Painting is a form of art with various types. Each type has its own traits, methods next to past: expressionism, impressionism, realism…
Today we discuss realistic painting, the style that became common in the late 1800s and led to later art movements.
What is realistic painting?
Realistic painting shows the world as it is, without bias or false ideas. In comparison to other art forms that favor ideal images, realistic painting does not accept pretension or fixed notions.
A realistic painter relies solely on what appears before their eyes avoiding changes in what exists or a one-sided view of it. Realistic painting depicts everyday scenes, such as a room, a meeting of people or a landscape.
The Origin of Realistic Painting
Realistic painting started in France in the late 19th century. In that time artists broke away from the imaginative style and false beauty of Romanticism, the style that came before Realism.
Many creators in writing and other arts also chose to show life as it is, even if harsh. Writers like Honoré de Balzac and Gustave Flaubert sparked literary Realism with works based on daily life rather than dreams.
In painting Gustave Courbet is called the father of realistic painting. His work "The Painter's Studio," created in 1855 and now at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, defined the name and nature of the movement.
Characteristics of Realistic Painting
- Realistic painting of that period shows life exactly as the artist sees it, no matter how hard or plain it appears.
- It avoids personal feelings, false beauty or strange subjects tied to Romanticism.
- It focuses on the present time and place of the realist painters.
- It shows truth by not hiding details or trying to please the viewer but simply by presenting everyday life.
- It follows scientific progress and discoveries common at the time.
- It criticizes society by showing social groups, wrongs, etc. Artistic Realism often matched the socialist beliefs from 1850 to 1900.
Famous Realistic Painters
Besides its founder Gustave Courbet, other well-known French realist painters include Honoré Daumier, Jean-François Millet and Édouard Manet.
Beyond France, notable realist painters are the English artists William Holman Hunt and Ford Madox Brown as well as the Germans Franz von Lenbach and Max Liebermann.
How to Paint a Realistic Painting?
Light and shadow alongside forms and solidity, matter a great deal in realistic painting because they help create a piece that looks true to life.
To produce a realistic painting like a true artist of the movement, there is a simple method to follow…
Painting a Realistic Painting with Canvas by Numbers
With the Canvas by Numbers system, you can try realistic painting even if you have no prior experience with brushes.
You get all you need to produce a realistic painting. By placing each color in its correct spot on the canvas, you create a work that might match Courbet's own.
That itself shows true life.
Realistic Paintings You Can Paint by Numbers
London in Snow Amend
New York Shoppers
Along the River
You may also choose some realistic paintings from our Diamond Paintings collection, a modern way to craft a piece of art.
