Realism, in the arts, is the attempt to portray life as it is. To the Realist, the artist’s main function is to describe as accurately and honestly as possible what is observed through the senses.
Realism began as a recognizable movement in the arts in the 1700’s. By the mid-1800’s, it was a dominant art form. In part, Realism has been a revolt against Classicism and Romanticism—artistic movements characterized by works that idealize life. The works of Classicists show life as being more rational and orderly than it really is. Romanticists’ works show life as being more emotionally exciting and satisfying than it normally is.
Realists try to be as objective as possible. They try not to distort life by forcing it to agree with their own desires or with the formulas of art. However, in the process of selecting and presenting their material, they cannot help being influenced by what they feel and think. Even the most thoroughgoing Realism, therefore, is the result of observation and personal judgment.
In fiction.
Realistic fiction has been primarily a revolt against the sentimentality and melodrama of Romantic idealism. Characters in Realistic fiction tend to be less extraordinary than those in Romantic fiction. Settings are more familiar, styles are plainer, and plots have fewer twists. Most Realistic fiction deals with probable, commonplace events and believable people. Much Realistic fiction presents dreary, and even ugly, subject matter. This sordid quality is especially associated with Naturalism, an outgrowth of Realism.
The growing popularity of Realism has been more than simply a reaction against the pretty worlds of Romantic fiction. More fundamentally, its popularity has been due to two factors. One is the development of modern science, with its emphasis upon detailed reporting. The other is an increasing desire of writers and readers for a realistic understanding of social problems.
In English literature, Realism first became important in the 1700’s with the work of Daniel Defoe. In the 1800’s, Realism became much more important in the works of Jane Austen, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, George Moore, William Makepeace Thackeray, and Anthony Trollope. Honoré de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, and Stendhal of France; and Leo Tolstoy and Ivan Turgenev of Russia were other outstanding European Realists of the 1800’s. See Russian literature (The age of Realism).
Henry James, William Dean Howells, and, to some extent, Mark Twain were the first acknowledged Realists in American literature. Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, and Theodore Dreiser were the first American Naturalists. In their fiction, and in that of later writers such as Sinclair Lewis, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, and Saul Bellow, Realism became so accepted as to make Romantic fiction seem outdated.
In drama.
As in fiction, Realism in drama is an attempt to show life as it is. Realistic drama first developed in Europe as a reaction to the melodramas and sentimental comedies of the early and middle 1800’s. It has taken many forms, from the light Realism of the comedy of manners to the heavy tragedy of Naturalism.
Realistic drama first became important in Europe with the plays of Henrik Ibsen of Norway. Ibsen examined the social issues of his time in such plays as Pillars of Society (1877) and A Doll’s House (1879). Anton Chekhov described Russia’s fading aristocracy in The Cherry Orchard (1904). The English theater was slow to accept Realism. George Bernard Shaw finally brought the movement to life with his long series of witty plays dealing with social problems, starting with Widowers’ Houses in 1892. In Ireland, John Millington Synge blended Realism and poetry in Riders to the Sea (1904). In a similar manner, Sean O’Casey explored the issues of Ireland’s struggle for independence from England in Juno and the Paycock (1924) and other plays.
Realism did not make a permanent impact on the American theater until the production of Eugene O’Neill’s Beyond the Horizon in 1920. Since then, most American drama has been realistic.
In painting.
Realistic painting developed as a reaction to two influential styles of the early 1800’s—Neoclassicism and Romanticism (see Painting (The 1800’s). Aspects of Realism can be seen in the work of Spanish painter Francisco Goya in the 1700’s. Realism gained dominance in European painting in the 1800’s with the work of such French artists as Camille Corot, Gustave Courbet, and Honoré Daumier. The French impressionists of the late 1800’s developed a modified form of Realism. In their paintings, Realism was narrowed to the brightly lighted but restricted reality that can be seen at a momentary glance (see Impressionism).
Leading American Realists of the late 1800’s included Thomas Eakins and Winslow Homer. They were followed in the early 1900’s by a group called the Ashcan School or The Eight. This group opposed the sentimentality and academic quality then popular in American art (see Ashcan School). It included William Glackens, Robert Henri, and John Sloan. They painted realistic street scenes, portraits, and landscapes. Other Realists include George Bellows, John Steuart Curry, Edward Hopper, Reginald Marsh, and Grant Wood.
Realism today.
In fiction and drama, Realism has become so widespread it scarcely has identity as a distinct movement. Common Realistic themes include the importance of upbringing, the oppression of minorities, and the search for values in a hostile world. During the early 1900’s, painters began rejecting Realism in favor of nonrepresentational and abstract styles. By the 1980’s, Realism was often associated with photography rather than with painting.
