Japonisme and En Plein Air The Style, Techniques, and Artistic Process of the Impressionists

Claude Monet, Impression Sunrise, 1872

What are some common formal characteristics of Impressionist works?? lighter/brighter colours quick, loose brushwork – blurred and it’s better to look at them from a distance spontaneous compositions similar to a photograph – cut-off edges Berthe Morisot, Summer’s Day, 1879

Impressionist Technique, Style & Artistic Process As a style, Impressionism had similarities among the artists BUT it is important to remember that there were differences too (that different types of painting can occur within the practice of an artist at the same time) and they all approached formal characteristics differently Impressionist artists paid particular attention to depicting the subject in its natural setting – idea of “on the spot painting” outside of the studio There was an interest in the fleeting moment – the idea that we really can’t know the world and that we can only “know” it through impressions we perceive There is a real sense of spontaneity – paintings were most often painted (or meant to look like they’d been painted) en plein air – the most true to this practice was Monet While there was planning and adjusting made in the studio, these artists did paint on the spot as much as possible – where the academic practice was to make “studies outside” and then move into the studio, artists intended to complete finished work out of the confines of the studio Studio light tends to be carefully planned and controlled which allowed the artist certain liberties in how they represented the subject matter – Impressionists wanted more of the real things they were witnessing in the modern world – not idealism! On a whole, the Impressionists rejected classical ideals of balanced compositions, idealized figures, and proper perspective

Monet, The Bridge Over the Waterlily Pond, 1899

The Colour of Light A note on colour – dabs of colour placed side-by-side to create an “impression” of 3-D form; ideas of “optical mixing” and “broken colours” as form and line almost disappear completely in some of these artists’ works; the use of complementary colours for shadows instead of black A note on brushwork – tended to be shorter, choppy, loose, not blended or refined Impressionists like Monet were very interested in how light affects the world around us, how it changes colour

Monet’s Haystacks, Series 1890’s

Monet, Rouen Cathedral, Series 1890’s Monet painted some 40 views of Rouen Cathedral at different times of day and under various climactic conditions. The real subject of these paintings is not the building BUT the sunlight shining on them. (Gardner)

Renoir, Skaters on the Bois de Boulogne, 1868

Manet’s painting of Monet in his studio is a direct reference to… Painting En Plein Air!!! Manet, Monet Painting in His Studio Boat, 1874

Monet, La Grenouillère, 1869

Monet, Houses of Parliament, Sun Breaking Through Fog, 1904

Monet, Waterlilies, 1919

Degas, Ballet Dancers in the Wings, 1900

Here, both paintings by Degas suggest an “in the spur of the moment” situation he has captured. HOWEVER, we must remember that Degas carefully thought about and constructed his compositions too. They are meant to look spontaneous. Degas, Ballet Rehearsal (Adagio), 1876

Influences from the East… Torii Kiyonaga, Women at Bath, 1780’s

Japonisme Meets Impressionism In 1855, trade opens between Japan and France In 1867, the Paris International Exposition mounts its first show of Japanese prints This work begins to appear for sale EVERYWHERE – even in some department stores by 1872 and it is dubbed “Japonisme” by a local art critic Similar to African art for the Cubists, Japanese art is very influential and “freeing” for the Impressionists In particular, it is the woodblock prints known as “ukiyo-e” (prints of the “floating world” in the realm of geishas and other popular red-light entertainment) and these prints with their “informal glimpses of contemporary life” helped to reinforce what the Impressionists were doing in Paris HOWEVER, it was more about the formal characteristics – the “flat, brightly coloured, and sharply outlined edges” with often “expressive and contrasting linear patterns” that really interested the Impressionists and they also liked the off-centered compositions of these prints In the end, it was for their more “exotic effects” that Japanese prints were most valued

What are the similarities & differences between these works?? Van Gogh’s, Japonaiserie: Flowering Plum Tree, 1887 Hiroshige’s Plum Orchard, Kameido, 1857

Similarities… a generally flattened tree with asymmetrical branches Thin, shooting twigs tiny blossoms in the foreground smaller trees in the middle ground several small figures can be seen in the background next to a small hut that’s cut-off at the side same vibrant and contrasting colour scheme (reds against cooler greens)

What Van Gogh has done… BUT, Van Gogh flattens this work much more For example, the grass is more of a uniform colour, the trees are more outlined in black – not as 3-D looking and the sky is much more thickly painted in red Van Gogh also used a thick orange frame with “pseudo- Japanese characters” on the outside edges, thus making his work appear more primitive It is important to note that Van Gogh, like many of this Impressionist counterparts, were not aware of the traditional role of Japanese woodblock – simply appropriated the formal qualities for their work What Van Gogh has done…

Let’s do some more comparisons, shall we! Mary Cassatt’s, The Bath, 1892 Torii Kiyonaga, Women at Bath, 1780’s (Detail) Cassatt’s style owed much to the compositional devices of Degas and of Japanese prints, but her subjects differed from those of most Impressionists, in part because, as a woman, she could not frequent cafés. (Gardner)

More comparisons… Degas, The Tub, 1886 Kiyonaga, Women at Bath, 1780’s (Detail) The Tub reveals the influence of Japanese prints, especially the distinctive angles artists such as Tori Kiyonaga used in representing figures. Degas translated his Japanese model into the Impressionist mode.

What of the formal characteristics of Japanese woodblock prints do you see in Monet’s painting?

What about Cassatt’s Maternal Caress of 1891??