Realism and naturalism

Augustus Saint-Gaudens

I think Robert Gould Shaw Memorial is a great sculpture. I always have strong reactions to sculptures because I find it hard to believe that it is sculpted off the material rather than made separately or just molded and shaped. This one in particular has a lot of details, there is a lot of information coming from wherever you see and I actually start to think that they are going to move. It look very very realy and what impressed me the most is that, even though you can't tell the soldier's color in the sculpture, he uses features and traits in their faces which leaves no doubt that they are black people except from the one in the horse who doesn't. Also, the horse is incredibly well made although his face seems a bit weird.

I had never seen a 20 dollar coin. Although it is very beautiful and most importantly it carries a lot of important symbols.


Realism in Poetry

• Edwin Arlington Robinson

I really liked how 'Richard Cory' ends, it made me laugh a little because in many cases one man's dream is another man's nightmare, and this is one. Also the 'bullet through his hed' comes so unexpectedly that when you're reading the line before that and I could see that it ended in two lines I thought it might me incomplete but it ends very abruptly and not at all sad.

'Miniver Cheevy', in my opinion actually ends even more sadly and depressing than 'Richard Cory' and I really like the phrase 'born too late'. It ends depressing because it means that Miniver Cheevy will have to live a life he doesn't like, in a place he doesn't like and in a time he doesn't like.

Also, I noticed how he used the same structure for the rhymes and in my opinion one of the best layouts because it gets me engaged every two lines unlike other structures.

• Rupert Brooke

I'm blown by 'A Channel Passage'. It is very deep and depressing. In the poem he transmits the pain and desperation to you. It must be horrible to be in the middle of a decision, but also not be able to make it even though you've already chosen.




Late 19th Century American Realist Painters

• Thomas Eakins

In 'Gross clinic' it took me a while to notice all of the people sitting high in the background because everything is so focused on the bald man and what they are studying and even though I can't figure out what it is, I really like when paintings look realistic and his paintings look unbelievably realistic.

It is interesting of findinf someone who would paint nude men instead of nude women (not that I'm into that, I must clarify) like almost everyone does. And it must've been quite a laugh with that male model university issue.

• John Singer Sargent

I've always opposed to the idea of changing one's painting because it is too 'scandalous' or whatever. I bet he regretted changing it when he saw other paintings which were a lot more scandalous become very popular and public.

But, even though I didn't like him from the start because he changed his painting, these are amazingly realistic and I like the paintings a lot.