Realism
Art shows life
Realism is commitment to seeing things as they actually are rather than as one might wish them to be.
A realist assesses situations practically: Let's have some realism about what we can accomplish.
In philosophy, realism holds that objects exist independently of our perception of them.
In art and literature, realism depicts ordinary life without idealization—nineteenth-century novels showing factory workers and provincial marriages rather than heroes and myths.
The term often implies a corrective: a dose of realism cuts through fantasy or wishful thinking.
French realist novelist
- DickensSurname of Victorian novelist
- Dostoevsky19th-century Russian author
- naturalismWorldview excluding the supernatural
- socialConcerning community life
Flaubert · Tolstoy · Eliot · psychological · verisimilitude · detail · observation · bourgeois
French realist painter
- depictionRepresentation in art
- naturalismWorldview excluding the supernatural
- representationalDepicting recognizable subjects
- figurativeRepresenting through imagery
mimesis · verisimilitude · observation · everyday · peasants · social · unidealized · still life
Philosophy of existence's nature
- ontologyStudy of existence's nature
- universalsProperties holding across all
- PlatoGreek philosopher, academy founder
- nominalismUniversals exist as labels only
idealism · materialism · existence · objectivity · truth · perception · external world · epistemology
Political realism's founding theorist
- HobbesEnglish political philosopher
- powerEnergy transfer rate
- national interestNation's collective welfare priorities
- anarchyDisorder from absent authority
sovereignty · balance of power · security · statecraft · diplomacy · geopolitics · self-interest · pragmatism
Suited for real use
- sensibleShowing good judgment
- groundedStable and realistic
- levelheadedCalm and judicious
- soberFree from intoxication
hardheaded · unflinching · clear-eyed · matter-of-fact · no-nonsense · down-to-earth · pragmatic · rational
Filming at real places
- documentaryFactual film about reality
- handheldDesigned for palm use
- naturalisticImitating actual appearance
- kitchen sinkBuilt-in basin for washing
social · gritty · unflinching · Iranian · authenticity · improvisation · slice-of-life · raw
Balzac
French realist novelist
- DickensSurname of Victorian novelist
- Dostoevsky19th-century Russian author
- naturalismWorldview excluding the supernatural
Flaubert · Tolstoy · Eliot · social · psychological · verisimilitude · detail · observation · bourgeois · character
Courbet
French realist painter
- depictionRepresentation in art
- naturalismWorldview excluding the supernatural
- representationalDepicting recognizable subjects
figurative · mimesis · verisimilitude · observation · everyday · peasants · social · unidealized · still life · portraiture
metaphysics
Philosophy of existence's nature
- ontologyStudy of existence's nature
- universalsProperties holding across all
- PlatoGreek philosopher, academy founder
nominalism · idealism · materialism · existence · objectivity · truth · perception · external world · epistemology · essentialism
Machiavelli
Political realism's founding theorist
- HobbesEnglish political philosopher
- powerEnergy transfer rate
- national interestNation's collective welfare priorities
anarchy · sovereignty · balance of power · security · statecraft · diplomacy · geopolitics · self-interest · pragmatism · Kissinger
practical
Suited for real use
- sensibleShowing good judgment
- groundedStable and realistic
- levelheadedCalm and judicious
sober · hardheaded · unflinching · clear-eyed · matter-of-fact · no-nonsense · down-to-earth · pragmatic · rational · objective
location shooting
Filming at real places
- documentaryFactual film about reality
- handheldDesigned for palm use
- naturalisticImitating actual appearance
kitchen sink · social · gritty · unflinching · Iranian · authenticity · improvisation · slice-of-life · raw · unpolished
- literary movementsRomanticism, Modernism, Symbolism, Neoclassicism, Postmodernism
- artfine art, Renaissance, painters, masterpieces, paint
- art formspainting, drawing, sculpture, photography, music
- paintingoil painting, watercolor, acrylic paint, oils, oil paints
- 19th century artsImpressionism, Romanticism, opera, symphony, Monet
- art historyart history, Renaissance, Baroque, Impressionism, modern art
RealismRomanticism
Emotion-centered artistic movement
Surrealism · Symbolism · Impressionism · Modernism · Baroque
- reality checkConfrontation with actual circumstances
- reality showTelevision featuring non-actors
- reality TVFilmed unscripted programming
- in realityExpressing what's true
- reality televisionProgramming featuring non-actors
- virtual realityComputer-created interactive environment
realize, reality, realistic, realization, realist, realistically, surrealism, realists, surrealist