Final answer:
Picturebooks set in the distant past tend to use folk art to convey the culture and traditions depicted in the story, although realism is also a style that represents subject matter truthfully without artificiality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The artistic style usually seen in picture books set in the distant past, which is supposedly representative of the artistic style prevalent in the culture featured in the story, is folk art. This style tends to incorporate elements that are characteristic of the life, traditions, and the culture of the people depicted within the story. Folk art is often less concerned with photorealistic representations and more with maintaining a sense of authenticity and cultural heritage in its stylized and sometimes simplistic imagery.
Realism, on the other hand, is characterized by its attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding artistic conventions, implausible, exotic, and supernatural elements. Despite realism's focus on everyday life, the historical context of the story often shapes the realistic depiction to be congruent with past cultural aesthetics rather than modern forms of realism.