Impressionism







“To
depict
visual
sensations
as
experienced
at
a
certain
time
and
place”
­­
Impressionist
Group
Credo
The
first
artistic
revolution
since
the
Renaissance,
it
has
become
one
of
the
most
popular
stylistic
periods
in
the
history
of
Western
art.
Where
did
it
begin?
Paris,
France
When
did
it
begin?
Early
1860s
(lasted
approximately
15
years)
What
were
their
interests?
The
effect
of
light
on
colour
What
was
their
goal?
Create
a
spontaneous
impression
of
light
through
colour.
Who
were
they?
They
all
started
as
Realists
(artists
interested
in
representing
what
they
saw,
through
natural
colours
and
in
natural
outdoor
settings)
Why
did
they
change?
They
realized
that
colour
changed
objects
and
their
appearance
as
the
light
of
day
changed.
Therefore
they
wanted
to
depict
objects
exactly
as
they
saw
them
at
that
specific
time
of
day
‐‐an
immediate
impression
(overall
effect)
of
what
they
saw,
not
a
detailed
representation.
OPTICAL
MIXING:
Technique
used
by
Impressionist
artists
in
which
the
viewer’s
eye
blends
juxtaposed
dots
of
colour
from
a
distance.
Historical
Context:
1852:
Revolution
in
Paris.

Establishment
of
the
Second
Empire
taken
up
by
Napoleon’s
nephew,
Napoleon
III

Major
revitalization
and
modernization
of
Paris
by
Baron
Haussman.
Its
Medieval
infrastructure
was
inadequate
for
the
growing
population.
Disease
was
a
concern
due
to
open
sewage
on
streets.
It
was
desirable
to
break
up
neighbourhoods
who
had
settled
in
their
political
beliefs.

The
goal
was
to
connect
central
monuments,
such
as
the
Arc
de
Triomphe,
through
widened
boulevards,
as
an
easy
way
to
move
the
army
through
the
city.

Haussmann
was
also
interested
in
revitalizing
the
cultural
and
social
atmosphere
in
Paris.
Thousands
of
jobs
were
created
to
widen
streets.
The
cultural
goal
was
to
make
Paris
the
most
beautiful
and
culturally
progressive
city
in
the
world
by
redesigning
store
fronts,
tearing
down
old
buildings
and
rebuilding.

Flânerie
became
a
common
pastime,
as
Parisians
enjoyed
the
new
Paris.
Flânerie:
aimless
strolling
and
people‐watching
Flâneur:
an
idle
man.
Men
would
sit
in
the
new
outdoor
cafés
and
watch
people
pass
by.
Often
women
were
the
direction
of
their
gaze.
However,
with
the
new
department
stores,
which
offered
affordable
and
fashionable
clothing
to
women
of
all
statuses,
it
was
difficult
to
decipher
a
prostitute
from
a
“lady”.
Women
began
to
return
the
gaze.
Flèneur:
female
version
of
flâneur
AVI4M1
‐
C.
Melo
1
Claude Monet (1840-1926)
Monet
was
the
leader
of
the
Impressionists
The
movement
first
received
its
name
“Impressionism”
due
to
an
art
critic
mocking
Monet’s
painting
Impression:
Sunrise.
The
title
of
Impressionism
stuck
with
the
group
of
artists,
even
though
many
didn’t
like
its
sarcastic
origins.
 In
the
beginning,
Monet
was
a
Realist.
He
met
young
Realist
Eugene
Boudin
in
1856
and
they
worked
together
in
Boudin’s
studio.
They
became
life
long
friends.
Boudin’s
influence
may
be
seen
in
Monet’s
early
paintings.
 At
this
time
he
was
beginning
his
interest
in
light
which
may
be
seen
in
the
flat
patches
of
colour
to
represent
the
light
rather
than
texture
of
objects
in
his
painting
Argenteuil,
1872.
 Soon
after,
his
work
changed
drastically
‐
flat
brushstrokes
were
replaced
with
a
shimmering
effect.
Characteristics:

