THE PRE-RAPHAELITES AND REALISM Art history has exorcised Pre-Raphaelites from the canon of “correct” Modern art, but the PRB was the first group to self-consciously declare themselves avant-garde artists. The small group set themselves apart from the major art...
Avant-Garde Realism in England: Coping with Contemporary Life The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (1848-1853) Debuting in the revolutionary year of 1848 under the mysterious acronym “PRB,” the paintings showed a virtuoso demonstration of technical prowess in painting and...
REALISM IN EUROPE Part Two Because art history tends to focus towards all things French, French “Realism” is often considered the exemplar of European Realism. Given that the British did not experience a violent Revolution in 1848, it is certainly correct...
SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS (1723-1792) Royal Academy in England: Classicism and Conservatism Although the Royal Academy in England was established one hundred years later than the Royal Academy in France, England’s academic system was part on an ongoing rivalry for dominance...
THE AVANT-GARDE IN FRANCE The Generation of Realism 1850s In 1845, The art critic, Théophile Thoré (who “discovered” Vermeer) complained that French art was “..without system, without direction, and abandoned to individual fantasy.” According...
