is noteworthy that all works reflect separate fragments of reality and influence the viewer not by narrative, but by visual means that create an expressive, in some cases tragic image.

In this spirit, the painting “Burden” was made, which has several options. The plot of the work is simple: a woman slowly walks along the embankment; With one hand she drags a huge laundry basket; nearby, clinging to her skirt, a child trudges along with small steps. A sharp wind blows in the faces of the heroes, which makes it much more difficult to walk, and the burden seems heavier. Daumier's usual everyday motive takes on almost heroic features. The woman looks detached from all worries. In addition, the master omits all the landscape details, only casually outlining the outlines of the city on the other side of the river. The muted and cold shades with which the landscape is painted enhance the feeling of drama and hopelessness. It is noteworthy that the interpretation of the image of a woman contradicts not only the classical canons, but also the ideals of human beauty among the romantics; it is given with great expression and realism. An important role in creating images is played by light and shadow: thanks to the lighting, which goes in an even strip, the figure of a woman seems surprisingly expressive and plastic; the dark silhouette of a child stands out on a light parapet. The shadow from both figures merges into a single spot. Such a scene, observed many times by Daumier in reality, is presented not in genre, but in monumental terms, which is facilitated by the collective image he created.

Despite the generalization, in each work of Daumier an extraordinary vitality is preserved. The master is able to catch any gesture characteristic of the person he depicts, to convey a pose, etc. The canvas “Print Lover” helps to make sure of this.

Although during the 1850-1860s. Daumier works very fruitfully in painting, but the problem of plein air, which occupied many painters of that time, does not interest him at all. Even when he depicts his characters in the open air, he still does not use diffused light. In his paintings, light performs a different function: it carries an emotional load, which helps the author to place compositional accents. Daumier's favorite effect is backlighting, in which the foreground is darkened against a light background (“Before Bathing”, c. 1852; “Curious at the Window”, c. 1860). However, in some paintings, the painter turns to another technique, when the twilight of the background seems to dissipate towards the foreground and white, blue and yellow colors begin to sound with greater intensity. A similar effect can be seen in such canvases as Leaving School (c. 1853-1855), Third Class Carriage (c. 1862).

In painting, Daumier did no less than in graphics. He introduced new images, interpreting them with great expressiveness. None of his predecessors wrote so boldly and freely. It was for this quality that progressively thinking contemporaries of Daumier highly valued his paintings. However, during the life of the artist, his painting was little known, and the posthumous exhibition in 1901 was a real discovery for many.

Daumier died in 1879, in the town of Valmondois near Paris, in a house donated to him by Corot.

The revolution of 1848 led to an extraordinary upsurge in the social life of France, in its culture and art. At that time, two major representatives of realistic painting worked in the country - J.-F. Millet and G. Courbet.

Jean Francois Millet

Jean-Francois Millet, a French painter and graphic artist, was born in 1814 in the town of Gruchy, not far from Cherbourg, into a large peasant family that had a small plot of land in Normandy. From childhood, young Millet was surrounded by an atmosphere of diligence and piety. The boy was very smart, and his talent was noticed by the local priest. Therefore, in addition to schoolwork, the boy, under the guidance of a church minister, began to study Latin, and after a while, along with the Bible, the works of Virgil became his favorite reading, for which the painter had an addiction throughout his life.

Until the age of 18, Millet lived in the countryside and, being the eldest son, performed a variety of peasant work, including those related to the cultivation of the land. Since the ability to fine arts awakened in Mill very early, he painted everything that surrounded him: fields, gardens, animals. However, the sea aroused the greatest interest among the young artist. Millet dedicates his first sketches to the water element.

Millais was distinguished by subtle powers of observation, and his eyes, which noticed the beauty of nature, did not escape the calamities suffered by a person who entered into confrontation with her. Throughout his life, the master carried a tragic memory, a terrible storm that wrecked and sank dozens of ships, which he observed in early childhood.

Later, the young painter went to Cherbourg, where he studied painting first with Mouchel, and then with Langlois de Chevreville (a student and follower of Gros). At the request of the latter, he received a scholarship from the municipality and went to continue his studies in Paris. Leaving his homeland, Millet listened to the instructions of his grandmother, who told him: "Francois, never write anything obscene, even if it was by order of the king himself."

