Difference between revisions of "Realism" - New World Encyclopedia

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'''Realism''' is commonly defined as a concern for fact or reality and a rejection of the impractical and visionary.  As a word in common use, however, ''realism'' is employed to suggest a wide variety of meanings, the choice among them depending on the context of use and the pertinent community of interpretation, from the [[arts]], especially [[film]], [[literature]], and [[painting]], to [[philosophy]], [[politics]], and [[international relations]].
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==Realism in philosophy==
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'''Realism''' in the [[visual arts]] and [[literature]] is the depiction of subjects as they appear in [[everyday life]], without embellishment or interpretation. The term is also used to describe works of art which, in revealing a truth, may emphasize the ugly or sordid.
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{{main|Philosophical realism}}
 
  
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As a term of art in philosophy, ''realism'' refers to the thesis that general properties, technically known as ''[[universals]]'', have a mode of existence or a form of reality that is in a certain sense independent of the things that possess them. Opposing theses, known as ''[[nominalism]]'' and ''[[conceptualism]]'', hold that universals are not real or do not properly exist, that only individuals and particulars exist, and that it is only the corresponding general concepts of thought or universal terms of language, serving as equivocal denotations of many particular things, that deceive the mind into thinking so.  Philosophical realism is also referred to as [[Platonic realism]] or [[Scholastic realism]], depending on the nuances of the particular variant in mind. In some versions of realism, in stark contrast to everyday usage, a distinction is drawn between ''existence'' and ''reality'', based on the idea that potentials can be real but that only actuals can exist.
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Realism also refers to a mid-19th century cultural movement with its roots in [[France]], where it was a very popular art form around the mid to late 1800s. It came about with the introduction of photography - a new visual source that created a desire for people to produce things that look “objectively real”. Realism was heavily against [[romanticism]], a genre dominating French literature and artwork in the mid 19th century. Undistorted by personal bias, Realism believed in the ideology of [[Reality|objective reality]] and revolted against exaggerated emotionalism. Truth and accuracy became the goals of many Realists.
  
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In a separate context of discussion, ''realism'' is contrasted with both ''[[idealism]]'' and ''[[materialism]]'', and is more controversially considered by others to be synonymous with the position in the [[philosophy of mind]] known as ''[[dualism (philosophy of mind)|dualism]]''.  In recent transmogrifications of the word, ''realism'' is contrasted with ''[[anti-realism]]'' and ''[[irrealism]]''.
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==French cultural movement==
  
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Increasingly these last disputes, too, are rejected as misleading, and some philosophers prefer to call the kind of realism espoused there ''[[metaphysical realism]]'' and eschew the whole debate in favour of simple ''naturalism'' or ''natural realism'', which is not so much a theory as the position that these debates are ill-conceived if not incoherent, and that there is no more to deciding what is ''really real'' than simply taking our words at face value.
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Realism became prominent as a cultural movement as a reaction to the idealism of [[Romanticism]] in the middle of the 19th century.  Often linked to demands for social and political reform and democracy, realism dominated the [[visual arts]] and literature of France, England and the United States from around 1840 to 1880, and along with naturalism dominated Brazil's literature through out this same time.  Prominent realist writers and playwrights include [[Honoré de Balzac|Balzac]], [[Stendhal]], [[Ibsen]], [[George Meredith]], and [[Thomas William Robertson]] in the United Kingdom, and [[Eça de Queirós]] in Portugal, as well as the influential Brazilian [[Machado de Assis]]. Their counterparts in the visual arts include [[Gustave Courbet]] and [[Jean François Millet]]
  
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==Realism in the arts==
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== Schools in literature and theatre ==
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{{main|Realism (arts)}}
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*[[Naturalism (literature)]]
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*[[French literature of the 19th century#Realism.2C Naturalism and Parnasse|Realism in 19th century French literature]]
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*[[Kitchen sink drama]]
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*[[Nineteenth century theatre]]
  
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'''Realism''' in [[art]] and [[literature]] is the depiction of subjects as they appear in [[everyday life]], with minimal embellishment or interpretation.  The term is also used to describe works of art which, in revealing a truth, may emphasize the sordid or ugly.
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==Visual Arts==
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{{main|Realism (visual arts)}}
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Realists render [[everyday life|everyday]] characters, situations, dilemmas, and objects, all in a "[[Verisimilitude|true-to-life]]" manner.  Realists tend to discard theatrical drama, lofty subjects and [[classicism|classical]] forms of art in favor of commonplace themes.
  
