Realism has been recognized as the first of the Modern Art movement. It was a time when the traditional notion of art, literature and social organizations was being rejected.
It grew out of the 1848 Revolution in France that established people’s “right to work” and focused their works on worker’s rights. However, this movement was not confined to France. Artists from around the world contributed to a large and beautiful body of work that continues to influence artists today.
Realism artists painted, drew, and sculpted people as they existed in their daily lives. They didn’t try to hide their flaws, suffering, and imperfections, which was very different from the art of the Romantic period which focused on the human ideal of beauty and perfection.
Gustave Courbet was regarded as the greatest proponent of Realism as an art movement in France. One of his greatest works The Stone Breakers, is an attempt to bring to light the harsh reality of peasant life in France. Many realism artists work to bring awareness to social conditions around the world.
For more information, https://www.artst.org/famous-realism-paintings/