Class 17
Today in class we discussed the origins of realism and where it moved to as it is observing as true to life as possible, landscapes where the natural origin of this style of painting as you can go somewhere and easily observe. Landscape and then paint it. They are also stationary. It focuses on portraying how everything appears in life as it’s seen. Light is important as it is the source of value that defines how a shape is portrayed visually and color is less important moving toward feeling like an afterthought. Art aims to show the lives people are living by including clues to their class location and occupation. Subject matter feels plane and well seen even before it is painted, for example showing a French farm with cows plowing a field for grape vines. Titles also gain more importance as they help to describe to the viewer exactly what we are looking at. Lots of sympathy for the lower class is shown through the depiction of their life and what they do for us(the sower) in America, commentary on the post-civil war world is made through images of kids playing games about connecting and togetherness. Showing a realistic pastime but also working as symbolism.