Realism with Heidegger, Hume and Plato

The objective of realism is to portray life as it really is.  Realism flourished from 1840 to the end of the 19th  century, and it sprung from social upheaval in France (Chilvers 514-515).  The artists of the time used Realism to portray the working class with everyday people and objects.  Realism rejects idealized or romantic interpretations of life.

A Pair of Shoes. Vincent Vang Gogh. 1885. PD 1923

Martin Heidegger’s “The Origin of the Work of Art” analyzes the nature of art through Vincent Van Gogh’s A Pair of Shoes.  The shoes are portrayed as they are.  As viewers gaze upon the shoes, they begin to form associations with the peasant.  A hard working life is revealed, and further associations about the peasant are inferred.  It is in these relationships that Heidegger believed the essence of art could be found.   The painting, through realism, reveals an honest account about someone’s life and the human condition.

Gleaners. Jean-Francois Millet. 1857. PD 1923

Gleaners evokes similar emotive feelings as Van Gogh's shoes. Realistic depictions enliven a sense of life from another era that we can understand. The colors are less saturated as they reflect the environment of the workers.  It should be noted that after 150 years, the sense of environment and feel from this image are still clearly conveyed.

A Tale of Two Cities. Charles Dickens 1859. PD 1923

Realism extended into other arts.  In literature, Realism focused on faithful representations of life.  They tended to be critical of social conditions and the characters became the center of interest rather than the plot (Baldick 281-282).  A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, emphasizes the social conditions during the French Revolution, and it reveals them through the eyes and experiences of the characters.

War and Peace. Leo Tolstoy. 1869. PD 1923

During the Realistic movement, Leo Tolstoy wrote his great novel War and Peace.  Like A Tale of Two Cities, War and Peace gives the reader insights to events through the eyes of the characters in conditions true to the time.

Literature has temporal elements not necessarily found in the other arts.  David Hume writes that there is great diversity in how cultures value virtues and vices, and that people tend to judge things without full knowledge.   Books take time to read, and the viewer has time to get to know the characters and their culture.  The power of A Tale of Two Cities and War and Peace is that the reader gets fully acquainted with the characters, in situations that are historically accurate.  The art lies in getting to know another culture through the characters and accurate depictions of their life.

Plato might have appreciated the practicality and humble backgrounds of the Realism movement.   Realism doesn't attempt to deceive or beguile the reader, or claim to be something it is not. Its sole intent is to give an honest and realistic account of how real life unfolds.  Philosophers such as Plotinus, Heidegger and Collingwood viewed art as conduits to truth and virtue, and they are excellent resources for interpreting the Realism form of art. 

Works Cited

Baldick, Chris. The Oxford Diction of Literary Terms. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2008. Print.

Chilvers, Ian. The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.

Collingwood, R.G. The Principles of Art.   Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web.  Nov 13, 2013

Heidegger, Martin. “The Origin of the Work of Art.”  Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web.             Nov 13, 2013

Plato. Republic, Book X. Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web.  Aug 27, 2013.
Plotinus. Enneads. Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web.  Sept 1, 2013