Arriving in Paris, the artist entered the workshop of Delaroche. He studied there from 1837 to 1838. Simultaneously with classes in Millet's workshop, he visited the Louvre, where he studied the famous paintings, of which Michelangelo's works most impressed him. Millet did not immediately find his way into art. His first works, created for sale, were made in the manner of A. Watteau and F. Boucher, called maniere fleurie, which means “flowery manner”. And although this way of writing is distinguished by external beauty and grace, in reality it creates a false impression. Success came to the artist in the early 1840s thanks to portrait works (Self-Portrait, 1841; Mademoiselle Ono, 1841; Armand Ono, 1843; Deleuze, 1845).

In the mid-1840s, Millet was working on a series of portraits of sailors, in which his style is completely freed from mannerisms and imitation, which is typical of the artist’s early works (“Naval Officer”, 1845, etc.). The master painted several paintings on mythological and religious subjects (St. Jerome, 1849; Hagar, 1849).

In 1848, Millet became close to the artists N. Diaz and F. Jeanron and exhibited for the first time at the Salon. First
the picture presented by him - "Veyatel" depicts rural life. Since that time, the master once and for all refuses mythological subjects and decides to write only what is closer to him.

To implement his plans, he and his family moved to Barbizon. Here the artist is completely immersed
into the world of rural life and creates works that correspond to his worldview. These are The Sower (1849), The Seated Peasant Woman (1849), etc. In them, Millet, with great persuasiveness, truthfully displays the representatives of the peasant class, focusing mainly on the figure, as a result of which sometimes one gets the impression that the landscape in his paintings performs background role.

In the works of Millet in the early 1850s. also dominated by the lonely figures of peasants engaged in ordinary affairs. Creating canvases, the artist sought to elevate the most prosaic work. He was convinced that "true humanity" and "great poetry" could only be conveyed by depicting working people. The characteristic features of these works are simplicity of gestures, ease of poses, voluminous plasticity of figures and slowness of movements.

Looking at the famous painting by Millet "The Seamstress" (1853), the viewer sees only the most necessary attributes of a dressmaker: scissors, a needle bed and irons. There is nothing superfluous on the canvas, there is exactly as much space as necessary - with this the master makes the image significant and even monumental. Despite the apparent static nature of the composition, the image of a woman is full of inner movement: it seems that her hand holding the needle is making more and more stitches, and her chest is rhythmically heaving. The worker carefully looks at her product, but her thoughts are somewhere far away. Despite the ordinariness and some intimacy of the motive, solemnity and grandeur are inherent in the picture.

The painting Rest of the Reapers, exhibited by the master at the Salon of 1853, is executed in the same spirit. Despite some generalization of rhythmic figures, the composition filled with light evokes a sense of integrity. The images of the peasants harmoniously fit into the overall picture of nature.

It is characteristic that in many of Millet's works, nature helps to express the mood of the hero. So, in the painting “Seated Peasant Woman”, the unfriendly forest perfectly conveys the sadness of a girl, deeply immersed in her restless thoughts.

Over time, Millet, who painted pictures in which monumental images were displayed against the backdrop of a landscape, begins to create somewhat different works. The landscape space in them expands, the landscape, which still plays the role of a background, begins to play a more significant, semantic role. Thus, in the composition "The Gatherers" (1857), the landscape in the background includes the figures of peasants harvesting.

Millet gives a deeper meaning to the picture of nature in the small canvas "Angelus" ("Venus Ringing", 1858-1859). The figures of a man and a woman praying in the middle of a field to the quiet sounds of a church bell do not seem alienated from the calm evening landscape.

When the master was asked why most of his paintings have a sad mood, he answered:
“Life has never turned a joyful side to me: I don’t know where she is, I have never seen her. The happiest thing I know is the peace, the stillness that one enjoys so admirably in the woods or on the arable land, whether they are suitable for cultivation or not; agree that this always disposes to sad, though sweet dreaminess. These words fully explain the dreamy sadness of his peasants, which harmonizes so well with the peace and silence of the fields and forests.

