What's the difference between Realism, Social Realism and Socialist Realism?

As an art movement, Realism (Le Realisme) began in France in the mid-1850s. It rejected the "ideal" poses and subject matter of traditional Renaissance-inspired art, in favour of portraying the "gritty" reality of life. For more, see: Realism. Social Realism, a school of the late 1920s and early 1930s, maintained the realist tradition of depicting unvarnished everyday life, but focused on scenes with a social message, such as those of breadlines and vagrants. In comparison, Socialist Realism was a style of state-sponsored propaganda art, introduced by Joseph Stalin in Russia, from 1929 onwards. Q. What is abstract art? Abstract art is any painting or sculpture which does not represent aspects of the visible world. It is also known as "non-objective", "non-representational", "non-figurative", or "Concrete art". Notable abstract movements included De Stijl, Constructivism, Suprematism, Abstract Expressionism, Op-Art and Minimalism. For a full explanation, with examples of paintings, ...  more