When discussing art in general terms that aim to represent something as faithfully as possible, words like "realistic," "natural," "naturalistic," or even "hyperrealistic" are often used. Viewers often mean the same thing by these terms without being aware of the actual differences between them.
Below, these terms are briefly explained and compared.
Realism
The term "realistic" describes a precise and detailed, as well as unembellished, depiction of nature or everyday life of the time of creation. This approach avoids fantastical elements and the idealization of the subject, which were common in classical art. Instead, the focus is on the exact observation of the external appearance of the subject.
Realism emerged in the mid-19th century from France as an artistic movement rejecting Romanticism. Artists preferred to depict truth rather than indulge in the expression of emotions. Thus, they portrayed people from all classes in all life situations — a practice that was almost scandalous at the time, such as making hard-working individuals the subject of a painting.
Among these artists were Gustave Courbet, Jean-Francois Millet, and Honore Daumier.
Realism deliberately aims to depict reality, including its imperfections, to represent the actual situation as accurately as possible, often with a critical undertone.
Naturalism
"Naturalistic" refers to the lifelike representation of nature with minimal alterations (such as idealization) and interpretation by the artist.
However, even in naturalistic art, minor adjustments to the depiction are always necessary to create a notion of a natural image for the viewer. Ideally, the artwork achieves photographic quality.
The earliest form of naturalistic art is often attributed to the Greeks, whose statues were remarkably lifelike from an early stage, while the first naturalistic paintings are credited to the Egyptians.
Naturalistic figure painting made significant advances during the Renaissance, whereas landscape painting was initially considered less important, not justifying such efforts. Masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Albrecht Dürer, and Caravaggio were among its representatives.
Modern naturalism evolved later from English landscape painting, spreading to France and other parts of Europe.
Realism vs. Naturalism
There is a significant difference between realism and naturalism:
While realism deals more with the subject matter (who or what), naturalism pertains more to the technique of painting. Realistic art often aims to evoke a social or political consciousness in the viewer — hence, for example, the unflinching depiction of hard labor during the Industrial Revolution as a critique of the poor conditions in which many people lived. Realistic art is often painted in a naturalistic style, but the manner of depiction is not the work's primary goal.
Hyperrealism
"Hyperrealistic" refers to works that create a faithful reproduction of reality using extremely high-resolution photographic references. The end product is indistinguishable from the reference. In the case of sculptures, the work sometimes reveals more details than are visible to the naked eye.
The goal of hyperrealistic art is often to create a kind of false reality. Achieving a "perfect copy" of reality requires considerable artistic skill, but these artworks go further: they represent a qualitative "improvement," where shadows, lighting effects, surfaces, and textures are depicted more distinctly than they are perceived in reality. This can evoke different emotions in the viewer compared to the "original."
Hyperrealism emerged from photorealism, as a reaction against minimalism and abstract expressionism. It experienced significant growth in the 1960s and 1970s, fostered by a group of American and European artists. Famous representatives include Chuck Close, Gottfried Helnwein, Lee Jong-gu, Roberto Bernardi, Ron Mueck, and many others.
Realism vs. Hyperrealism
The main difference between realism and hyperrealism lies in that the former reproduces an image, while the latter aims to evoke specific feelings in the viewer.
Surrealism
Surrealism opposes rationalism and uses art as an escape from present reality. This art movement is characterized by fantastical and dreamlike imagery, which is both eccentric and symbolic in its representation.
Typically, there are two types of painting in surrealism:
On the one hand, hyperrealistic depictions of objects, where oversaturation or monotonous color schemes indicate their surreal nature. On the other hand, artists employ automatism, a portrayal of the subconscious (including collages, frottages, etc.). Surreal works using these techniques can also be found in photography and film.
In the case of sculptures, the object is typically distorted, removed from its original context, indicating that this situation does not belong to "normal" reality.
Surrealism originated in the 20th century in France among a group of writers, later joined by artists including Yves Tanguy, René Magritte, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, and Max Ernst. Their goal was to express the "unconscious activity of the mind."
Realism vs. Surrealism
Realism and surrealism are essentially only similar in name. Some surrealist works also include lifelike depictions of objects. Both the methods of representation and the goals pursued with each art form are very different: while realism aims to make the viewer aware of reality, surrealism deals with the unconscious and the otherworldly.