Relationship with Society

In the former Soviet Union the artists drew strength from the society it glorified. They were proclaimed as "the engineers of the soul, agents for social change". Their painting reflects the ethos of the Soviet state and people. The subjects of their paintings were drawn from real life, and primarily figurative based. The artists relied more on first hand studies rather than photographs.

In America, Realist paintings were primarily landscape or illustration based. Landscapes were typically painted en plein air. Illustration style paintings, however, usually were derived from photographs that portrayed a nostalgic past, rather than current realities. Most of the talented American artists were drawn to experimental Modern styles during the twentieth century. Realism was considered only a minor school of painting. Modern artists in America extolled a cult of originality and generally felt alienated from the general populous, unlike their Russian counterparts. These Modern artists exploited there freedom to express the overriding malaise and technological dehumanization perceived as stifling people during this period in time.