A completely opposite mood is observed in Millet's program composition "Man with a Hoe", exhibited at the Salon of 1863. The fact that this work stands apart from everything that has already been written was realized by the author himself. Not without reason, in one of his letters in 1962, Millet noted: "The Man with the Hoe" will bring me criticism of many people who do not like to be occupied with affairs not of their circle, when they are disturbed ... ". Indeed, his words were prophetic. Criticism passed its verdict, describing the artist as a person "more dangerous than Courbet." And although in this picture the viewer sees only a peasant leaning on a hoe, one glance is enough to feel: he just walked with a heavy tread, hitting the ground with his tool. A man tired of work is depicted with great expressiveness: both in the face and in the figure, the fatigue and hopelessness of his life are clearly read - all that hundreds of thousands of French peasants actually experienced.

However, among works of this type (especially in the late 1860s and early 1870s) there are works imbued with optimism. These are paintings in which the master focuses his attention on the landscape, flooded with sunlight. Such are the canvases “Bathing the Shepherdess of Geese” (1863), “Bathing the Horses” (1866), “The Young Shepherdess” (1872). In the last Millet, the sunbeam passes very subtly, passing through the foliage of trees and playfully caressing the dress and face of the girl.

In the last period of creativity, the artist tries to capture and capture on the canvas the brief moments of life. This desire to fix the moment was caused by the desire to directly reflect the reality. So, for example, in the pastel "Autumn, the departure of the cranes" (1865-1866), the gesture of a shepherd girl watching the flight of a flock of cranes is about to change; and if you look at the composition "Geese", exhibited at the Salon of 1867, it seems that in another moment - and the flickering light will change. This principle would later find its expression in the works of the Impressionist painters.

However, it should be noted that in the last works of Millet, especially in his figurative compositions, the search for monumentality is again palpable. This can be seen especially clearly on the canvas “Return from the field. Evening ”(1873), in which a group of peasants and animals stands out against the background of the evening sky as a merging generalized silhouette.

So, from 1848 until the end of his life, Millet limited himself to depicting the village and its inhabitants. And although he did not at all strive to give his works a sharp social meaning, but only wanted to preserve patriarchal traditions at all costs, his work was perceived as a source of revolutionary ideas.

Millet ended his life in Barbizon in 1875.

Gustave Courbet

Gustave Courbet, a French painter, graphic artist and sculptor, was born in 1819 in the south of France, in Ornans, into a wealthy peasant family. He took his first painting lessons in his native city, then studied for some time at Besançon College and at the drawing school of Flajulo.

In 1839, having convinced his father of the correctness of the chosen path with great difficulty, Courbet went to Paris. There he simultaneously visited the well-known at that time workshop of Suisse, where he worked hard with living nature, and the Louvre, copying the old masters and admiring their work. The young artist was especially impressed by the work of the Spaniards - D. Velasquez, J. Ribera and F. Zurbaran. Visiting his native places from time to time, Courbet paints landscapes with great pleasure, sculpting volumes with a thick layer of paint. In addition, he works in the portrait genre (most often he himself is the model) and paints canvases on religious and literary subjects (“Lot with his daughter”, 1841).

Creating self-portraits, Courbet somewhat romanticizes his appearance (“Wounded”, 1844; “Happy Lovers”, 1844-1845; “Man with a Pipe”, 1846). It was a self-portrait that was first exhibited by him at the Salon (“Self-Portrait with a Black Dog”, 1844). Poetry and sentimental daydreaming pervaded the canvas "After dinner in Ornans" (1849). With this picture, the artist seems to be defending his right to depict what he is well aware of, what he observed in a familiar setting: in the kitchen, where, after finishing dinner, the artist himself, his father, the musician Promaillet and Marlay, are sitting. All characters are depicted exactly as they actually looked. At the same time, Courbet managed to convey the general mood created by the music that the characters in the picture listen to. In addition, by arranging the figures on a large canvas, on a large scale, the artist created generalized images, achieving monumentality and significance, despite the seemingly ordinary everyday plot. This circumstance seemed to the modern painter to the public an unheard-of impudence.

