Claude Monet, Nympheas (Water Lilies) 1920 The offidal or

Claude Monet, Nympheas (Water Lilies) 1920
The offidal or "Establishment" art during the middle
of the 19th 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
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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"
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2, Japanese woodblock prints influenced
inertest in flat color areas, unusual spatial
organizations and intimate scenes of daily life.
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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
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!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 (18341917) 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
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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 19th 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
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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
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