Cliff Dwellers by George Bellows, 1913. I love how Bellows manages to make his figures anonymous and yet maintain a sense of community and interaction. See also Forty-two Kids as another example of this portrayal.
Entering the Fold by Anton Mauve, c.1885. My life dream is to eventually own a farm and this painting by Dutch Realist Anton Mauve makes me want it even more!
Boats on the Oise by Charles-Francois Daubigny, 1865. Daubigny was a French Realist painter and a member of the Barbizon School, though his plein air (outdoors) methods mean he is a key figure in the transition to Impressionism.
The Angelus by Jean-Francois Millet, 1857-59. This is a painting of prayer at the end of a hard working day by French realist and member of the Barbizon school Jean-Francois Millet. This, The Gleaners, The Sower and The Sheepfold are key examples of Millet’s interest in glamorising peasants and rural labourers.
Summer Interior by Edward Hopper: American realism
A Favourite Custom by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema: classicism
The Equatorial Jungle by Henri Rousseau: post-impressionism, primitivism
The Red Ribbon by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1869. I really love the woman in this piece and that beautiful strip of red ribbon which adds a sensual dimension to the painting. But I feel this would be far more effective with a purely black background, chiaroscuro/Caravaggio-esque.
1825 - 1905
William-Adolphe Bouguereau was a French realist painter, though his work had a distinctive classical quality: his subject matter is often very different from other French realists, such as Courbet, Breton, Millet and Corot. His work often draws inspirations from mythological art and Renaissance qualities in the representation of women. This style frequently lead to Bouguereau becoming a bit of a joke with his artistic contemporaries as a painter trapped in the past. With the simultaneous rise of impressionism, Bouguereau’s work became dated, despite him being one of France’s biggest artists during his peak.
Charity 1865
Charity is a good example of Bouguereau’s love for tradition: notice the detailed background of classically-inspired marble architecture. With this observation, we can draw out Bouguereau’s intentions in placing the poor family in such a peaceful and pure surrounding.
Perhaps if you did not know the artist and you looked at the date The Virgin with Angels was painted, you might think that 1900 is a mistake: the composition and figures are so clearly inspired from previous movements, (perhaps this time a Baroque/Rococo mix?) When you see works like this from Bouguereau, it becomes hard to call him simply a realist.
The Virgin with Angels 1900
Forty-Two Kids by George Bellows, 1907. This early Bellows piece shows a group of young boys relaxing and playing by the East River in New York City. Their bodies glow with golden tones from the sun, but the darkness of the water perhaps represents something more sombre, such as the children’s poverty and slum origins.
