Question: What is the artist using the landscape to accomplish? How can the viewer tell? What visual evidence is there? Consider the different goals of Romantic artists and Impressionist artists.

Romanticism usually Romantic works have dramatic and intensely emotional subject matter Romantic landscape painting is dramatic the content emphasizes turbulent or fantastic natural scenery disasters the sublime (something that inspires awe) naturalistic the content represents tranquil nature the content signals a religious reverence toward nature Romantic painting is characterized by fluid, loose brushwork strong colors complex compositions powerful contrasts of light and dark expressive poses and gestures

Impressionism Impressionism began as a loose association of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence in the 1870s and 1880s. The name of the movement is derived from the title of Monet’s Impression: Sunrise which provoked a critic to describe his work satirically as just a bunch of impressions—not “real” painting at all. Recall what officially-sanctioned Academy works looked like at this moment in time. For example, Rosa Bonheur’s Plowing at Nivernais: The Dressing of the Vines or Ingres’ Bouguereau’s Nymphs and Satyr. Each of these works has a surface that is perfectly smooth, finsihed; the brush is not visible.

Impressionism Works of art that are considered examples of impressionism have a few of these characteristics: visible brushstrokes the artist is usually interested in representing the particular quality of light of a specific moment often the works are painted in en plein air (outdoors) paint is used opaquely (not painted on in thin glazes like Rogier van der Weyden did in the painting Portrait of a Lady) often the work is framed in an abrupt manner (figures are truncated) Nota Bene: the mid-century introduction of premixed paints in lead tubes (resembling modern toothpaste tubes) allowed artists to work more spontaneously; before, artists had to laboriously mix their own paints.

japonisme These characteristics suggest that the artist was probably influenced by Japanese woodblock prints. a tendency toward flatness (the background presses toward the surface or foreground of the image) flat areas of strong color surface patterning; the decorative quality of the surface pattern becomes almost as important as the content represetned asymmetrical composition (the compositional freedom in placing the subject off-centre) abrupt framing a lack of perspective and shadow a high horizon line

Learn what artist made each of these works. Educate yourself about their particular style. Think about how you could tell a Degas from a Cassat or a Caillebotte from a Larsson or a PIssaro from a Corot.

A lousy slide, but these are all Rouen cathedral….I like the wheat stacks better….