Used
optical
mixing

Painted
outdoors

Shimmering
effect
created
by:
o placing
dabs
of
colours
beside
one
another
without
mixing
o providing
no
definite
edges
or
contours
o painted
the
same
subject
at
different
times
of
the
day/different
times
of
year/under
different
light
Monet,
Rouen
Cathedral:
The
Portal
(in
Sun),
1894
Monet,
Rouen
Cathedral,
West
Façade,
Morning
Light,
1894
Monet
visited
Rouen
on
three
occasions
and
completed
20
views
of
Rouen
Cathedral
Monet,
Water
Lilies,
1920
Monet
later
moved
his
family
to
Givenchy.
In
1909
his
wife
and
eldest
son
died.
He
decided
to
begin
painting
large‐scale
paintings
of
his
water
lilies
and
Japanese
bridge.
He
created
a
studio
where
he
could
store
his
20‐foot
long
canvases.
Paintings
of
this
scale
at
this
time
were
unusual.
AVI4M1
‐
C.
Melo
2
Edouard Manet (1832-1883)
Manet
was
Monet’s
predecessor
and
unofficial
leader
of
the
movement
Manet
was
influenced
by
the
paintings
and
brushwork
of
Diego
Velazquez
and
Francisco
Goya.
Manet
became
the
inspiration
for
the
Impressionists
because
of
his
interest
in
recording
fleeting
moments
or
“impressions”
of
everyday
Parisian
life.
Characteristics:

Early
work:
painted
using
flat
even
patches
of
colour
to
emphasize
his
interest
in
colour
arrangement
over
imitation
of
nature.
(no
dark
shadows
of
depth,
chiaroscuro
and
limited
roundness
of
form
in
the
modeling
of
the
figures)
The
subject
matter
was
the
brushstrokes
and
patches
of
paint.
The
object
matter
is
what
he
painted.
This
is
a
very
modern
and
revolutionary
concept.
As
such,
Manet
is
often
considered
the
forefather
of
Modernism.

Later
work:
adopted
looser,
longer
strokes
and
vibrating
colour
of
Impressionists
BUT
returns
to
his
early
style
for
his
last
masterpiece,
Bar
at
Folies­Bergère.

Documented
people
in
the
newly
renovated
Paris.
(Captured
and
became
part
of
the
new
past
time
of
people‐watching
“flânerie”.)

Captured
ephemeral
(momentary/fleeting/brief)
moments

Painted
women
as
the
fléneur,
instead
of
the
object
of
the
gaze,
to
depict
women
as
individuals.
Manet,
Olympia,
1863
Critics
thought
this
painting
was
hideous
and
obscene
because
her
skin
seems
blotchy,
they
didn’t
value
referencing
the
past
to
make
it
contemporary,
and
Manet
painted
a
prostitute
as
a
prostitute.
Manet
references
Titian’s
painting
Venus
of
Urbino,
1538.
Differences…

She
is
outlined
with
a
thin
black
line
and
she
is
not
as
“finished”
i.e.
nipples
and
hands
not
as
described
as
in
Titian’s.

Manet
does
not
hire
her
to
pretend
to
be
Venus.
Her
name
is
Olympia
(common
name
for
a
cortisan
(higher
rank
of
prostitute).

Her
hand
sits
solidly
on
her
crotch,
making
it
clear
that
this
is
a
financial
transaction
and
she
will
move
it
away
until
you
pay.
Manet
places
her
in
a
new
position
of
power
and
signals
the
end
of
the
female
nude
as
it
had
been
portrayed
in
the
past.

