The term American Realism most often refers to the Ashcan School, a group led by Robert Henri that depicted the gritty realities of New York City at the turn of the 20th century. But the term “realism” may also be applied to the work of artists like John Singleton Copley in the colonial era, to trompe-l’oeil still-life painters like Rembrandt Peale and William Harnett, and artists such as Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins, and John Singer Sargent in the 19th century. The word has also been applied to later movements in painting, such as Socialist-Realism and Photo-Realism.
Art historian Heidi Applegate traces the movement’s origins in literature and helps differentiate the various uses of “Realist” and “Realism” throughout the history of art.
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