Realism Paintings

Realism in painting gives observed people, places, and everyday activity a substantial role. In nineteenth-century France, Courbet brought familiar subjects to the scale of history painting, while Millet concentrated on rural labor. A Burial at Ornans and The Gleaners make local ceremony and agricultural life central subjects. The movement developed within the Salon's exhibition culture; comparable interests elsewhere took varied forms rather than belonging to one organized group.