Her
gaze!
She
stares
at
the
man…
not
in
a
coquettish
(flirty)
way,
but
in
a
strong
feminist
manner!
Manet,
Gare
Saint­Lazare,
1873
Notice
how
the
woman
returns
the
gaze.
She
is
not
just
the
subject
of
the
flâneur;
rather,
she
is
the
fléneur.
Manet,
Bar
at
Folies­Bergère,
1883
This
was
Manet’s
final
masterpiece.
As
the
viewer,
we
are
participants
in
the
painting.
We
do
not
observe
the
people
in
the
bar;
we
are
at
the
bar.
AVI4M1
‐
C.
Melo
3
Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
Degas
was
an
amateur
photographer
and
worked
with
Eadweard
Muybridge,
who
studied
the
human
body
and
horses
in
motion.
He
applied
this
knowledge
to
capture
the
spontaneous
action
of
figures.
Later
in
life
when
Degas
began
to
lose
his
eyesight,
he
became
a
sculptor
to
continue
expressing
the
action
of
figures.
Characteristics:

Interested
in
capturing
candid
moments
and
casual
subjects.

Created
series
(many
paintings
exploring
the
same
theme)

Ballet
and
the
dancers
in
action
was
a
favourite
subject.

Painted
from
interesting
angles

Asymmetrical
balance
(clustering
of
figures
to
one
side,
open
space
on
the
other)

The
first
artist
to
exhibit
works
in
pastel
as
finished
artworks,
rather
than
studies.

Used
line
around
figures
to
accentuate
their
bodies
Degas,
The
Rehearsal
on
the
Stage,
1874
Degas
chose
to
use
pastels
for
his
ballet
series
to
convey
the
colour
and
excitement
of
the
ballet.
It
also
allowed
for
more
immediate
depiction
than
oil.
Degas,
The
Absinthe
Drinker,
1876



Degas
was
not
enchanted
with
the
new
Parisian
social
life
and
chose
to
depict
flâneurie
from
a
different
perspective.
The
woman
and
man
sit
beside
each
other,
but
do
not
engage
in
conversation.
Instead
they
stare
off
into
the
rest
of
the
café.
Degas
has
composed
the
tables
in
a
zig‐zag
to
heighten
the
sense
of
confusion
and
drunkenness
(Absinthe
is
a
highly
alcoholic
drink)
Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)
Characteristics:

Interested
in
painting
women
and
the
nude
figure

Flickering
light

Never
uses
black
paint.
Instead
all
shadows
are
deep
blue.

Happy
mood
Renoir,
Dance
at
the
Moulin
de
la
Galette
Montmartre,
1876
This
painting
is
the
essence
of
Impressionism
because:

It
captures
people
at
a
Sunday
afternoon
dance
in
the
popular
and
artsy
district
in
Paris,
Montmartre.

We
see
people
outside
engaged
in
conversation
and
dancing…
and
people
watching

Use
of
flickering
light

notice
the
way
the
light
filters
through
the
trees
on
the
people
dancing
casting
odd
shadows
on
them.
AVI4M1
‐
C.
Melo
4
Mary Cassatt (1845-1926)
Born
in
Philadelphia.
After
studying
art
at
the
Pennsylvania
Academy,
she
left
for
Paris
in
1865,
where
she
quickly
became
acquainted
with
the
Impressionists,
especially
Degas.
Her
artwork
was
not
appreciated
or
recognized
in
the
U.S.,
which
kept
her
in
Europe.
However,
she
was
highly
influential
in
recruiting
several
American
families
to
purchase
Impressionist
artworks
by
the
male
members
of
the
group.
Consequently,
the
U.S.
has
a
large
collection
of
Impressionist
artworks
in
their
museums,
which
have
been
donated
by
these
families.
Cassatt,
Sleeping
Baby,
about
1910
Characteristics:

Cassatt
combined
Impressionist’s
informal
subject
matter
with
her
interest
in
precise
definition
of
forms.

Mothers
and
children
were
favourite
subjects.
She
depicted
their
mutual
love
through
the
use
of
pastels
and
oils.

She
used
line
along
limbs
to
add
solidity
to
the
forms
(influenced
by
Degas)

Loose
pastel
strokes

High‐keyed
colour
Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)
For homework, read page 429 of your textbook and answer the following questions.
1. How are Rodin’s sculptures similar to Impressionist paintings?
2. What are his characteristics?
3. Explain his sculptural process.
4. List and explain the artworks discussed in the reading.
AVI4M1
‐
C.
Melo
5