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Realism also refers to a mid-19th century cultural movement with its roots in [[France]].
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However no art can ever be fully realistic. Distortion in form, simplification of details are required for any painting. Taking this argument further, newer forms of art like [[Surrealism]], [[Hyperrealism_(painting)|hyperrealism]], [[Magic Realism]] have developed in the field of visual art.
  
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==Realism in politics and international relations==
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==Dramatic Arts==
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{{main|Realism in international relations}}
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{{main|Realism (dramatic arts)}}
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The achievement of realism in theater was to direct attention to the physical and philosophic problems of ordinary existence, both socially and psychologically.  In plays of this mode people emerge as victims of forces larger than themselves, as individuals confronted with a rapidly accelerating world.<ref>[[Simard]], [[Rodney]]. ''[[Postmodern Drama]]: [[Contemporary Playwrights]] in [[United States|America]] and [[UK|Britain]]''.  [[New York]]: [[University press|UP]] of America, 1984.</ref> These pioneering [[playwrights]] were unafraid to present their characters as ordinary, impotent, and unable to arrive at answers to their predicaments.This type of art represents what we see with our human eyes, and what feels comfortable for the majority.
  
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The term "realism" comes from the German compound word "[[Realpolitik]]", from the words "real" (meaning "realistic", "practical", or "actual") and "Politik" (meaning "politics"). It focuses on the balance of power among nation-states. [[Bismarck]] coined the term after following Metternich's lead in finding ways to balance the power of European empires. Balancing power meant keeping the peace, and careful realpolitik practitioners tried to avoid [[arms race]]s. that the international system is [[anarchy (word)|anarchic]], in the sense that there is no authority above states capable of regulating their interactions; states must arrive at relations with other states on their own, rather than it being dictated to them by some higher controlling entity (that is, no true authoritative [[world government]] exists). It also assumes that [[sovereignty|sovereign]] [[state]]s, rather than international institutions, non-governmental organizations, or multinational corporations, are the primary actors in international affairs. According to realism, each state is a [[rationality|rational]] actor that always acts towards its own [[self-interest]], and the primary goal of each state is to ensure its own [[security]]. Realism holds that in pursuit of that security, states will attempt to amass [[resource]]s, and that relations between states are determined by their relative level of power. That level of power is in turn determined by the state's capabilities, both military and economic.  Moreover, Realists believe that States are inherently aggressive ("offensive realism"), and that territorial expansion is only constrained by opposing power(s). The principal Realist theorists are [[E.H. Carr]], [[Hans Morgenthau]], and [[Reinhold Niebuhr]].
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==Cinema==
  
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After the Second World War, a new school of "structural" realism or [[neorealism]], developed  in the American political science tradition, sought to redefine realist theory as a rigorous [[positivist]] social science by incorporating a concept of political [[structure]] into the central idea of [[anarchism|anarchy]].
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[[Italian neorealism]] was a cinematic movement incorporating elements of realism that developed in post-WWII Italy. Notable Neorealists included [[Vittorio De Sica]], [[Luchino Visconti]], and [[Roberto Rossellini]].
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
  
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===Philosophy and science===
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* [[Simulated reality]]
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{{col-begin}}
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*[[Literary realism]]
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{{col-break}}
 
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* [[Critical realism]]
 
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* [[Idealism]]
 
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* [[Naive realism]]
 
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{{col-break}}
 
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* [[Philosophical skepticism]]
 
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* [[Platonic realism]]
 
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* [[Rationalism]]
 
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{{col-break}}
 
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* [[Representationalism]]
 
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* [[Scientific realism]]
 
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* [[Technorealism]]
 
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{{col-end}}
 
  
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===Arts and literature===
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==References==
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{{main|Realism (arts)}}
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<div class="references-small">
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{{col-begin}}
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<references/>
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</div>
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* [[Abstract art]]
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{{cite book | author=West, Shearer | title=The Bullfinch Guide to Art | location=UK | publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing Plc | year=1996 | id=ISBN 0-8212-2137-X}}
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* [[Dystopia]]
 
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* [[Everyday life]]
 
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* [[Figurative art]]
 
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* [[Hyperreality]]
 
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{{col-break}}
 
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* [[Impressionism]]
 
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* [[Irrealism]]
 
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* [[Neorealism (art)]]
 
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* [[Representation (arts)]]
 
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* [[Romanticism]]
 
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* [[Sentimentalism]]
 
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{{col-break}}
 
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* [[Sentimental novel]]
 
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* [[Surrealism]]
 
