Claude Monet, Nympheas (Water Lilies) 1920 The offidal or "Establishment" art during the middle of the 19 th century was based the solemnity, power of Bourgeois sodety and French Imperialism. Art was a reflection of values of that sodety and orchestrated by the state sponsored "Salon" exhibitions, an organization of highly rigid academy artists. By the middle of the sixth decade comes a group, much different than the Realists, of highly individualistic artist who break totally with tradition and insist on new concepts based on modernity. They created a new way of seeing reality and sought to capture "the psychological perception of reality in color and motion." Their ideas concentrated on the effects of natural light on objects and atmosphere. This collective style lasted only fifteen years in its purest form, but it profoundly influenced all art Claude Monet, Impression: Sunrise, 1872 that followed well into the twentieth century. Both the Academy and the French public rejected their efforts for years. The group was actually given the name "Impressionism" by a hostile newspaper critic after viewing a painting by Claude Monet called "Impression: Sunrise". In a sense, the name couldn't have been more apt. The purposes of the Impressionists then were direct and obvious: 1. To record nature impersonally, without interpretation. 2. To capture visual impressions, not permanent aspects of scenes or objects. 3. To oppose the Romantidst idea of conveying emotion. 4. To oppose the stifling training of the art schools and the French Academy. Auguste Renior, The Luncheon of the Boating Party 1881 1
Impressionist subject matter was: 1. Color, as it changes according to time of day and surrounding environment. a. new color theories b. new philosophy and technique 2. Light, and the transformation it causes on surfaces and spaces. a. shimmering or reflected light (suggestion of motion) Impressionism did not include sodal commentary, emotional drama, allegories, moral lessons, the ugly or vulgar; subject matter found in previous movements. They did employ more of a genre vehicle to include leisure activities, entertainment, landscapes, seascapes, dtyscapes and portraits "slice of life" images to explore light and color. Claude Monet, Japanese Bridge Outside influences on Impressionism: 1. Photography-first practical application after 1850. Utilized asymmetrical compositions and no central focus, cropping, "snapshots" 2, Japanese woodblock prints influenced inertest in flat color areas, unusual spatial organizations and intimate scenes of daily life..--...-.\. -'.,,~ ~ ~ ~. --.. -,. ~l :J HI".. n II I;' ~. ~ ~.?!!f..-n.f...'...fw'w'f f1"iij'2"."..-~...-.rs...-ii'.,.f.:1w...l.i<li... ----..r;-tiit~tiiiitia" Eadweard Muybridge, Galloping Horses, 1878 The Media and techniques used by the Impressionists: 1. Oil on canvas, pastel, and watercolor were used 2. New chemical pigments gave a wider range of colors. 3. Priming canvases with white gave greater color brilliance. 4. Black was eliminated from the palette. 5. Brush strokes were short and choppy. 6. Unmixed pigments were juxtaposed. 7. Painting was done outdoors (plein air) much of the time. "ndo Hiroshige, Maple Leaves of the Tekono Shire Mamma, 1887 2
!mportant Artists 1. Edouard Manet (1832-1883) Greatly influenced the Impressionist and is considered by some as the "spiritual father" of the movement. His rejection of strong modeling, perspective, and fluid gradation of lighting, colors, and distances reduced his canvasses to flat surfaces, thus destroying the "window" illusion established during the Renaissance. His paintings were a visual manifesto of artistic freedom. They assert it's the artist's privilege to combine elements of aesthetic effect alone, i.e., "art for art's sake" Perhaps Manet subconsciously felt the need to rescue painting from competition with the camera. In his work the canvas is no longer a "window" but rather a screen made up of flat patches of color. In his technique the brush strokes and color areas stand for what they are and not what they were supposed to represent, i.e. illusion. He gave his so called "flat style" no name and when his followers later began calling themselves Impressionist, he refused to accept the term for his own work. 2. Claude Monet (1840-1926) The leading Impressionist who adhered most closely to its principles of observation without emotion. Conservative critics claimed that one of his paintings was "flooded with sunlight so bright that it made their eyes smart." As time went by he often painted works in a series, showing the same subject in changing light (a railroad station, haystacks, Rouen Cathedral and a lily pond) The River, 1868 3. Edgar Degas (1834 1917) He specialized in depicting women, often as ballet dancers and in unflattering poses. He is also known for his lithographs and small sculptures. Degas dabbled in photography and his works often have that appearance of an unstudied "snap-shot. " The Dancing Lesson, 1876 3
4. Mary Cassatt (1845-1926) An American who studied in Paris where she met Degas, who introduced her to the Impressionist group. She explores "maternity" from a rather modem point of view as well as the feminine social world of the 19 th century. Like Degas her compositions were from unusual angles and perspectives. Though the scenes depicted are often somewhat intimate and private her higher than normal sight line effectively separates the viewer from the space and diminishes the emotional response to it. The Bath, 1892, oil on canvas 5. Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) He to was a painter of women, but with much more affection; more sensual approach than Degas or Cassatt. "Pretty," romantic pictures today, however a critic of the time noted that, "...Monsieur Renoir need be reminded that a young woman's body is not a mass of blue, green and yellow splotches which indicates a complete state of putrefaction." Torso of a Woman in the Sun, 1875 Oil on canvas 6. James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) An American who lived and worked in London and painted "arrangements" of various objects (including people) having related colors. His compositions were strongly influenced by Japanese prints. No French painter dared to produce a picture so "nonrepresentational." One of Whistler's friends commented, "He does not look for resemblances but for a purely formal harmony." Nocturne in Black and Gold, 1874 4
7. Camille Pissaro (1830-1903) is best known for his street scenes, including images of the industrial landscape. The suggestion or sensation of motion is the bustling dty. The asymmetrical composition and "look down" view suggest the influence of photography. At the same time the lively brushstrokes and reflective shadows indicate rain which enlivens the painting adding to its charm and character. Place du Theatre Francias Plu;e 1898 5