The document discusses the emergence and characteristics of realism in European and American painting between 1800-1850. Realism developed as a reaction against romanticism and its sentimentality. Realist works depicted everyday rural and urban scenes in a naturalistic style showing nature and people as they truly appeared. Key realist artists mentioned include Courbet, Daumier, Manet, Eakins, and Homer, who painted scenes of modern life, politics, and labor in a straightforward visual language. The document also compares realism to preceding romanticism and notes some differences between European and American realist works.