The Poetry of Reality is an indispensable survey of Dutch painting of the 19th century, illustrated with paintings from the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum, the Amsterdams Historisch Museum, and the Van Gogh Museum.The paintings are all reproduced in color and presented in chronological order, forming a pictorial record of developments in 19th century painting. A number of significant artists are included: Vincent van Gogh, Wouter van Troostwijk, Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, Andreas Schelfhout, Johannes Bosboom, the brothers Jacob, Matthijs and Willem Maris, George Hendrik Breitner, and Johan Barthold Jongkind. The book pays homage to the Dutch painters who set the tone in a period that was so important for the development of art.
