Famous painters

Realism was a historical movement that had its influences not only on visual art, but also on literature and the social-political environment. Among its core principles, realism endeavoured to supplant the artistic merits of classicism and romanticism by imitating nature. This was done through scientific study and intense scrutiny of the play of light on an object to produce it in its most lifelike colours. In addition, realism attempted to associate itself with the common man by focusing on everyday issues and problems that affected the middle-and lower-class population.

Like all other artistic movements, realism also had its own prominent front runners. First and probably foremost among these is Gustave Corbert who is credited for giving this movement its name and can therefore be regarded as the "father of realism". He was born in 1819 in Ornans, France into a wealthy farming family and mainly studied the works of other artists as a primary means of education. Through his work Corbert sought to eradicate social imbalances through an artistic pursuit of the truth.

Another prominent member of the realism movement was Marie Rosalie Bonheur, born in 1822 in Bordeaux. Bonheur was unable to attend art school due to her sex and was as a result educated by her father, a famous landscape painter. She had a great love for animals and drew her inspiration from the acclaimed English animal painter Sir Edwin Henry Landseer. Her most well known work is "The Horse Fair" which she exhibited to Queen Victoria on a visit to Scotland. It was also during this visit that she made her sketches for "A Scottish Raid" and "Highland Shepard". Marie Rosalie Bonheur was the most famous female artist of her time and perhaps more so nowadays for appearing in men"s garb, claiming it was the more logical option for her work with animals. She is also regarded as one of the early feminists.

Wilhelm Leibl was another prominent figure among the realists, his work mainly depicting an impersonal approach to his immediate surroundings. Born on October 23rd 1844, Leibl studied with various painters at the Munich academy in 1864. In 1869 Gustave Corbert visited Munich to introduce his style of painting directly from nature and had a marked result on Leibl. In that very year Leibl undertook a nine month journey to France where he met Édouard Manet who was famous among both the impressionists and realists of the time. Upon his return to Germany, Leibl eventually settled in the Bavarian country side and painted scenes that depicted the everyday life of peasants and nature. His most famous work is "Three Women in Church" which he completed in Berbling between 1878 and 1882.