realismul

Realismul, or Realism, is a broad cultural and artistic movement that seeks truthful, unglamorous depictions of life. In Romanian usage, realismul encompasses the European Realism in literature, painting, theater, and related arts, with emphasis on everyday life, social conditions, and character psychology, often accompanied by a critical stance toward institutions and conventions.

Origins and spread: Realism began in mid-19th-century France as a reaction to Romanticism and idealization. It spread across Europe and beyond, including Romania, where it gained influence from the 1870s onward through emphasis on observation, empirical detail, and social context.

Characteristics: central goals include verisimilitude, attention to ordinary people and situations, and a focus on social issues and moral questions. Realist works typically use clear, precise language, objective narration, and careful depiction of daily life in both rural and urban settings; naturalist tendencies may appear in some works.

In Romania: realism shaped both literature and painting. Romanian realist writers include Ion Luca Caragiale, known for stage comedies and prose that critique society; Ioan Slavici, noted for Mara and other stories grounded in village life; and Liviu Rebreanu, whose novel Ion (1920) is a landmark depiction of peasant life and social change. Romanian painters such as Nicolae Grigorescu and Ion Andreescu contributed to realism through scenes of everyday life and the countryside, highlighting direct observation and accessible subjects.

Legacy: realism provided a foundation for modern Romanian literature and art, influencing later naturalist and socially oriented currents. It gradually gave way to modernism in the early 20th century, while remaining a key reference for analyzing 19th-century works.