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* [[Utopia]]
 
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* [[Utopianism]]
 
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* [[Virtual reality]]
 
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{{col-end}}
 
  
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===Jurisprudence and law===
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==Related==
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{{Westernart}}
  
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* [[Legal realism]]
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==External link==
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*[http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm Article on American literary realism at the Literary Movements site]
  
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===Politics and international relations===
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[[category:Art, music, literature, sports and leisure]]
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{{col-begin}}
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{{credits|Realism_(arts)|145929715}}
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{{col-break}}
 
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* [[International relations theory]]
 
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* [[Neorealism]]
 
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* [[Realo]]
 
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{{col-break}}
 
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* [[Realpolitik]]
 
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* [[Socialist realism]]
 
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* [[Technorealism]]
 
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{{col-end}}
 
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==External links==
 
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* [http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm Realism in American Literature at the Literary Movements site]
 
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* [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/realism/ Realism in Philosophy at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy]
 
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[[Category:Art movement]]
 
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[[Category:Literary genres]]
 
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[[Category:Philosophy and religion]]
 
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[[Category:Social sciences]]
 
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[[Category:Metaphysics]]
 
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[[Category:Art, music, literature, sports and leisure]]
 
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{{Credit|60724000}}
 

Revision as of 03:10, 21 July 2007


Realism in the visual arts and literature is the depiction of subjects as they appear in everyday life, without embellishment or interpretation. The term is also used to describe works of art which, in revealing a truth, may emphasize the ugly or sordid.

Realism also refers to a mid-19th century cultural movement with its roots in France, where it was a very popular art form around the mid to late 1800s. It came about with the introduction of photography - a new visual source that created a desire for people to produce things that look “objectively real”. Realism was heavily against romanticism, a genre dominating French literature and artwork in the mid 19th century. Undistorted by personal bias, Realism believed in the ideology of objective reality and revolted against exaggerated emotionalism. Truth and accuracy became the goals of many Realists.

French cultural movement

Realism became prominent as a cultural movement as a reaction to the idealism of Romanticism in the middle of the 19th century. Often linked to demands for social and political reform and democracy, realism dominated the visual arts and literature of France, England and the United States from around 1840 to 1880, and along with naturalism dominated Brazil's literature through out this same time. Prominent realist writers and playwrights include Balzac, Stendhal, Ibsen, George Meredith, and Thomas William Robertson in the United Kingdom, and Eça de Queirós in Portugal, as well as the influential Brazilian Machado de Assis. Their counterparts in the visual arts include Gustave Courbet and Jean François Millet

Schools in literature and theatre

Visual Arts

Realists render everyday characters, situations, dilemmas, and objects, all in a "true-to-life" manner. Realists tend to discard theatrical drama, lofty subjects and classical forms of art in favor of commonplace themes.

However no art can ever be fully realistic. Distortion in form, simplification of details are required for any painting. Taking this argument further, newer forms of art like Surrealism, hyperrealism, Magic Realism have developed in the field of visual art.

Dramatic Arts

The achievement of realism in theater was to direct attention to the physical and philosophic problems of ordinary existence, both socially and psychologically. In plays of this mode people emerge as victims of forces larger than themselves, as individuals confronted with a rapidly accelerating world.[1] These pioneering playwrights were unafraid to present their characters as ordinary, impotent, and unable to arrive at answers to their predicaments.This type of art represents what we see with our human eyes, and what feels comfortable for the majority.

Cinema

Italian neorealism was a cinematic movement incorporating elements of realism that developed in post-WWII Italy. Notable Neorealists included Vittorio De Sica, Luchino Visconti, and Roberto Rossellini.

See also

  • Simulated reality
  • Literary realism

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  1. ↑ Simard, Rodney. Postmodern Drama: Contemporary Playwrights in America and Britain. New York: UP of America, 1984.

West, Shearer (1996). The Bullfinch Guide to Art. UK: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. ISBN 0-8212-2137-X. 

Related

Western art movements
Renaissance · Mannerism · Baroque · Rococo · Neoclassicism · Romanticism · Realism · Pre-Raphaelite · Academic · Impressionism · Post-Impressionism
20th century
Modernism · Cubism · Expressionism · Abstract expressionism · Abstract · Neue Künstlervereinigung München · Der Blaue Reiter · Die Brücke · Dada · Fauvism · Art Nouveau · Bauhaus · De Stijl · Art Deco · Pop art · Futurism · Suprematism · Surrealism · Minimalism · Post-Modernism · Conceptual art

External link

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