Realism – Universal History

The realism It is an artistic movement contrary to romanticism in painting and literature, which began in France in the 19th century.

Painting in Realism

The 19th century constitutes a fruitful stage in the development of all the Arts, especially pictorial ones. Whose fundamental concept is:
Reproducing the outside world, that is, the object that motivates the artist’s interest, faithfully, just as it is.
The Romantic School in vogue at the beginning of the century had totally disappeared, displaced by the Realist School, which, as in Literature, sought to represent the outside world in all its beauty and ugliness, that is, faithfully, as it is or is believed to be seen. , without trying to idealize it as the classics and the romantics did.
Realism, pioneered by Coubert around 1850, scandalized critics because of its audacity: bringing more ordinary subjects to the canvas, no trace of sublimity was branded as offensive to public taste. However, both the aforementioned author and Millet, Corot and many others have left us masterful works, inspired by the daily spectacle and farm work.

Millet, Jean Francis (1815 – 1875)

Famous French painter, immortalized as one of the most distinguished landscape masters.
Its characteristics were:
– Predilection for landscape painting.
– Supreme mastery and fidelity in his works.
– Great human sensitivity, capable of being moved by the hardships of the peasant worker.
– Love of nature, a beautiful source of inspiration, achieving total unity between the environment and man.
His works are greatly admired: Angelus, The Gleaners, The Sower, The Woodcutter, The Villageretc.

Coubert, Gustave (1819 – 1877)

Notable French painter who followed the realistic line. He is considered to be the immediate predecessor of Impressionism.

Literature in realism

The main representatives of realism in literature are: Emilio Zola, Fedor Dostoieski and Julio Veme.

Zola, Emile (1840 – 1902)

Figure of great relief of the French novel, he is the creator of the Naturalist or experimental School, that is, of that current that highlights the power or influence that heredity exerts on the human nature of the characters that star in his novels.
Its characteristics were:
– Emphasizes the influence of heredity and the environment on man and society; because he tried to explain: “how a character, a way of being, that has inherited certain tendencies, placed in a certain environment, has to develop and flourish or perish, according to the strength or weakness that it has inherited and the circumstances that surround it” .
– He is also distinguished by the crudeness of his paintings and the meticulousness of his descriptions, as well as his great spirit of observation.
– He represents the characters in his novels “as passive elements, slaves of heredity and their own weaknesses, nervous, brutal and miserable”;
– It has a heavy and diffuse style.
His works were the four gospels in 20 volumes; a cycle of novels titled The Reugón-Macquartswhich is the story of the life of a family; the four citiesetc.

Flaubert, Gustave (1821 – 1880)

Prominent French novelist, founder of the Realist School.
Its characteristics were:
– He managed to make the novel an exact painting of life.
– The description is distinguished by its objectivity, precision and thoroughness.
– Consecration to work patiently and methodically.
His works were: Madame Bovarythat was his sweet love; sentimental education; three tales; The temptation of San Antonio etc.

Dostoevsky, Fedor Mikhainilivich (1821 – 1881)

Distinguished Russian novelist, master of the psychological novel; established as one of the great writers of Universal Literature.
Its characteristics were:
– Reflects in his works the soul of his people: melancholic, combative and mysterious.
– Extraordinary psychological penetration, that is to say that I explore in his novels the soul of men and peoples.
– Predilection and sympathy for humble people, for the working class.
– Owner of a kind spirit and love of justice.
– His personality was complex, mystical and sentimental.
His works enjoy deserved fame: Crime and Punishment, Poor people, The Karamazov brothers, humble and offendedetc.

Verne, Jules (1828 – 1905)

Famous French novelist, brilliant precursor who shocked the world with his strange and portentous anticipations; considered, therefore, as a prophet. Creator of the geographical scientific novel. He anticipated by nearly a century the great achievements that man achieved in science and technology, whose maximum evolution was man’s trip to the moon and his happy return to Earth.
His fertile imagination allowed him to glimpse the discoveries that scientific progress would bring to civilization. In his work, Jules Verne anticipated, for more than half a century, the discovery of a world of inventions and technological applications —submarine and aerial ships, automobiles, lunar projectiles, etc., which then seemed fantasy and which today have become reality.
Its characteristics were:
– Great precursor, of extraordinary anticipation, of the formidable scientific and technological development achieved by man, especially in the 20th century.
– With a fertile imagination, the narratives of your novels nevertheless have a scientific foundation that makes them plausible.
– His style is clear and entertaining, since his novels are preferably dedicated to youth.
– He also cultivated the historical novel; His books enjoyed great popularity.
His works are among the most renowned and include: Journey around the world in eighty days; From the Earth to the moon; A journey to the center of the Earth; The mysterious Islandetc.