Final answer:
The Realism period was influenced by the societal changes following the 1848 Revolution and the onset of industrialization, depicting truthful and accurate representations of everyday life and social conditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Realism Period
The Realism period, which dominated the latter half of the 19th century, particularly between 1848 and 1870, was significantly influenced by the social changes of the time. The movement emerged in France after the 1848 Revolution and reflected the transformation of European economies due to industrialization, as well as shifts in political status. Realism provided a stark contrast to the prior Romanticism era by focusing on everyday life and social conditions with an emphasis on truthful and accurate representations. This included the mundane and sometimes sordid aspects of life, such as the poverty and hardships brought by the new industrial age. The Realism movement was a response to the changing social fabric, depicting everything from the struggles of the working class to the lives of the emerging middle class in the rapidly modernizing cities.
Key figures in the Realist art movement included artists like Gustave Courbet, Honore Daumier, and Jean-Francois Millet, who chose to portray ordinary people engaging in real activities. The movement served as a precursor to later artistic developments, such as Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. In addition, Photorealists accepted the influence of photography on their highly realistic works, focusing on the interplay of light and color and portraying scenes with precision and exact workmanship, often inspired by everyday objects and familiar scenes.