Impressionism and
Post-Impressionism in Art
1860-1900
Influences/Characteristics
• As people grew desensitized to the emotional expression of
Romanticism, the need for a new perspective emerged
• Impressionism aimed to evoke an image or suggest an emotionsubtly
• Avoided art as commentary on morality
• Artists experimented with new techniques
– Often painted outside and were careful to capture light and
atmosphere at specific times of day
– Had to devise methods to work quickly to capture the light
– Used a few colors and applied them to canvas with bold strokes,
leaving the blending of colors to the eyes of the viewer
• Subjects often included landscapes, structures, people—anything
easily observed
– Subjects were painted as though they appeared at the moment of the
artistic creation (a snapshot of an image)
Edouard Manet
•
•
•
•
•
•
1832-1883
French
Known for his attention to the effects of light on objects in space
Painted subjects considered scandalous by the academic establishment and public
Banded together with experimental artists to exhibit rejected works in the Salon des Refuses
Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe (Luncheon on the Grass)
–
Scandalous for placing a nude woman among formally dressed gentleman
–
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Édouard_Manet_-_Le_Déjeuner_sur_l'herbe.jpg/1280px-Édouard_Manet_-_Le_Déjeuner_sur_l'herbe.jpg
•
Olympia
–
Scandalous for the inclusion of several adornments that identify the subject as a prostitute (orchid in hair, bracelet, pearl earrings, shawl. The
name Olympia was associated with prostitutes at the time
–
Ignores the flowers presented by her servant, thought to be a gift from a client
–
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Edouard_Manet_-_Olympia_-_Google_Art_Project_2.jpg
•
Boating
–
–
–
•
Excellent example of Manet’s attention to light and space
Employs sketch-like brushstrokes typical of Impressionism
http://www.mountainsoftravelphotos.com/USA%20%20New%20York%20City/Metropolitan%20Museum%20of%20Art%20Highlights/slides/Met%20Highlights%20022%20Paintings%20After%201860%20Edouard%20Manet%20Boating.jpg
Bar at the Folies Bergere
–
–
–
–
Folies Bergere was an establishment that presented a variety of entertainment, from ballets to circus acts
Barmaids at the Folis Bergere were assumed to also be prostitutes (suggested by the gentleman whose reflection appears in the
mirror)
The placement of the barmaid (looking straight ahead) is contradicted by the angle of her reflection
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Edouard_Manet,_A_Bar_at_the_Folies-Bergère.jpg
Claude Monet
•
•
•
1840-1926
French
Impression: Sunrise
– Gave “Impressionism” its name
– http://www.mystudios.com/art/impress/monet/monet-sunrise.jpg
•
Banks of the Seine, Vetheuil
–
–
–
–
–
–
•
Studies the effect of light and atmosphere on water, trees, and foliage
Colors applied in bold patches, with no attempt to integrate them on the canvas
Details of trees and foliage are vague and obscure
Horizon placed high in the painting to create a large area of foliage in the foreground
Leaves suggested by individual brushstrokes
http://0.tqn.com/d/arthistory/1/0/9/y/cdc_nga_2010-11_23.jpg
Rouen Cathedral, West Facade
– One of thirty canvases he painted of the cathedral, each a study in a different light conditions
•
This one a study in full sunlight
– Lines are imprecise; design is determined by an impression of the acrchitecture
– Color in patches of grays and tans that blend a distance away from the canvas
– http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/landscapes/claude_monet.htm
Pierre-August Renoir
•
•
•
•
1841-1919
French
Maintained more structural form than other Impressionists, but utilized the colors
and techniques of Impressionism
By the Seashore
– Landscape utilizes brushstrokes typical of Impressionist artists
– Figure of the woman maintains attention to structural form
– http://www.renoirgallery.com/paintings/large/renoir-by-the-seashore.jpg
•
Le Moulin de la Galette
– Intentional blurring of outlines
– Effect of light on color a focus of the work
•
•
•
•
Dappled (spotty) light suggests presence of trees
Variety of color gives the impression of a lively group moving around in the sunlight
Figures become less defined in the background—a few brushstrokes of color
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/PierreAuguste_Renoir,_Le_Moulin_de_la_Galette.jpg
Edgar Degas
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1834-1917
French
Known for both painting and sculpture
Ballerinas and horses were favorite subjects
Sought to represent movement in space in both his painting and sculpture
Suffered from severely deteriorating eyesight as a result of an injury during the Franco-Prussian War; as his
eyesight worsened he painted less and sculpted more
Araesque Ouverte Sur La Jambe Droite
–
–
–
Bronze sculpture
