Impressionism And Post-Impressionism

Impressionism Basic History –Painters realized that the color of the atmosphere changed at different times during the day. –They painted what they saw- bright, glaring and high-keyed colors. –Wanted to express an immediate impression, not a detailed analysis. –Originated in France and spread throughout Europe and to America.

Claude Monet ( ) Became the leading force in the Impressionist movement. Loved to work outdoors and directly confront his environment. Put dabs of color next to each other but would not blend them, he let the viewer’s eye blend them from a distance.

Claude Monet ( ) Argenteuil –Used a high-keyed palette for the sky and water. –Did not try to imitate the texture of the place, used flat brushstrokes.

Claude Monet ( ) Rouen Cathedral –Decided to paint one scene during different times of the day and in different light. –We no longer see the stone and carving, but only the light and color reflected from different surfaces. –Painted this building more than 30 times.

EdouardManet ( ) Felt that the message of the artist was the brushstrokes and patches of paint on the canvas, not the subject matter they represented. His paintings had a flatness; inspired by Japanese woodcuts.

EdouardManet ( ) Gare Saint-Lazare –Shows no dark shadows or depth, no chiaroscuro, no roundness of form –The format of the painting is like a snapshot. –He worked on this painting outdoors to capture certain effects.

EdouardManet ( ) The Waitress –Began to adopt looser, longer paint strokes and vibrating color. –A waitress posed for him at his studio. –The arrangement of figures produce a snapshot effect. –More light and dark values are used.

Edgar Degas ( ) Approached his work with intellectual curiosity. A master of line and drawing and was reluctant to abandon it in favor of the Impressionists soft contours. Painted in series – many paintings exploring the same theme over a period of time. A multi-talented artist, he was a master of oils, pastels, pencil and sculpture.

Edgar Degas ( ) Rehearsal on the Stage –Captured the instantaneous glimpse of figures in action. –Viewed from a peculiar vantage point –Composition is always calculated to produce an asymmetric balance.

Edgar Degas ( ) The Absinthe Drinker –Shows a couple who have been sitting and drinking too long at their table. –The milky green glass of absinthe is the center of interest and the purpose for the painting. –Diagonals and zigzags increase the sense of brooding and confusion.

Mary Cassett ( ) Studied at Pennsylvania Academy, left for Paris in Developed a style that combined the informal subject and composition of the Impressionists with her personal desire for precision and definition. Mothers and children were her favorite subjects.

Mary Cassett ( ) Sleeping Baby –Center of interest is the tender touching of faces of the mother and her child. –Darker values on the arms, legs draw the eyes to the center. –Uses loose pastel strokes and high- keyed colors.

James Abbott McNeill Whistler ( ) Born in America, moved to Paris in 1855, then to London 4 years later. Worked in blacks and grays Strongly influenced by Japanese prints.

James Abbott McNeill Whistler ( ) Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1: The Artist’s Mother –The vertical and horizontal shapes dominant the painting, not the likeness of the woman. –The title was selected to help the public see the painting as a design rather than a representational painting. –Painting is referred to as “Whistler’s Mother”

Post-Impressionism Basic History –Wanted to combine the color and light of Impressionism with the design and composition of traditional painting. –Two directions emerged: One looked for permanence of form and concentrated on design. One emphasized emotional and sensuous expression. –Produced a variety of unique styles.

Georges Seurat ( ) Sought a permanence of design Used methodical and scientific techniques based on photography and physics of light and color.

Georges Seurat ( ) A Sunday on La Grande Jatte –Largest and most impressive work. –Made forty preliminary studies for this painting. –Created pointillism – color is applied in tiny dots, each about the size of a pencil eraser. From a distance, the viewer’s eyes visually mix these dots together to create the vast array of hues and values that make up the painting. –Figures face either forward or sideways.

Paul Cezanne ( ) Leading painter of the late 19 th century in France. Did not want his paintings to imitate the realistic three-dimensionality of nature.

Paul Cezanne ( ) Mont Sainte-Victoire –Built up his painting by applying paint in flat, squarish patches or planes of color. –Colors and values are distributed over the picture plane to produce a visual balance.

Paul Cezanne ( ) Still Life with Apples and Peaches –Warm hues of the fruit contrast with the cool hues of the surroundings. –Every brushstroke, color change and line has a purpose. –The design of the painting was most important, not the imitation of the original still life.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec ( ) Spent most of his time in cafes, cabarets, and theaters. He drew caricatures and portraits with great skill. First artist to produce modern posters for commercial purposes. Did not consider his work worthy of display and after his death many unseen works were found in his studio.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec ( ) At the Moulin Rouge –Influenced by Degas –The diagonal table and the woman at the right seem to move forward from the picture plane.

Vincent Van Gogh ( ) Did not start out as a painter. Suffered from depression, eventually committed suicide at the age of 37. Was considered a failure during his time In ten years of painting, produced over 800 drawings and an equal number of paintings. Considered an expressionist – an artist who expresses their feelings and emotions through their work.

Vincent Van Gogh ( ) The Starry Night –Planned and balanced, but also has a feeling of gushing spontaneity. –Turns the scene of a village at night, resting peacefully under stars, into a writhing turmoil of activity.

Turn-of-the-Century Expressions Basic History –France continued to dominate the art scene in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries. –Painters express the bleakness of contemporary urban life and help trigger the beginnings of Expressionism

Edvard Munch ( ) The tragedy of losing his mother and sister at an early age greatly affected his life and painting. Concerned with death and dying, anxiety, loss and abandonment, and loneliness. His first exhibition was a disaster and had to be closed after a week.

Edvard Munch ( ) The Cry –This is a very disturbing painting where even the sky is perturbed. –We cannot see the object of fear for this figure.

Edvard Munch ( ) Girls on a Bridge –Strong diagonal with dark shapes. –Used textured brushstrokes reminiscent of van Gogh