The Realism movement was active from 1830 to 1870 and is also known as the Realist School. The movement discarded the previous traditional styles and formulas of Neoclassicism and Romanticism. The Realist artist portrays subjects in the most straightforward manner possible without idealizing them, and without following previous art theories.
The earliest works from the Realist movement arose in the 18th century as a reaction against Neoclassicism and Romanticism. The works of Copley and Goya are an example of the early influences on Realism.
The period was in full swing by the mid 19th century when artists became anxious with the influence of the Academies. The Ashcan School, the Contemporary Realist, and the American Scene Painters are all movements that are based on the Realist tradition.
Famous artists of the Realist movement include Gustave Courbet, Honore Daumier, John Singer Sargeant, J A MacNeill Whistler, Jean-Francois Millet, and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot.
James McNeill Whistler
James Abbott McNeill Whistler was born in 1834 in Massaachusetts to a civil engineer in 1834. At the age of 9 James McNeill Whistler moved to Russia with his family so that his father could work as an engineer for the construction of the railroad in Moscow. James McNeill Whistler spent a few years at the Imperial Academy of Science studying drawing, and soon became a passionate traveller.
Whistler attended the US Military Academy in 1951 where he excelled at drawing but failed chemistry. He resolved to become an artist full time and moved to Europe in 1855. Whistler studied at a few art schools in Paris all the while making copies of paintings in the Louvre. It is at this time that he developed a great admiration for Velazquez, as well as oriental art. In Paris Whistler came into contact with Courbet, a Realist artist that inspired him greatly. Whistler began to associate himself with the avant-garde artists of the time, and eventually founded the Societe des Trois with his friends Henri Fantin-Latour and Alphonse Legros.
Whistler's At The Piano was originally rejected at the Salon in 1859 but it was well recieved at the Royal Academy exhibition in the year 1860. Whistler is well known for his wit and love of controversy. He was often in debt because of his extravagent lifestyle, and love of the high life. One of Whistler's famous friends was Oscar Wilde who shared his passion for life. In essence James McNeill Whistler greatly influenced the Realist movement and set the tone for others in their pursuit of Realism.
