From the Industrial Revolution to World War I, C. 1850–1914

Late Nineteenth-Century Painting

What is the difference between Romanticism and Realism?

Although seemingly at odds, nineteenth-century realism overlapped quite a bit with the Romantic Movement of the same period. While the Romantics reacted against the Enlightenment and were often idealistic in their representation of historical and current events, the nineteenth-century realists were interested in accurately depicting the human condition, with an element of social awareness. Both realists and Romantics valued direct observation of nature, though realists further emphasized social observation and, occasionally, political and social satire.



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