Examples of Realism in Art

Below are a few examples of American Realist Art. Practice your visual analysis technique by answering the questions below.
George Bellows was part of the Ashcan School, a group of realist painters
working out of New York in the early 1900’s. “Aschan” is another word for a
“garbage can”, and they adopted the name as a way of making fun of the art
snobs who felt that their paintings were too gritty and ugly.

Respond to each of the following questions in 3-4 sentences. In each of your

answers, refer to at least one piece of visual evidence to support your claim.

What is the subject of the painting? What do you think we are looking at?

Describe the actions you see people engaging in. What are people doing?

Who are these people?

Why might the title Cliff Dwellers be important? What does the title refer to?

Describe the different uses of color -- do you think there is a reason the artist
chose to paint certain things in specific colors?

Cliff Dwellers (1913) What sort of meaning do you think this painting holds? What do you think
George Bellows Bellows was trying to say about the modern city?
 In 1909, Lewis Hine wrote Social Photography; How the Camera May Help in the Social
Uplift. In it, Hines exclaimed that “The dictum, then, of the social worker is ‘Let there be
light;’ and in this campaign for light we have for our advance agent the light writer—the
photograph.” Hine’s photography would go on to become a driving force in the
abolishment of child labor, but it was also an excellent example of American Realist art.
Respond to each of the following questions in 3-4 sentences. Refer to the Photography
Vocabulary handout if needed.

Where is the focal point of this photograph? How is it framed?

What attitude does the posture of the adult seem to convey? How does this make you feel
towards the adult?

Overseer supervising a girl, Lewis Hine, 1911

In contrast to the man, how are the children depicted in this photograph?

Breaker Boys in a Pennsylvania Coal Mine, Lewis W. Hine, 1911

Describe the composition of the photograph. What effect does the lighting and color have
on the subjects in the frame?

Why might this be an effective photograph in terms of promoting social change?

Describe why this photograph might make us feel negatively about the human condition
in a time of industrialization.

Breaker Boys in a Pennsylvania Coal Mine, Lewis W. Hine, 1911