Impressionism 1874-86--a short 12 year run

•Against paintings that carried any moral message•Based on immediacy of expression•Focused on surface effects of light on the canvas •Interested in optical realism….what actually is happening with the eye?•Reaction against Romanticism; more concerned with qualities of paint than subject matter•Influenced by the natural, organic nature of Japanese art (1867 Paris Universal Exposition caused interest in Oriental art—Hokusai prints)•Final Impressionist exhibit was in 1886; group lasted just 12 years

“Impressionism”---a term coined by the press to criticize

the sketchy, new art…after Monet’s

“Impression, Sunrise” (1874)

• Out of the Salon des Refuses, Impressionist shows began

• First show held in the studio of famous photographer, Nadar

• 8 shows in total between 1874-86• Some of the first artists to exhibit:

Pissarro, Cezanne, Degas, Monet, Manet, Renoir

What is happening at the end of the 19th century?

•1880-1900, Time of great European imperialism…Africa colonized in 20 years; India•Darwin’s Origin of the Species in 1859, creates acceptance of dominant peoples•Admiral Perry opens trade channels to Japan in 1850s•Cities continue to expand under Industrial Revolution•Photography questions value of accurate representation in art•Synthetic pigments are developed, allowing artists to paint outside more easily

By the end of the 1800s, MODERNISM is coined to describe writers and artists who depict contemporary life in novel, experimental ways:

Renoir, La Loge, 1874

Breaking down Light• The eye blends

two hues to make a third

• When all colors are rapidly rotated, we see white

• Form is implied by light and color

• Hard outlines do not exist in nature

• Shadows are complimentary colors of the object

Edouard Manet (1832-83)• In 1867, created his own salon, a one

man show in reaction to his rejection by the Academy ; scandalized Paris with Olympia and Picnic on the Grass

• Although not showing with the Impressionists, he adopted their style of suggestive brushstrokes to capture the surface qualities of light

• Was from upper class society and preferred to depict the “modern” life

Chemin de Fer (Railroad), 1872

Bar at the Folies Bergere,1881

Edgar Degas (1834-1917)• Sold nothing at the first

Impressionist exhibit• Participated in all but

one of the eight exhibits• From an aristocratic

family• Fascinated by the

“artificial life”• Most known for his

pastels of dancers• Studied the psychology

of movement• Known for his fluid line

and balance of contour

Claude Monet (1840-1926)• Started the Impressionist

movement with his “Impression, Sunrise” 1874

• Painted in “plein air”• His “series” paintings

studied light on objects from various viewpoints

• His cataracts may have affected his sense of color, giving him reddish vision

• Created beautiful gardens at Giverny (outside Paris) to paint ; open to public today

JapaneseBridge

haystacks

Monet’s Waterlilies

Monet’s observations…Of the fad for all things Japanese…JAPONISME

Of the power of the Industrial Revolution…

Gare St. Lazare

Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

• Thought of himself as a realist

• Began as a painter in a porcelain factory

• Studied effect of light through trees

• Worshipped the female form

“Why shouldn’t art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world.”

Le Moulin de la Galette, 1876

Renoir The Boating PartyAt the Phillip’s Collection in Washington, DC

Camille Pissarro (1830—1903)

• Born in St. Thomas, West Indies

• As a boy, loved to sketch coconut trees

• Became the center --- guide and teacher --- for the small group of Impressionists

• Participated in all 8 Impressionist shows

• Through brushstrokes of light, he believed, one gets to the emotion of a picture

Obstgarten, 1872

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)

• American• known for her

portraits of children and mothers, yet never was a mother herself

• Took part in several Impressionist shows

• Helped fellow artists financially and promoted Impressionism in the USA

At the OperaWho is viewing whom?

The Boating Party

The Bath