Themes > Arts > Painting > Painting Principles and Techniques > Realism in Painting

Realist art adopts the approach of portraying subjects in as straightforward manner as possible, without idealizing them and without following the rules of formal theory. Realism first appeared in art of the 18th century, however, the great Realist era was the mid-19th century, as artists became disillusioned with the Salon system and the influence of the Academies. What kind of differences are there between the classical and the realistic painting? 1) Figuratively, the classical picture is music based on notation; the realistic Painting is music without notation knowledge. 2)Technique. Everything in the classical Painting is done stage by stage in accordance with laws which were not invented by the author. The realistic Painting is made in one layer, "alla prima." There can be several layers but only because the author does not have time to finish the picture "in the wet". 3) Plot. In the classical Painting the plot is constructed in accordance with the classical composition laws. The realistic Painting school does borrow something from the classical school but there is no composition laws as such: there are as many laws as there are realistic artists.

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