Realism and Greatness
Trolls and horse flies may well be part of reality, but paying too much attention to them is bad for the soul. I post Vermeer’s The Little Street because I’ve always loved it. The real thing, much like Courbet’s Cliffs at Etretat does something to the senses. When you’re standing in front of it, looking, its shimmering verisimilitude conjures street sounds, smells, feelings. Why is it that artistic ‘realism’ is so powerful in paintings and novels? Perhaps partly it’s just taste; others may find abstract work more exhilarating, more affecting, challenging; but for me, greatness and realism seem close cousins. I plan to explore this relationship here shortly.
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:49 PM
I’m sure the type of realism that is so popular at the moment has a lot to do with the political climate of our time. I will read with interest.