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Impressionist ArtistsBy: Stacy Pearson

+MenuVincent van Gogh

Biography Artwork Reflection

Claude Monet Biography Artwork Reflection

Berthe Morisot Biography Artwork Reflection

Conclusion

+Vincent van Gogh: BiographyVincent van Gogh was born March 30, 1853 in The Netherlands. He was a Dutch Post-Impressionist with great influence in 20th century art. His first experience with art was as an art dealer for his uncle’s gallery. Vincent’s obsession with evangelical Christianity made him want to become a clergyman like his father, so he tried to enroll in a theology school but was denied. He then preached and lived in Belgium for a year but his appointment was terminated after a year. Finally, Vincent decided to become an artist. He returned to Hague to take painting classes and in no time at all developed his own style. Van Gogh's fascination with the poor and working class were the subject of his early works. After his father’s death he moved to Belgium and was able to find models, supplies, and ideas for his work. He later moved in with his brother in Montmartre, France, where he discovered the works of Monet and other French Impressionists. In Paris, his style developed even more and he began to experiment with pointillism. (Continued on next slide…)

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+Van Gogh Biography continued…Vincent became ill with a type of epilepsy that turned into a series

of psychotic attacks.  Shortly after, he was institutionalized after having cut off part of his left ear. While in the institution, van Gogh continued painting and produced one of his most famous works, Starry Night. Vincent never fully recovered, and even tried to commit suicide by swallowing paint. After feeling like a failure, van Gogh shot himself in the chest and died on July 29, 1890 at the age of 37.

"As a suffering creature, I cannot do without something greater than I -- something that is my life -- the power to create."Vincent Van Gogh

+Vincent van Gogh: Famous Artwork

Sunflowers, 1888

Starry Night, 1889

The Church at Auvers, 1890

The Potato Eaters, 1885

+Vincent van Gogh: Reflection

This summer I am working as a camp counselor for an art camp. The campers spend three hours every morning working on artwork and learning about a new artist every day. The first two artists I chose, van Gogh and Monet, are two artists that we studied in camp. These also happen to be two of the most famous artists ever. What I love about van Gogh, which I didn’t know until researching for this project, was that he didn’t know he wanted to be an artist at a young age. He tried at a few different professions before giving art a try and I find I can relate to this. I had a hard time deciding what to study at Indiana University and it made me happy to know that one of the most famous artists didn’t start his profession until later in life. It goes to show that it is important to dabble in different areas before deciding what to do.

Monet

+Claude Monet: BiographyClaude Monet was born on November 14, 1840,  in Paris. He was a founder of French impressionist painting. The term impressionism is derived from the title of his painting, Impression, Sunrise (pictured right). Monet spent most of his youth in Le Havre, drawing caricatures of the locals and acting as a rebel at school. Monet continued drawing caricatures, and selling them at the age of fifteen, and wasn't really interested in painting until he met his future mentor Eugène Boudin. Boudin encouraged the young Monet to go outside and paint nature scenes. Claude went on to study at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but like many famous artists rejected the rules and left the school. After serving some time in the army, Monet joined the studio of Swiss painter Charles Gleyre in Paris, where he meet with other artists, giving birth to the impressionist movement. Inspired by Edouard Manet, Monet worked on large canvases, and by then, he had become such a perfectionist that he refused to paint unless the light of the sun reflected exactly the way he wanted it. (Continued on next slide…)

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+Monet Biography continued…

Although Monet mostly painted nature scenes, he sometimes included human figures in his paintings.  One day, he had his friend Bazille, and a lady named Camille Doncieux pose for a painting of a Picnic (Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe). Little did he know she would one day become his wife and the subject of many of his works.  Claude went through a serious of troubling times, and even tried committing suicide once. Shortly after they got married, Claude and Camille were forced to move to London, England to escape the rigors of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870.  During this time, Monet painted several canvasses, and had several successful showings. In 1874, Monet organized the very first Impressionism Show where over thirty artists had a showing at Nadar’s Studio. At first, the critics weren't too kind towards the artists' work, which went against the status quo of the art world, However, more shows, and public success soon brought the critics to a favorable verdict. After the death of his wife, Monet moved to Giverny and took up gardening; his famous paintings of waterlilies are a good example of the relationship that existed between Monet and nature.

