Final answer:
New Realist painting, represented by artists like Gustave Courbet and Jean-Francois Millet, depicted everyday life with a stark honesty and without idealizing the subjects. It differed from past realist art by not emphasizing heroism or sentimentality. Photorealism, a later development, closely mirrored photography in its precision and focus on light and color.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Linda Nochlin, New Realist painting is notably distinct from past forms of realist art. The New Realists focused on depicting everyday subjects and situations in contemporary settings, meticulously expressing the details of the modern world without relying on the idealization or drama that characterized earlier styles such as Classical idealism or Romantic emotionalism.
Gustave Courbet and Jean-Francois Millet are two important figures in this movement, known for their representation of individuals across social classes with an honest approach, often revealing the raw and sometimes unpleasant realities of life. In contrast, past Realist movements, such as Social Realism, placed an emphasis on the depiction of the working class while striving for heroic or sentimental stylization in their portrayals.
As Realism evolved, so did the methods artists used to achieve their depictions. Photorealism, for instance, emerged with the acceptance of the realism found in photography. Artists concentrated on the interplay between light and color and meticulously captured how light reflected on surfaces. They often worked from photographs to create large, detailed paintings that depicted everyday objects and scenes with a nostalgia-infused lens. These paintings, void of visible brushstrokes, featured meticulous attention to detail to maintain a photo-like image.