Photography had a big impact on both Realism and Impressionism in the 19th century. It changed how artists saw their subjects and how they made their art.

Realism

• When It Started: Realism began in the 1850s as a response to Romanticism. Artists wanted to show everyday life and ordinary people in a truthful way.
• How Photography Helped: Photography started becoming popular in the 1830s. It offered new ways to show real-life scenes. A famous Realism artist, Gustave Courbet, focused on showing people in a raw way. One of his well-known paintings, "The Stone Breakers" (1849), showed hard-working laborers very realistically, similar to what early photographers did.
• Fun Fact: By 1860, there were over 100,000 photographers in France. This created a high demand for realistic pictures. Artists started trying to capture the feel of modern life.

Impressionism

• When It Developed: Impressionism came about in the 1860s. Famous artists like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir wanted to focus on light and color instead of tiny details.
• Impact of Photography: Photography's ability to catch moments in time inspired Impressionist artists. They began to use techniques similar to what you could see in photographs. For example, Monet’s painting “Impression, Sunrise” (1872) shows a quick, beautiful scene that photography made easier to capture.
• Fun Fact: In 1888, George Eastman invented the first flexible film. This made taking quick, spontaneous photos much easier and connected well with what Impressionist artists were trying to show in their work.

Conclusion

Photography had a huge role in shaping how both Realism and Impressionism viewed the world by:

• Inspiring Artists: Many artists used photography to help them create their art. They started using techniques like cropping and odd angles, which were becoming popular in photography.
• Diverse Subjects: Photographs often showed people from different social classes, which shifted artists' focus to real-life social issues, especially in Realism.

In short, photography changed how reality was seen and represented in art, leading to new and lasting changes in both Realism and Impressionism.