+Claude Monet: Famous Artwork

Woman With Parasol, 1886

Water Lilies, 1920-1926

Rue Montorgueil, 1878

Wild Poppies, 1873

+Claude Monet: ReflectionClaude Monet is the other really famous impressionist

artist and one of the artists covered at my art camp. The reason I chose to cover Monet is because of his paintings that I saw when I visited Paris in the spring of 2008. Walking into the Musée de l'Orangerie and the room covered in his Water Lily paintings practically from floor to ceiling is almost indescribable. The thought of how much time and effort it took to make those paintings is what really makes it impressive. There is so much detail and perfection on the canvases. After a long day of sigh seeing, it was a perfect ending to my first day in Paris and will forever have an impression on me. I had always heard about Monet in school but didn’t really get a good idea of who he was as a painter. However, now every time I hear his name, like I did in art camp this year, I will always think about his Water Lily paintings which inspired me to pursue my interest in taking pictures of nature as a hobby.

Morisot

+Berthe Morisot: Biography Berthe Morisot was born January 14, 1841, in Bourges, France. She was a painter and member of a circle of painters in Paris known now as the impressionist painters. She was undervalued for over a century, most likely because she was a woman. She was born into a family that had included one of the most prolific Rococo painters of the ancient regime, Fragonard. By age twenty, she befriended the pivotal landscape painter of the Barbizon School, Camille Corot. Under Corot’s influence, Morisot began painting in the plein air method of working, which means working outdoors. Morisot's first appearance in the Salon de Paris came when she was twenty-three in 1864, with the acceptance of two of her landscape paintings. Morisot is another artist to become acquainted with Edouard Manet. Although Manet has been said to be the master and Morisot the follower, there is evidence that their relationship was a reciprocating one. Records of paintings show Manet's approval and appreciation of certain stylistic and compositional decisions that Morisot originated. (Continued on next slide…)

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+Morisot Biography continued…

It was Morisot who drew Manet into the circle of painters who soon became known as the Impressionists. As a doctrinaire Impressionist, As well as a member of the haute bourgeoisie, Morisot painted what she experienced on a daily basis. Her paintings reflect the 19th century cultural restrictions of her class and gender. She avoided urban and street scenes as well as the nude figure and focused on domestic life and portraits in which she could use family and personal friends as models. Her works include not only landscapes, portraits, garden settings and boating scenes, but also subjects portraying the comfort and intimacy of family and domestic life. Morisot and American artist Mary Cassatt are generally considered the most important women painters of the later 19th century.  Morisot died in Paris on March 2, 1895.

+Berthe Morisot: Famous Artwork

The Cradle, 1872

 Young Girl with a Parrot, 1873

Woman at her Toilette, 1875

Grain field

+Berthe Morisot: Reflection

The reason I chose Morisot as my final impressionist artist is because she is a woman. I was surprised to see her picture turn up when I clicked on her name, expecting it to be another man. When studying artists during this time period, not many women are covered. In fact, before doing this research, I hadn’t ever heard of Morisot. However, after looking at her paintings, I remember seeing a few of them in the museums in Paris. I just never made the connection of her name to the paintings. I feel like a lot of the artists studied in school are men so I was really excited to find Morisot in the list of impressionists. Not only is her work revered today, but she was also able to make an impression and influence Edouard Manet, who was the mentor of many famous artists. I’m glad I was able to learn Berthe Morisot’s name so I was able to add to my knowledge of the impressionist artists.

+Conclusion

The reason I chose to present on these three impressionist artists is because I was inspired when I took my trip to Paris in the spring of 2008. I’m not normally a museum type of girl, but when I was able to see all of the paintings in the museums of France, I was blown away. I had seen many of the famous paintings in books before but nothing compared to seeing them in real life. It really gave me a new appreciate for art that I wasn’t able to receive from school. I hope that everybody gets a chance to see these paintings in person, but if not it is still fascinating learning about these artists and what inspired their work. These three artists have given me a new appreciation for art.