19th-century Realism Session at CAA 2015 in New York

Dear Friends,
My colleague Elizabeth Mansfield has send out a call for papers for a
session on 19th-century Realism at CAA in New York in February 2015 (see
her CFP below). This would be a wonderful opportunity for someone working
on Realism in Russia or Eastern Europe!
Best regards,
Margaret

===========================
Session title: What Is Realism?
Chair: Elizabeth Mansfield
[email protected]
deadline for proposals: Friday, May 9

Few movements have engaged historians of nineteenth-century art as
persistently as Realism. The fact that the designations "Realist" and
"Realism" were widely used by nineteenth-century artists and critics
would seem to provide sufficient historical testimony to settle the
exact nature of the concept. Yet the significance of Realism for
nineteenth-century visual arts practice remains uncertain, despite the
considerable attention paid to the concept by scholars during the past
half-century. A review of recent literature devoted to the concept
suggests that Realism is best understood in relation to modernism,
especially as it emerged in Parisian avant-garde circles. This session
aims to revisit an old question: what is Realism? Is Realism a response
to modernism? Or was it animated by cultural, social, or philosophical
impulses distinct from or adjacent to those prompted by the conditions
of modernity? Is Realism even a distinct movement, a mode of visual
expression that can be analyzed apart from other tendencies of the
nineteenth century? Can Realism be bracketed historically, as a project
peculiar to post-Enlightenment Western culture? Ideally, the panel will
include papers written from a variety of methodological perspectives.
Papers on the historiography of Realism studies are also welcome.

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