Realism - the Realists rejected both the Classical depiction of the Ideal and the Romantic fascination with extremes and the "dark side" of humanity. They wished to promote in their place "the accurate and apparently objective description of the ordinary, observable world."

1. Ordinary people, surroundings, and events were a primary focus.
2. "What made French Realism revolutionary was its sojourn into contemporary subject matter and specifically its political bent toward socialism and the plight of the labouring masses. Realism was thus a handmaiden for the socialist political activists of the time attempting to shake up the bourgeoisie (middle classes) in order to spearhead social changes leading to an idealistic "golden age of humanity". It was subtle use of art for propaganda purposes."
3. the Barbizon School (1840s - 1850s)
   1. a group of French landscape artists who settled near the village of Barbizon in the Forest of Fonteblau.
   2. They attempted to paint nature directly, concerned with portraying "visible reality."
   3. The Barbizon painters helped establish landscape and the motif of country life as vital subjects for French artists.
   4. The Gleaners (1857, p. 435) by Jean-François Millet.
4. Others in the Realist tradition did not seek to escape the "realities" of political and social unrest, not did they necessarily accept the "nobility" of the peasantry.
   1. Honoré Daumier (1808-79)
      1. Known as a caricaturist, Daumier produced over 4,000 lithographs "satirizing the major and minor foibles of the day.
      2. "One must be of one's own time."
      3. In Third Class Carriage (ca. 1862, p. 436), Daumier uses chiaroscuro to highlight the lonliness and anonymity of of riders in the carriage.
   2. With pragmatism and "realism" a way of life in America, the Realist Movement was popular. One painter was Winslow Homer.
5. For more information, see Defining Realism on the Humanities Web and Realism at huntfor.com

Impressionism - "In one respect Impressionism was an outgrowth of realism, but in another it was a revolutionary artistic movement almost as profound in its effect as the Early Renaissance in Italy."

1. The Impressionists had "almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects."
2. Three key concepts in Impressionistm:
   1. a quickly painted oil sketch most accurately records a landscape's general appearance.
   2. art "benefits from a naïve vision untainted by intellectual preconceptions."
   3. Objects/subjects were viewed primarily in terms of how they reflected or appreared in light.
3. Claude Monet (1840-1926)
   1. "When considered with reference to Monet's life and work, the concepts applied in interpreting Impressionist art - in particular, those of the impression, the stroke, the contrast of colors, and the consistency with which the consequences of the Impressionist ideas visible at the beginning of an artist's career are elaborated in the long course of that individual career - make Monet's position central."
   2. "By his fellow painters Monet was regarded as a leader, not because he was the most intellectual or theoretically minded or because he was able to answer questions that they could not answer, but because in his art he seemed to be more alert to the possibilities latent in their common ideas, which he then developed in his work in a more radical way than did the others."
   3. " Considering how all these painters developed their intensely personal manners with respect to the new artistic ideas, we may observe that the new elements appeared most often for the first time in the work of Monet and then were taken over by the other Impressionists, who incorporated them as suggestions or as definite means and applied them in their own ways."
   4. Monet felt that nature knows no black or white and nature knows no line.
   5. Impression, Sunrise (1872)
      1. At first Monet called this painting of Le Havre at Dawn "Marina;" Renoir asked for a clearer title to list in in the catalog for an 1874 exhibition, to which Monet replied, "Then put : 'Impression, Sunrise'."
      2. The painting received considerable criticism, some of which included the description "Impressionist."
      3. a description of several Monet works from Giverny.org
      4. From da Vinci to Monet: Understanding how artists can manipulate the human visual system
4. Vincent van Gogh (1853-90)
   1. "As for me, I am rather often uneasy in my mind, because I think that my life has not been calm enough; all those bitter disappointments, adversities, changes keep me from developing fully and naturally in my artistic career." Vincent van Gogh June 16, 1889
   2. In 1869 Vincent van Gogh joined the firm Goupil & Cie., a firm of art dealers in The Hague. He stayed with the firm for seven years; he was successful for the earlier part of that time, but he became increasingly less interested in art works that did not suit his personal taste. He taught for a time, and he was interested in becoming a minister, but his sermons were somewhat lackluster and lifeless and he failed to qualify for admission to school.
   3. Van Gogh began studies in art, depending on his brother for economic support (he would sell only one painting during his life).
   4. Starry Night (1889, p. 448) - information from Vincent - the paintings
      1. Starry Night is probably Vincent van Gogh's most famous painting. Instantly recognizable because of its unique style, this work has been the subject of poetry, fiction, and the well known song "Vincent" or "Starry, Starry Night" by Don McLean.
      2. Starry Night was painted while Vincent was in the asylum at Saint-Rémy and his behaviour was very erratic at the time, due to the severity of his attacks. Unlike most of Van Gogh's works, Starry Night was painted from memory and not outdoors as was Vincent's preference. This may, in part, explain why the emotional impact of the work is so much more powerful than many of Van Gogh's other works from the same period.
      3. Some people have speculated about the eleven stars in the painting. While it's true that Vincent didn't have the same religious fervour in 1889, when he painted the work, as he did in his earlier years, there is a possibility that the story of Joseph in the Old Testament may have had an influence on the composition of the work.

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