Visual Arts History 1040 Lecture : 19th Century Realism
10 Feb 2012
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Document Summary
Product of the enlightenment and was very popular in france. The below are political offshoots that influenced realism in the 19th century. The search for knowledge based on observation and direct experience. World can be knowable and understood through close observation. Knowledge can be gleaned from sense experience alone. Did not think there was something like innate knowledge. John locke and hume were involved with this. Comes out of empiricism but they hold that scientific laws govern the environment and human activity and could be analysed through looking at what is in front of us. All aspects of the world are positively knowable. Has been debunked since but it did have much influence on sociology and psychology in its time. Abandoned because they believed that speculation has no role in anything and that thinkers who concern themselves with unanswerable questions were wasting their time. Wanted only to look at problems that could be solved scientifically.