However, Courbet does not stop there. In the works exhibited at the next Salon (1850-1851), his audacity goes even further. So, in the canvas "Stone Crushers" (1849-1850), the painter deliberately laid the social meaning. He set a goal with merciless truthfulness to portray the backbreaking work and hopeless poverty of the French peasantry. No wonder Courbet wrote in an explanation to the painting: “This is how they begin and this is how they end.” To enhance the impression, the master generalizes the images presented. Despite some conventionality in the transmission of light, the landscape is perceived very truthfully, however, like the figures of people. In addition to Stone Crushers, the painter exhibited at the Salon the canvases Burial at Ornan (1849) and Peasants Returning from the Fair (1854). All these paintings were so unlike the works of other exhibitors that they amazed Courbet's contemporaries.

Thus, "Funeral in Ornan" is a large-format canvas, unusual in design and significant in artistic skill. Everything in it seems unusual and unusual: the theme (the funeral of one of the inhabitants of a small town), and the characters (petty bourgeois and wealthy peasants, realistically written). The creative principle of Courbet, proclaimed in this picture - to truthfully show life in all its ugliness, did not go unnoticed. No wonder some modern critics called it “the glorification of the ugly,” while others, on the contrary, tried to justify the author, because “it’s not the artist’s fault if material interests, the life of a small town, provincial pettiness leave traces of their claws on faces, make eyes go out, forehead wrinkled and meaningless mouth expression. The bourgeois are like that. M. Courbet writes to the bourgeois."

And indeed, although the characters drawn on the canvas are not marked by any special beauty and spirituality, nevertheless they are given truthfully and sincerely. The master was not afraid of monotony, his figures are static. However, by the expression of the faces deliberately turned towards the viewer, one can easily guess how they relate to the ongoing event, whether it excites them. It should be noted that Courbet did not immediately come to such a composition. It was originally intended not to draw each individual face - this can be seen from the sketch. But later the idea changed, and the images acquire clearly portrait features. So, for example, in the mass you can recognize the faces of the father, mother and sister of the artist himself, the poet Max Buchon, the old Jacobins Plate and Cardo, the musician Promaye and many other inhabitants of Ornan.

In the picture, as it were, two moods were combined: gloomy solemnity, corresponding to the moment, and everyday life. The black color of mourning clothes is majestic, the facial expressions are strict and the poses of those who see them off on their last journey are motionless. The gloomy mood of the funeral rite is also emphasized by severe rocky ledges. However, even in this extremely sublime mood, the prose of life is woven, which is emphasized by the indifference of the face of the servant boy and the clerks, but the face of the person supporting the cross seems especially ordinary, even indifferent. The solemnity of the moment is also violated by the dog with its tail between its legs, depicted in the foreground.

All these clarifying details are very important and significant for an artist who is trying to oppose his work to the official art of the Salon. This desire can be traced in the further works of Courbet. For example, in the canvas “Bathers” (1853), which caused an uproar due to the fact that the fat representatives of the French bourgeoisie shown in it turned out to be unlike transparent nymphs from the paintings of salon masters, and their nudity is presented by the artist with the utmost tangibility and volume. All this was not only not welcomed, but, on the contrary, caused a storm of indignation, which, however, did not stop the artist.

Over time, Courbet realizes that he needs to look for a new artistic method. He could no longer be satisfied with what had ceased to meet his plans. Soon Courbet comes to tonal painting and the modeling of volumes with light. He himself says about it this way: "I do in my paintings what the sun does in nature." At the same time, in most cases, the artist writes on a dark background: first he puts dark colors, gradually moves to light ones and brings them to the brightest highlight. The paint is applied confidently and vigorously with a spatula.

Courbet does not get stuck on any one topic, he is constantly in search. In 1855, the painter exhibited the "Artist's Studio", which is a kind of declaration. He himself calls it "a real allegory that defines the seven-year period of his artistic life." And although this picture is not Courbet's best work, its color scheme, sustained in silver-gray tones, speaks of the painter's coloristic skill.

