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Exploring Realism in Modern Art

Apr 29, 2025

Lecture 4: Realism and Modern Art

Introduction

  • Lecturer: Dr. Parmy Juni, Otis College of Art and Design
  • Focus: Realism, the first movement of Modern Art
  • Realism's criticism of academic art and the changes proposed
  • Term 'avant-garde' used to describe realist artists

World Fairs: Modern Public Spectacles

  • World fairs began mid-19th century as modern spectacles

  • 1851 Great Exhibition, London

    • Organized by Prince Albert
    • Showcased industrial advances and colonial treasures
    • Held at The Crystal Palace
    • Crystal Palace: made of metal, wood, glass; temporary structure
    • Exhibits: fabrics, jewelry, art, machinery
    • Affordable tickets, meant to show industrial achievements
    • Highlighted Western industrial superiority
  • Subsequent World Fairs

    • 1883 Chicago World's Fair
    • 1889 French Exposition, Eiffel Tower constructed
    • Displayed Western technological and cultural superiority

Edward Manet and the Avant-Garde

  • Manet challenged academic art conventions

  • Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (1863)

    • Controversial for its style and subject
    • Exhibited at Salon des Refusés
    • Depicted clothed men, nude women without idealization
    • Criticized for style, lack of idealization, and direct gaze
  • Olympia (1865)

    • Alluded to prostitution, contemporary setting
    • Criticized for style, perceived poor execution
    • Direct, challenging gaze, black cat symbolizing eroticism

Male vs Female Nudes in Modernity

  • Male nudes less prominent, focus shifted to contemporary male dress
  • Male fashion (suit) conveyed modernity and power
  • Comparison of paintings by Millet and Manet displayed fashion and modernity

Manet's Influence

  • Bridged realism and Impressionism
  • Focused on contemporary subjects, rejecting academic norms
  • Influenced the next generation, the Impressionists
  • Promoted a universal experience and language for art

Conclusion

  • Realism opened the door to new artistic styles
  • Modernity characterized by change and innovation
  • Next lecture: the Impressionists and their depiction of modernity

Key Themes

  • World fairs as symbols of modernity and industrialization
  • Manet's revolutionary approach to art and its reception
  • The evolving role of the nude in art
  • Male fashion as a representation of power

Important Artists

  • Edward Manet
  • Jean-François Millet
  • Alexandre Cabanel
  • T.J. Clark (commentator)

Concepts

  • Avant-garde: leading edge in art
  • Modernity: characterized by change, progress, innovation
  • Realism: movement challenging traditional academic art