Art and Design – Painting and related media | e-Consult

Social class played a crucial role in shaping both the themes and visual language of 19th‑century art. Artists from the middle and upper classes often had access to formal training and patronage, leading them to produce works that reflected their own values and interests, such as the idealised domestic scenes of the Pre‑Raphaelites or the grand historical canvases of Jean‑Louis David. In contrast, artists from working‑class backgrounds or those who chose to depict working‑class life, like Gustave Courbet in his Realist paintings, adopted a more direct, unidealised style to highlight everyday labour and poverty. These differing perspectives illustrate how an artist’s social position could dictate both the choice of subject (e.g., aristocratic portraiture vs. labour scenes) and the stylistic approach (e.g., polished academic technique vs. gritty realism).