Here's a breakdown of why:
* Focus on everyday life: Realist works aimed to depict the ordinary experiences of ordinary people, often focusing on the middle and lower classes.
* Rejection of idealization: Unlike Romanticism, which often romanticized or idealized subjects, Realism sought to portray life as it actually was, with all its complexities and imperfections.
* Emphasis on objectivity: Realist artists and writers strove for objectivity in their depictions, using detailed descriptions and accurate portrayals of settings and characters.
* Social commentary: Often, Realism was used as a vehicle for social commentary, exposing the injustices and inequalities of society.
Some key examples of Realism in literature and art:
* Literature:
* "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert
* "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy
* "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain
* Art:
* "The Stonebreakers" by Gustave Courbet
* "The Gleaners" by Jean-François Millet
* "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère" by Édouard Manet
Realism was a significant movement in both literature and art, influencing subsequent artistic trends and leaving a lasting legacy on how we understand and represent the world around us.