 “I cannot paint an angel because I have never seen
one.” – Gustave Courbet
 Realists focused on day-to-day life
 Peasants in the fields, laborers doing work, a baker
making bread, etc.
 Realists rejected the idealistic portrayals of the human
form that were common with Neoclassicism.
 Used more realistic depictions of humans
 Courbet traveled to the Netherlands and was inspired
by the portrayals of ordinary people, which was
common in Dutch art.
The Stone Breakers
 Like French Realists, Pre-Raphaelites portrayed nature
as realistically as possible
 Unlike Realists, Pre-Raphaelites chose to depict figures
from Medieval art and literature
John Everett Millais
Ophelia
 Impressionism is considered to be one of the most
popular artistic movements of all time
 Collectors now pay millions for art by Impressionist
artists (Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas)
 At the time, Impressionists were not very popular at all.
 The terms “impressionism” was originally meant as an
insult, a slur for artists perceived to be too lazy to finish
a painting properly
 Characteristics:
 Has an unfinished quality, images sometimes seem to
blur, colors dissolve together
 Attempts to capture a fleeting glimpse, a glance, a quick
gesture
 Painted quickly with loose, sketchy brushstrokes
Berthe Morisot
Self Portrait
Degas: Blue Dancers
Post-Impressionists
 Post-Impressionist artists continue the style of
Impressionism, but add a new “flair”
 Pointillism
 Georges Seurat
Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh: Starry Night