Introducing: Naturalism

The term ‘naturalism’ is often used interchangeably with ‘realism’ when referring to artwork that depicts the world as the eye sees it. However, ‘Naturalism’ (when capitalized) describes an important art movement that spread across Europe during the second half of the 19th century, from as far afield as Scandinavia to Hungary. It was influenced by the honest observation of Constable’s landscapes and the school of French Realism pioneered by Gustav Courbet. Whilst Naturalism generally lacked the ‘grittiness’ and political radicalism of Realism, it shared its focus on everyday ‘ordinary’ life and the rejection of idealized painting. Inspired by the writings of Émile Zola and his call for a scientifically objective study of man, the Naturalists sometimes used the new technology of photography in their efforts to paint people and landscapes as they actually appeared. The results were often startlingly lifelike. Major figures included Jules Bastien-Lepage, Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret and Jean-François Raffaelli. The triumph of Impressionism has tended to overshadow the Naturalists, with art historians largely ignoring their work for much of the 20th century. However, in recent years efforts have been made to address this oversight with a far more nuanced picture of the late-nineteenth century art world.