This post does not attempt to define the term realism in art because the writer of this post does not seem to be able to come up with a real definition. One would have to search the period of paintings and determine the definition of realism used at the time. Then they would have to clarify the different styles and movements, and this would be an all consuming and challenging task.

During different periods of art movements artists have fallen victim to labeling by using such terms as contemporary realists, classical realists, new, figurative, and on and on to an infinite amount of words defining why a certain form of realism was anything other than any form of realism imagined.  Take for example, the New Realists of the mid-twentieth century could only belong to their elite club if they used Abstract Expressionist elements to their form of realism. One might ask: What part of Abstract Expressionism is realistic? In other words, one might state that the work of the New Realists did not paint realistic.

Although, “Realism” means something different to various people, many viewers tend to know what they feel realism means no matter the labels art movements might place upon it. A realistic artist tends to paint the world as it exists and aims for a true representation of their subjects.

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