Impressionism
The beginning of Modern Art
Objectives
Understand the goals of the
Impressionists
 Identify the addition of pastel as a new art
medium
 Indentify major outside influences on
Impressionist artists
 Name the notable impressionist artists
and describe some of their works
 Place impressionism on a timeline

What came before…?
1790-1850-Romanticism
Remember the emotional-scenes full of dramaof the Romanticism artists….Turner in England
 Painted scenes at different times of day to
capture the effects of weather and time.

S. Giorgio Maggiore: Early
Morning
1819; Watercolor
J. M. W.Turner
After painting in watercolors at
the beginning of his career, he
began painting landscapes in oils.
 He became less and less
interested in showing nature in
realistic detail.
 He concentrated on the effects
that light and atmosphere have
on subject matter.
 In time, light and atmosphere
became the most important part
of Turner’s works.

Rain, Steam and Speed
1844; Oil on canvas,
J.M.W. Turner and Oils
Snow Storm:
Steamboat off a
Harbor’s Mouth
1842
Oil paint on canvas
Realism
1830-1900
In France, some artists wanted to paint
every day scenes as they really looked.
 Ordinary people were the subject matter.

Jean Francois Millet,
The Gleaners
Edouard Manet
Captured people in everyday situations
The Railway
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère,
Compare Romanticism-Realism
Modern Art
First half of 20th century
Modern Art
First half of 20th century


Modern art begins with Impressionism and continues until
present day.
Impressionism is the combination of everyday scenes and the
affects of light
Claude Monet,
La Grenouillere, 1869
Impressionism
1870-1920
Quest for Realism-one step further
Compare Realism to Impressionism
Critics said “ looks like they fired paint at
the canvas with a pistol”
At a distance-the eye blends the
color together
Impressionism
1870-1920

Rejected:
◦
◦
◦
◦

Renaissance perspective
Balance
Focal point
Painting in a studio
Main goal:
◦ To present an “impression” : a brief glimpse. This is
much like a photograph
Influences
Photography-candid (un-posed
views of people)
 Japanese prints-first imported
into France 1860’s

Contributions:
Established the artist’s right to
experiment with personal style
Color

Impressionists realized color is not permanent
but changes constantly according to the
effects of light, reflection, or weather on the
objects surface
Full sun
Dull weather
Full sun
Claude Monet Haystacks
Pastel as a new medium
Mary Cassatt. Mother Playing with Her
Child. c.1897. Pastel on paper.
Mary Cassatt. Maternal Kiss. 1897.
Pastel on paper
Edgar Degas
First to introduce pastels as a medium
Objectives revisited…..
What were the goals of the
Impressionists?
 Who was the first artist to use pastel as a
new art medium?
 What were the major outside influences
on Impressionist artists?
 Name the notable impressionist artists
and describe some of their works
 Place impressionism on a timeline

New Project
 Use pastel as the medium
1. Draw a part of an object from an unusual
angle-like Monet did with Rouen Cathedral
 Parts of the object must go off the paper
2. Draw an ordinary scene around you-such as
a classroom of students, the cafeteria at
lunch, movie theater scene, etc.
 Parts of the scene must go off the paper-like
Japanese prints did