2-740-833 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Singers, 1863-1868. Ribot participated in a loosely defined artistic movement known as "Realism," which sought to depict the gritty lives of workers and peasants. Often dark in tone and somber in mood, Realist paintings focused attention on social problems. Poor singers like these could be seen on the streets of Paris, but pictures of such singers were already a long-established theme in art history.