Final answer:
The Nouveau Réalistes, including artists like Gustave Courbet, focused on portraying real life as it was, exemplifying Pierre Restany's notion of perceiving the real in itself. They showcased everyday life and ordinary people, rejecting the traditional idealism and emotionalism of past art movements.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Nouveau Réalistes, as related to Pierre Restany's declaration, embraced the 'thrilling adventure of the real perceived in itself,' a concept which sought to represent life objectively, without the filters of conceptual or imaginative views. A leading figure in the Realist art movement, Gustave Courbet, showcased this approach vividly. His works often depicted ordinary people engaged in daily tasks, eschewing the exaggerated emotionalism of Romanticism and the idealized forms of Neoclassicism.
Another example of this movement's ethos can be seen in works that portrayed common laborers and sordid or untidy life aspects, highlighting realism over idealized beauty or sentimentality. Rather than painting with photographic accuracy, the Realists' dynamic brushstrokes and textured visuals aimed to present life as experienced by individuals across the social spectrum, whether wealthy or poor.