Art Guide · Art movements
Realism
19th century
Realism was the 19th-century approach of painting contemporary life, people and nature as they are, rather than idealised academic subjects. In this collection it is represented by Whistler, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent and Vilhelm Hammershøi.
Shop Realism posters Poster prints of these works are in the collection.
Last updated: · Iconica Society editors
In brief
Developing in France under Gustave Courbet, Realism brought ordinary people and everyday scenes onto large canvases. In the second half of the century this observant attitude moved in different directions: Winslow Homer painted the American coast and sea, Sargent the society of his day in vivid portraits, Whistler his restrained “arrangements”, and Hammershøi quiet Copenhagen interiors.