In 1855, the artist arranged a personal exhibition, which became a real challenge not only to academic art, but to the entire bourgeois society. The preface written by the author to the catalog of this peculiar exhibition is indicative. So, revealing the concept of "realism", he directly states his goals: "To be able to convey the customs, ideas, appearance of my era according to my assessment - in a word, to create living art - that was my goal." Courbet saw all aspects of reality, its diversity and tried to embody it in his work with maximum truthfulness. Whether it is work on a portrait, landscape or still life, the master everywhere conveys the materiality and density of the real world with the same temperament.

In the 1860s, the lines between the portrait and genre composition were blurred in the painter's works (in the future, this trend would be characteristic of the work of E. Manet and other impressionist artists). In this regard, the most revealing canvases are “Little Englishwomen at an Open Window on the Seashore” (1865) and “Girl with Seagulls” (1865). A distinctive feature of these works is that the painter is interested not so much in the complex experiences of the characters as in the beauty inherent in the material world.

It is characteristic that after 1855 the artist increasingly turned to the landscape, observing with great attention the air and water elements, greenery, snow, animals and flowers. Many landscapes of this time are dedicated to hunting scenes.
The space and objects presented in these compositions feel more and more real.

Working in this manner, Courbet pays a lot of attention to lighting. So, in "Roes by the Stream" we can observe the following picture: although the trees are perceived as less voluminous, and the animals almost merge with the landscape background, on the other hand, space and air are felt quite real. This feature was immediately noted by critics who wrote that Courbet had entered a new stage of creativity - "the path to light tone and light." Of particular note are seascapes (“The Sea off the Coast of Normandy”, 1867; “Wave”, 1870, etc.). Comparing different landscapes, one cannot
not notice how the gamut of colors changes depending on the lighting. All this suggests that in the late period of Courbet's work, he seeks not only to capture the volume and materiality of the world, but also to convey the surrounding atmosphere.

Concluding the conversation about Courbet, one cannot but say that, having turned to landscape works, he did not stop working on canvases with social themes. Here it is necessary to especially note "Return from the Conference" (1863) - a picture that was a kind of satire on the clergy. Unfortunately, the painting has not survived to this day.

Since the 1860s in the circles of the bourgeois public, there is a rise in interest in the artist's work. However, when the government decides to award Courbet, he refuses the award, as he does not want to be officially recognized and belong to any school. During the days of the Paris Commune, Courbet takes an active part in revolutionary events, for which he subsequently goes to prison and is expelled from the country. While behind bars, the artist creates many drawings depicting scenes of massacre against the Communards.

Exiled from France, Courbet continues to write. So, for example, in Switzerland he created several realistic landscapes, of which “The Cabin in the Mountains” (c. 1874) is of particular admiration. Despite the fact that the landscape is notable for its small size and the specificity of the motive, it has a monumental character.

Until the end of his life, Courbet remained true to the principle of realism, in the spirit of which he worked throughout his life. The painter died away from his homeland, in La Tour de Pels (Switzerland) in 1877.

The style of realistic painting of the 19th century spread to almost all genres: portraits, landscapes, still lifes. Favorite themes of realist artists: paintings with genre scenes of rural and urban life of the working class, peasants, scenes of street life, cafes and nightclubs. Realists sought to convey a moment of life in dynamics, emphasizing as plausibly as possible the features of the appearance of the characters, their experiences and feelings.

Pictures depicting the human body are distinguished by sensuality, emotionality, and naturalism. Realism reflects the progressive meaning and function of art. The founder of the style, according to researchers, is Gustav Kürbe.

The style has developed into many subspecies - socialist, social, magical, verismo and others.

Style Features

Realism in painting was actively developed in France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, and the USA in the 19th century.

French features: the landscape genre was dominant. The artists sought to convey the real world, the nature of the province. According to the painters, it is the rural landscapes that demonstrate the “real” France.

The painters of this era depicted real people, not idealized types, freely conveyed real situations on canvases, devoid of the usual aesthetics and universal truths.

The time of development was the 19th century, and the most prominent representatives: Jean-Francois Millet, Gustave Courbet, Honore Daumier. An interesting example of realism in Russia is the work of the Russian artist Ilya Repin. Paintings stand out: the attraction to naturalism and impressionism made it possible to create recognizable, unique works.

