Neorealism (Italian: neorealismo, translated as new realism) is a common name for several innovative trends in 20th century painting. In modern European culture, there are three main waves of neorealism: English, Italian and French. They differ significantly in the subject matter of their work and style of writing, but each trend has left a noticeable mark on world culture.

Neorealism as a trend in 20th century art existed not only in painting, but also in literature, sculpture and cinema. Its followers are united by the desire to return to a real depiction of reality in their work, as opposed to the supporters of abstract art.

English neorealism (1914-1919)

Neorealism in the artistic environment of England arose on the eve of the First World War. On January 1, 1914, the New Age printed edition published the “Neorealist Manifesto” by 36-year-old artist Charles Ginner. This document outlined the main goal of the new movement – the creation of a healthy realistic movement in painting.

The impetus for the creation of the “Manifesto” was Ginner’s trip to Paris with his friend Harold Gilman. In the capital of France, they were able to see the paintings of great masters in person:

• Paul Cézanne;
• Vincent van Gogh;
• Henri Matisse.

Upon returning to London, both young artists entered into a heated polemic with their colleagues in the Camden Town Art Group. In their opinion, most painters simply copied the painting styles of famous post-impressionists instead of finding their own new color solutions and artistic forms.

A characteristic feature of the work of the representatives of the first wave was a combination of a bright color palette and juicy short brushstrokes.

Famous artists of the English wave

The famous artists of the English school of neorealism include:

1. Charles Ginney – French by origin, the founder and ideological inspirer of the movement. He preferred to depict landscapes and scenes from simple city life in his paintings. During the two world wars, he was the official artist of the British government.
2. Harold Gilman – a supporter of the portrait genre in painting, an ardent admirer of Van Gogh’s work. To the great regret of his friends and colleagues, Gilman died in his prime during the Spanish flu epidemic in 1919.
3. Robert Bevan – British artist of landscape and portrait genres, the author of many lithographs. After becoming interested in divisionism and pointillism, he joined the neorealist group.

Italian neorealism (1949-1965)

The birthplace of the second wave of neorealism was post-war Italy, and the immediate creators of the movement were a group of filmmakers consisting of:

• Luchino Visconti;
• Gianni Puccini;
• Cesare Zavattini;
• Roberto Rossellini.

The directors were united by the desire to create an atmosphere of authenticity in cinema, free from Hollywood cliches of embellishing reality. In painting, the ideas of renewed realism found a response among the members of the New Front of the Arts association. The main ideologist of the anti-fascist artists’ movement was Renato Guttuso. A group of passionate supporters formed around him, who chose the life and struggle for the rights of ordinary people as the theme of their work.

The works of the second wave of neorealism are characterized by emotional brightness, glorification of the heroism of the people and deep social acuteness.

The ideas of the founders of the movement were subsequently picked up by artists from other countries:

• Diego Rivera in Mexico;
• André Fougeron in France;
• Fritz Cremer in Germany.

Famous artists of the second wave

Famous artists of the Italian wave are, first of all:

1. Renato Guttuso – an active participant in the Resistance movement during the war, an ideological communist and an opponent of abstract art. Guttuso received wide recognition in the USSR and admired the work of Pablo Picasso.
2. Diego Rivera is a Mexican artist with pronounced leftist views. The founder of the local school of monumental painting, the author of works on folklore and revolutionary themes.
3. André Fougeron is an ardent supporter of communist ideals and a convinced anti-fascist. He fiercely defended realistic traditions in art during the heyday of abstractionism.

French Neorealism (1960-1970)

The ideology of the third wave of neorealism is based on the belief that art should not politicize or idealize the object of the image. A small group of artists made this statement in the early 60s of the last century. French Nouveau Réalisme in painting and sculpture became a manifestation of similar ideas in literature and cinema.

Representatives of the new movement popularized revolutionary ways of perceiving reality. They created art installations from trash, broken cars, pieces of fabric, paper and other materials. In their opinion, an artist should not create in a studio for a narrow group of people. A true master is obliged to work openly for society, to combine real unadorned life with art.

Famous artists of the third wave

The names of the most significant artists of the French wave are well known to art lovers of the second half of the twentieth century. Among them:

1. Arman — the inventor of a new concept of artistic action — “color”. The artist cut, smashed and even blew up various objects, and then showed their remains at exhibitions as original installations.
2. Yves Klein — the author of the famous “Anthropometries” — paintings created with “living brushes” (using prints of a naked human body on canvas). He is also known for many other innovative solutions (“Cosmogonies”, “Fire Painting”, “Emptiness”).
3. Daniel Spoerri is the creator of the Food Art movement, in which food is the subject of the image, the author of original wall installations and “trap” paintings.
4. Jean Tinguely is the creator of brutal technical installations that ridicule the age of automation and overproduction of material goods of civilization. He is also known as the author of sculptures that self-destruct in the presence of a large number of people.

Neorealism in all its manifestations has had a huge influence on world culture. Each of the three innovative waves of the movement was unique and significant in its own way for human society.