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American Realism Research Paper

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American Realism Draft

American Realism rose from the influence of European art, eventually creating a new original form of modern art that took root in the United States. One of those influences was the neoclassical style, a continuation of the classicism of the Renaissance deeply intertwined with the aesthetic of American Realism. The subject matter depicted in these paintings represented daily problems, and tragedies of everyday life. American artists like Eakins and Homer combined the American experience with the French realism style of Courbet, and Millet even incorporating the pictorial art of Rembrandt.
Winslow Homer was apprenticed in France and made paintings inspired by the historical reality of the United States, often focusing …show more content…

One of his most controversial paintings, the Gross Clinic (1875) aroused dispute and critique because of its explicit depiction of surgery. The painting shows Dr. Samuel Gross performing surgery, as the patient's mother covered her eyes in horror. Eakins captures the dark and sinister aspects of the clinic, using light effects to stress terrifying details and blood. The way the painting was crafted, it can almost be said that Eakins was “painting with light”.We can clearly see the influence of Rembrandt and his work Anatomy lesson of Dr.Nicolaes Tulp.In addition, the painting reflects Eakins belief in the importance of combining art and science much like Leonardo Da Vinci. Eakins’ style demonstrates the extremely precise naturalism of a realist painter, as he transcends illusion suspending time into a single …show more content…

Millet emphasized the simplicity of the agrarian lifestyle, evidenced in The Gleaners (1857). Millet returns to the tradition of landscape and depicts women working the field as the main subject matter. His different manner of portraying peasants seemed to redeem the labor and poverty of farm life, this influence can be seen in future generations works like Winslow Homer’s Veteran in a New Field. The Realism in Millet’s painting is a statement of the modern age where we can see a shift to a more grounded subject matter like in American

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