Impressionism

Bar at the Folie-Bergere Edouard Manet

Impressionism n Paris, France n n attempted to capture the temporary effects of light and color u “Local color”- an object’s true color in white light n rapid, sketchy brushstrokes, un-mixed paint n Outdoors!, seaside, cafes and streets of Paris n portray immediate visual sensations n Lead by Monet, Renoir, and Cassatt

Claude Monet - Impression Sunrise

Impressionism n Represent an attempt to capture… u a fleeting moment u Elusiveness and impermanence of images and conditions u Contemporary urban scenes u Abbreviation, speed, spontaneity n Formative Elements u Layers of unmixed paint u Painted outdoors F Allowed to see the effects of light and color to capture the atmosphere and environment n Intersection of… u What they saw/felt u Subjective and personal response to nature

Impressionism stations n Assigned groups of 2/3 n 5 minutes at each poster n Switch to the right, stay with your color (yellow/black, pink/black, lime green/black) n On the last column, tell me the following: u Subject matter u One additional supporting fact

Claude Monet n n French n Important Fact: u Founded Impressionism n Characteristics: u Painted same scene at different time of day and season to show effects of changing light on color n Famous works: u Water Lilies u Impression: Sunrise u Rouen Cathedral

Water Lilies

Claude Monet - Impression Sunrise

n When first exhibited, this painting was criticized for not showing an image, but merely showing “an impression” of an image. As a result, this new artistic movement was given the name Impressionism n This scene shows two small boats by the sea shore. n Notice how short, choppy brushstrokes are used to create this piece.

St. Lazare Station (Industrialization)

Notice the effect light has on the appearance of color

Pierre-Auguste Renoir n n French n Important Fact: n Focused on feminine sensuality n Characteristics of Painting: u Delighted in people of Paris u fascinated with every day life n Famous works: u Le Moulin de la Galette u The Bathers

Le Moulin de la Galette

Renoir delighted in `the people’s Paris', of which the Moulin de la Galette near the top of Montmartre was a characteristic place of entertainment, and his picture of the Sunday afternoon dance in its acacia-shaded courtyard is one of his happiest compositions. This en plein air painting has human beings, mainly women, being the subject of this painting.

The Bathers “I consider my nude finished when I feel like smacking her bottom.” -Renoir

The Girls at the Piano

Mary Cassatt n n American – worked in France n Important Fact: u restrained by societal ideas n Characteristics: u Only painted “womanly” topics – why? n Famous works: u The Bath u The Boating Party

The Boating Party

The Bath (How is emphasis created in this painting?)

In The Child's Bath, the circular shapes of the figures’ heads, the basin, and the pitcher, as well as the striped pattern of the woman’s dress animate the portrait of a woman bathing a child. Cassatt’s unusual vantage point (from above) as well as her choice of a female subject show her interest in Japanese woodblock prints, which had become extremely popular in France at the time.woodblock prints The many paintings, pastels, and prints in which Cassatt depicted children being bathed, dressed, read to, held, or nursed reflect the most advanced 19th-century ideas about raising children.

Influence of Japanese artwork on Impressionism

Auguste Rodin n n French n Important Fact: u Revived sculpture as an art form n Characteristics of Work: u used CLUMPS of clay to create sculptures n Famous works: u The Thinker u The Age of Bronze

The Thinker

The Thinker was originally meant to be Dante in front of the Gates of Hell, pondering his great poem. Dante as a voluptuous naked male may seem absurd to those who think of the images painted in his time and after, but Dante's head does bear some resemblance to the profile of The Thinker. Moreover, Dante's headdress is distinctive and seems to be indicated by the markings Rodin made on his working copy of The Thinker.Dante's headworking copy of The Thinker Why is The Thinker naked? Because Rodin wanted a heroic figure à la Michelangelo to represent Thinking as well as Poetry. The work of Rodin resonates with the great aspirations of the 19th century, the century of Darwin, Marx and Wagner. But in his equation, The Thinker = the Poet = the Creator, Rodin was way ahead of his time. The Thinker was the first work by Rodin to be erected in a public place. It was inaugurated in front of the Pantheon on 21 April 1906 during an intense political and social crises which turned this sculpture into a socialist symbol.

The Age of Bronze

Edgar Degas n n French n Important Facts: u Famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing n Characteristics: u over half his works depict dancers n Brought traditional methods of a history painter to show contemporary subject matter

The Dance Class

The Dance Class was exhibited in 1876 at the second Impressionist exhibition. The subject of the work is a dance class conducted by the famous ballet master Jules Perrot. The scene is a careful arrangement of what seems to be a random collection of postures and poses. One ballerina, who is the central focus of the composition, dances while the others mill about around her, presumably waiting their turn. composition Like most of the dancers in Degas's works, these ballerinas are not performing. Degas has caught them in the unglamorous environs of the practice hall.

At the Barre

At the Bar Absinthe

Homework Realist Self-Portrait n Objective: u Create a Realist self-portrait n Requirements: u All subject matter in the painting must be “Realistic”. u Clean lines… in a setting where you would occur u Your illustration must take up an entire sheet of white computer paper. u Your illustration must use color and must be drawn. u Setting- A place where you would ACTUALLY BE n Point Value: 20 pts u (Equals two percentage points of your grade)

Homework Impressionist Self-Portrait n 1) Your illustration must take up an entire sheet of white computer paper. n 2) All subject matter in the painting must be illustrated using the techniques of impressionism: ONLY SHORT “BRUSHSTROKES” CAN BE USED! n 3) Your illustration must use color. n 4) Setting: Outside, Cafes, Streets of Lexington (pretty ones)

Exit Slip Identify the artist of each image and describe one characteristic of their style.