Two concepts deserve a deeper understanding, which is that of “realistic” and “idealized. ” There are corresponding explanations that are attached with this that make the two terms different and similar from one another in certain respects. The root of the two terms is on through the mixture of harmony and imitation, which is where the art is commonly produced. An extreme form of idealism is that which is embodied in Constantin Brancusi’s Torso of a Young Man where it can be said that this particular form of art is an example of a piece that is idealized.
In addition to this, another form that is commonly idealized is that of the concept of beauty. In a particular instance, Raphael, in his attempt to produce a model for Galatea, has taken on different features from several beautiful women and made an idealized form of beauty. What is produced is an idealized form of beauty. Another form of idealized art work is that of the portraits provided by Antinous that represented the ideal image of the boy with an ideal image of beauty placed within it. As for the concept of idealism, there are two definitions or meanings that can be attached to this.
First, it means the representation of ideas and the appearances through the work of a particular artist. Second, it contains the ideas of the artists to cover the different intangible elements that may otherwise be represented through a particular model. This is to be seen as something that is entirely different from the sense of idealism which is carried by people who have high ideals in life. On the other hand, realism has also come to take two different meanings as it is represented in the different literatures with regard to art.
First, it refers to an effort that risen in the middle of the nineteenth century across the Western Europe and America that took the subjects from everyday ordinary life. This is in contrast to things which are not commonly seen in the society that time, which includes those that come from mythology, past periods, and the experiences from elite. Second, this also means the adherence to how life appears in reality and places emphasis on providing an accurate picture of the surfaces that can be seen from different subjects that the field of realism takes.
Another term, which is that of naturalism, can also be used as an alternative word for realism along with that of the term veristic. In a particular instance that occurred between Sir Peter Lely and Oliver Cromwell, it has been said that the latter asked the former to produce not an idealistic picture but a realistic one. This means that flattery in terms of image should be set aside and that the imperfections of Cromwell should be included in the portrait to make it more real.
From this point, realism is meant to take the role of showcasing a particular experience as realistically as possible to an extent which is allowed by the medium. From a realistic point of view, Cromwell would then be showed as he seen by the naked eye without any effort to produce any other effect that would bring in ideas of the subject. In contrast, the idealistic sense of the portrait of Cromwell would include an additional physical uplift and several elements that would make the viewer associate several characteristics with that of Cromwell as he is often seen in history.
For the two, idealism and realism, there are several painters who fall under the respective category and that they have their own views to which they rely on in terms of how they do their art. They have the option to paint a familiar and similar picture of what they actually see through their naked eye. On the other hand, they are also given the possibility of incorporating their ideals and create an entirely different picture that is far from reality. This can be accepted by viewers differently and it depends upon the skills of the painter to be able to incorporate the different concepts that needs to be taken.