Naturalist Art:  "Work inspired by nature rather than by academic convention, as in the work of Van Dyck and Rembrandt.  Naturalism is "not merely a matter of reproducing reality..., but also... the interpretation and evaluation of reality."
Rudolf Kober, Director of the Panorama Museum, Germany.

Naturalist style was a distinct feature of Dutch art [during the 16th and 17th centuries].  As much of the country was Protestant, there was little interest in the religious, mythological, and historical works of the time that were popular in Italy.  Rather, the Dutch artists and collectors...appreciated portraits, genre scenes, still lifes, and scenes from their everyday lives.

Dutch art was not supported by aristocratic or religious patrons, thus giving the artists the freedom to develop independently of popular fashions.  Furthermore, Dutch art was available to both the upper and middle class, and tailored its style to appeal to their comfortable, modest lifestyles
From Absolute Arts/Worldwide Artists' Resources

Naturalism:  Representational art in which the artist presents a a personal interpretation of visual reality while retaining the natural appearance of the objects depicted. Naturalism varies from artist to artist, depending on the degree and kind of interpretation.
Acland Art Museum, UNC, Chapel Hill

"The realist, if he is an artist, will seek not to show us a banal photograph of life, but to give us a vision more complete, more seizing, more probing than reality itself." - Guy de Maupassant, Le Roman.
Quote used by Charles H. Cecil Studios, School of Art in the Naturalist Tradition.

"Naturalism in visual art refers to the depiction of realistic objects in a natural setting. The Realism movement of the 19th century advocated naturalism in reaction to the stylized and idealized depictions of subjects in Romanticism. Earlier painters adopted a similar approach over the centuries [Rembrant, Vermeer, Velázquez (Velásquez) and particularly 16th and 17th century Dutch art.
From Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia.

GottliebStudios.com/Classical_Glossary

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