Final answer:
Realism in art was a movement dedicated to depicting everyday life and the realities of all social classes, particularly the working class, with a focus on everyday life, accurate depiction of light, color, and social conditions. It laid the groundwork for Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and even influenced Photorealism, which brought the exactness of photography into painting.
Step-by-step explanation:
Other aspects of Realism in art encompassed a commitment to portray the everyday, mundane aspects of life, steering away from the glamorization and dramatization that marked previous artistic movements like Romanticism. This trend is evident in the stark depiction of the working-classes by artists such as Gustave Courbet, Honore Daumier, and Jean-Francois Millet who gave serious treatment to these subjects. With the transformation of European economies through industrialization, art also reflected the political changes and social challenges of the times, including poverty and the plight of the common folk.
As materials became more portable and artists took to painting in outdoor settings, the tenets of Realism laid the groundwork for subsequent movements like Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, which revolutionized the use of color, light, and brushwork. The advent of Photorealism brought into play the precision and detail drawn from photographs, creating artwork with exceptionally realistic effects and focusing on the interplay of light and color, especially as seen in reflective materials.
In America, the Ashcan School, part of the realism trend, emerged to present the realities of urban life and the changing American landscape, while Photorealists produced large canvases reminiscent of photographs to create an ultra-realistic visual experience. Social realism, as a part of the larger Realism movement, particularly emphasized the lives and challenges of workers and was linked to the burgeoning socialist ideas of the time.