The realistic direction was the result of the development of impressionism, naturalism, romanticism. A strong influence of Impressionism is observed in France.

The main schools of style during the 19th century are represented by:

• English Figurative School;
• the French School of Courbet;
• Repin School in Russia;
• German, led by Adolf von Menzel;
• Thomas Eakins American School.

Numerous artists created paintings in combined styles. For example, Degas and Gericault combined the features of realism and romanticism in creating landscapes.

The main directions of realism

The period of the late 19th century - early 20th century forced painters to reconsider their views on the essence and deep meaning of fine art. Political events in the world, world wars gave new themes for work and an impetus for the formation of new schools of painting:

Verism

At the end of the 19th century - the beginning of the 20th, verismo was born in Italy. The paintings reliably conveyed the phenomena and objects of the surrounding reality literally, without the need for interpretation.

Precisionism

Developed in the USA in the 20s of the 20th century. American painters depicted urban and industrial landscapes using elements of futurism and cubism. The style was also known as "sharp focus realism". The most famous representatives of the direction were Charles Schiller, Charles Demuth and Georgia O'Keeffe.

Social

It originated in the 1920s - 1930s of the 20th century - the American direction of the Great Depression. It is a naturalistic view that focuses solely on social issues and everyday hardships. The most famous representatives were Ben Shahn, Jack Levine and Jacob Lawrence.

Socialist

It arose during the era of the construction of the state of the USSR, developed in Russia in 1925 - 1935. This is a form of public propaganda of art, established by Joseph Stalin during the period of forced industrialization. The monumental-heroic style of art in Russia glorifies the Soviet way of developing society, man and worker in huge posters. The direction also developed in France and Spain.

Euston Road School

Formed in 1938, this is a modern realist group of artists who taught or graduated from the School of Painting and Drawing in Euston Road (London). Opposed to avant-garde art, they proclaimed the main task of depicting traditional objects in a realistic manner, making art more socially significant. Representatives: Graham Bell, William Coldstream, Lawrence Goving, Rodrigo Moynihan, Claude Rogers.

Beaux Arts Quartet (1952 - 1955)

It was an important place for the development of modern realistic painting. The paintings were presented at solo exhibitions of four young realist artists John Bratby, Derrick Greaves, Edward Middledch, Jack Smith.

American modern

Originated in 1960 - early 1970 - a relatively simple realistic approach to art, common among artists of the period of the post-abstract era. Representatives of the style prefer to create in a more traditional manner. Notable painters include William Bailey, Neil Welliver and Philip Pearlstein. The modern direction differs from photorealism due to the tendency to exaggerate the latter.

Wandering in the 19th century

Realism of Russia, representatives: Vasnetsov, Myasoedov, Serov, Repin and others.

Photorealism

Arose in the 1960s - 1970s - the direction of realism, characterized by a special technique of creativity. The goal is the most believable transmission of reality, copying photographs.

hyperrealism

A general term describing an extreme form of realistic painting and sculpture that emerged in the early 1970s. It is fundamentally different from photorealism: the latter is an exact copy of a photo, the former seeks to create a new reality so that the audience believes that the picture was painted from nature.

Magic realism

It has features of surrealism and realism in the classical sense. The paintings reflect reality with fantasy details.

Surrealism

Style based on the theory of psychoanalysis by Z. Freud and interest in the subconscious, the occult. Artists sought to move away from the tenets of painting and present something new.

Chinese

Realism in Chinese painting of the 1990s is characterized by an acute social orientation with notes of irony and satire.

In a short video you can see the works of Iranian realist artists: Morteza Katuzian, Iman Maleki and Kasra Kiai:

Meaning

One of the most famous trends in the development of painting in the 19th century, which became the basis for the development of new styles in the 20th century. The development of realism in almost all parts of the world has become a whole era in art. Realism has no clear origins of painting or philosophy - each variety has its own meaning and characteristics.

Regional features of the style are explained by the specific features of political and economic development, the level of culture, and ideology. The paintings are distinguished by the accuracy and naturalness of the transfer of form and color. Realism has become one of the main trends in painting in Russia, the USA, and Western European countries.