Figures balance, poise, and gesture create a graceful sense of movement
The lines of torso and limbs add to the dynamic effect
–
http://imgc.artprintimages.com/images/art-print/edgar-degas-danseuse-arabesque-ouverte-sur-la-jambe-droite-bras-gauche-en-avant-deuxieme-etude_i-G-49-4963-X1UHG00Z.jpg
La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans
–
–
–
–
–
•
Wax sculpture of a 14-year-old ballerina, Marie van Goethem
Sculpted in wax, dressed in a real bodice, tutu, and ballet slippers and has a wig of real hair. Everything except the tutu and hair
ribbon are covered in wax
28 reproductions in bronze are found in museums around the world
The original is housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Dancer_sculpture_by_Degas_at_the_Met.jpg
The Rehearsal
–
–
–
–
–
Shows a scene out of a dancer’s everyday life
Elevates the mundane, celebrates the modern experience
Attention to the positioning of the body to show movement
Use of open space invites the viewer to be a spectator; one can imagine that the dancers will soon move across the floor
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/degas/ballet/degas.rehearsal.jpg
Post-Impressionism
• Bridges Impressionism to 20th-century
movements like Expressionism and Cubism
• Maintain some of the spirit of Impressionism,
while moving in a new direction
– New techniques
• Cezanne, Gauguin, van Gogh, and Seurat
Paul Cezanne
•
•
•
•
1839-1906
French
Post-Impressionist
Reduced objects in his painting to simple geometric forms
– Used cylinders, cubes, cones, and spheres
•
•
•
Distorted nature by bringing out its natural forms (shapes)
Painted landscapes and still-life subjects
The Card Players
– Creates an arch with the arrangement of his figures
– Creates a triangle with the men’s forearms and table
– http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Card_Players-Paul_Cezanne.jpg
•
Still Life With Apples in Fruit Bowl
– http://artistpeeps.com/mygallery/user_pics/Paul-Cezanne-Still-life-with-apples-and-fruitbowl.jpg
•
Mont Sainte Victorie
– http://uploads5.wikiart.org/images/paul-cezanne/mont-sainte-victoire-3.jpg
Paul Gauguin
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1848-1903
French
Post-Impressionist
After becoming dissatisfied with life in France, he moved to Tahiti
Used bold color in flat, two-dimensional surfaces with strong outlines
His style reflects the 19th-century public’s fascination with the “exotic”
Mahana No Atua (Day of the Gods)
–
–
–
–
–
•
Gives viewers a vicarious experience of a simple lifestyle in a faraway setting
Goddess Hina is in the center
To her right, women dance the upaupa, an ancient Tahitian dance
Trio in the center symbolizes birth, life, and death
http://www.cgfaonlineartmuseum.com/gauguin/gauguin12.jpg
The Siesta
– Shows the grace and ease of the Tahitian women
– Gauguin worked on this piece for an extended period of time, making numerous changes as
he worked
– http://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ep/original/DT1952.jpg
Vincent van Gogh
•
•
•
•
1853-1890
Dutch
Post-Impressionist
Deeply religious and charitable
–
–
–
–
–
•
Style
–
–
–
•
Gave away much of his money to the needy
Lived humbly
Said to be tormented by the suffering of others and was convinced that his destiny was to bring humanity together
Had a tumultuous friendship with Gauguin, ending with the infamous cutting of his left ear
Committed suicide
Used heavy oil paint in pure colors, applied in bold strokes and heavy lines
Color, line, and texture are of equal importance
Sought to reveal the movement found in nature
The Starry Night
–
Expresses van Gogh’s feelings about nature
•
•
•
–
•
The twisting cypress tress and swirling sky contrast with the simplicity of the horizon and houses
A visual representation of the motion of the atmosphere
Polychromatic
http://www.paintwinestudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Van-Gogh-Starry-Nights.jpg
La Chambre de Van Gogh a Arles
–
–
–
–
Van Gogh’s bedroom in Arles
First of three versions of the painting
He wrote of the painting, “This time it simply reproduces my bedroom; but colour must be abundant in this part, its simplification adding a rank of grandee to
the style applied to the objects, getting to suggest a certain rest or dream. “
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/gogh/gogh.chambre-arles.jpg
Georges Seurat
•
•
•
•
1859-1891
French
Post-Impressionist
Style called pointillism
– Placed thousands of small dots of pigment on the canvas that merged
into shapes
• Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
– Incorporates pointillism
– Forms are geometrically stylized and integrate dots of color in varying
hues
– Spatial recession achieved by the progessively smaller size of
background figures
– Little sense of movement—figures appear static
– http://www.galleryintell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/SeuratGrande-Jatte1.jpg