Final answer:
Realism in arts, originated in France during the 1850s, aimed to portray day-to day life situations truthfully and accurately. It rejected the romanticized, dramatic depictions of the then-dominant Romanticism. Through this, artists displayed all aspects of life specifying even the unsightly and ordinary details, and often emphasizing on the working-class and their real experiences.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main purpose of realism in the arts was to portray contemporary subjects and situations in a truthful and accurate manner. Realism, an artistic movement that began in France in the 1850s, revolted against the exaggerated emotionalism and exotic subject matter of the Romanticism that had previously dominated French literature and art. Instead of embellishing or omitting elements for aesthetic purposes, realists sought to depict all aspects of life as they were, even those which were unsightly or ordinary.
Significant figures in the Realist art include Gustave Courbet, Honore Daumier, and Jean-Francois Millet. They depicted individuals from all social classes, often focusing on the working-class, and presented their subjects in a way that emphasized their circumstances and emotions genuinely, without heroic or sentimental treatment. The context of these depictions frequently reflected the changes brought about by the Industrial and Commercial Revolutions.
Throughout the development of the Realism movement, different countries and artists adapted its principles to emphasize various concerns, such as social and racial injustice or economic hardship, in a trend known as social realism. Regardless of the subject matter, at the heart of Realism was the commitment to portraying life as it was, without artifice or idealization.
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