In the early nineteenth century, a third -ism arose to challenge the movements of Neoclassicism and Romanticism—a style that became known as Realism. Realist artists focused on the world around them, particularly problems like poverty and political repression. Romantic artists like Goya, Géricault, and Delacroix had tackled such subjects, but Realists went a step further in exposing the gritty details of contemporary life. Led by writers like Flaubert, Balzac, and Zola, French literature moved in the same direction.
