Genre artwork is one of the five art types from the traditional list called the “Hierarchy of the Genres.” The five in the order of their preference are—historical artwork, portraiture, genre works, landscape, and still life. In the genre category are scenes from everyday human experience, they are depictions of ordinary people at work, at home, or recreation. Genre works rank third below the ‘high’ art of religious and historical scenes and portrayals of royalty which in the past had been the favored subjects expected in great artwork.

The art about every day, real life, became popular in the 1800s after realist artists such as Gustave Courbet (1819–77) disrupted expectations by depicting ordinary scenes in huge paintings, a size traditionally reserved for “important” subjects. Viewers began to reevaluate their opinion of what art should be about, upending the idea that genre painting must be stigmatized as lesser artwork.

This subject matter change had various causes. Modern artists of the 19th century wanted to break free from traditional ideas about art. Artists had become free agents and not controlled by royal or religious patrons, so were able to create art to their own taste. Also, at this time the middle class was growing, gaining wealth, and becoming buyers of art. They preferred artwork for their homes that had subjects within their experience

The prints in GENRE: Scenes of Real-Life include a wide range of subjects—lawyers, farmers, dancers, venders, clowns, construction workers, and more. Among the eighteen artists in the exhibition are Thomas Hart Benton, James Whistler, Jean Charlot, and Joseph Hirsch. The exhibition of genre prints may be seen from January 8 to April 28, 2025, in the second floor Lux Print Gallery.

The exhibition was curated by Susan Soriente, curator of the Gladys Lux Print Collection.