AH2101 Essay on Modern Art, Impressionism
Modern Art Essay - Impressionism
This essay will discuss a brief overview of the art movement, impressionism, which ran from approximately 1865 to 1885, using the works of Claude Monet, Édouard Manet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The conventions of the art movement in terms of techniques and subject matter, as well as the context in Europe which bred these changes will be explored in detail. An example of this would be the movement away from the conventions of the Paris Salon in terms of palette, paint technique, subject matter, as well as an increase in the artists' own autonomy over exhibition spaces. The significance of impressionism allowed artists to grapple with the effects the rapid socio-economic changes had on the psyche and perception. This is in addition to revolutionising the diverse ways in which to capture the same objective scene in subjective ways, and an appreciation for fleeting moments in everyday life.
Manet's frequent rejections from the Paris Salon led him to openly discuss the oppressiveness of the Jury in their conservative views and unwillingness to deviate from romantic and neoclassical conventions (Delacour, 2011). However, in the first exhibition where the public were able to view rejected works from the Salon- Salon des Refusés- "The Luncheon on the Grass" brought much attention due to the juxtaposition of the clothed men with the nude woman (Puchko, 2016). The contrast between the dark natural surroundings and her light palour of skin draws the eye to her as the main focal point, as well as the woman behind, who is barely dressed. This challenged the propriety of audiences at the time, but garnered mixed reviews, leading the Jury's views on Salon art in general to become relativised, and more open to critique from the public. This increased interest opened opportunities for artists to later begin displaying their work in independent exhibition spaces outside the Salon. This painting is indicated as being an early impressionist work due to the use of soft lines to create non-idealised subjects and discrepancies in the depth of the background. The forest looks flat, and the bathing woman is scaled only slightly smaller than her counterparts, contributing to the unclear visual dimensions.
"Olympia" garnered similar shock from the public, in line with the fact that both pieces had implications of prostitution (thus opening a previously taboo subject up for discussion) and the gender difference in France at the time. The painting depicts a nude prostitute lying in a way similar to Titian's "Venus of Urbino". In both cases, the parallel composition of the subject's body draws the eye to her body, rather than the face. However, in comparing the two, as well as the drastically different responses to them, the Paris Salon Jury's conservative conventions at the time can be deduced, including a bias towards academic paintings which featured historical, biblical or mythological scenes depicting idealised subjects through the use of clean, hard lines and shading to create the effect of depth and shadow. The placement of the servant in the scene firmly localises the scene in that time period, such that to impose the position of a Goddess on a modern everyday woman suggested a deliberate deviation towards realism . This was a movement in which artists such as Gustave Courbet chose to paint more urban and contemporary scenes, rather than the aforementioned classical or fantastical scenes, and depict human subjects more realistically. Whilst the subject in "Venus of Urbino" averts her gaze, the subject in "Olympia" stares forward with a confrontational, almost interrogatory gaze (Bernheimer, 2010). This gaze, coupled with the small accessories (flower, bracelet, shoes) serve to emphasize her unabashed nakedness, which was
deviant from any idea of modesty, save for the fact that her left hand covers her pubis. The smoothness to this painting as seen from the flatness of the bed and lack of contouring on her body is contributed to by the concealed brushwork, which gives the image an illusory aspect.
Renoir's " Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette" reflects a key characteristic of Impressionist painting: that of open composition. Although he may not have officially or strictly considered himself an impressionist painter, Renoir's work was greatly influential to other impressionist painters, and he often displayed his works alongside them. The figures at the edge of the painting are cut off by its border, rather than being contained within it, giving the piece a sense of movement. The foreground and middle ground is also densely packed with people in casual postures, giving the impression of a large crowd in a lively atmosphere (Kleiner, 2013). The increasing depiction of ordinary citizens is reflective of rising socialist tendencies at the time, following the publication of The Communist Manifesto. It is implied that the bustling crowd is comprised mostly of the middle class through the style of their clothing, which reflects the effects that the industrial revolution had on population demographics at the time. People living on the outskirts began to migrate inwards due to increased work opportunities in the city, thereby contributing to the rapidly growing middle class. The use of natural light as opposed to studio light (which was the convention prior to this), as seen through the painting of shadows cast on figures by the sun, suggest the transience of the moment which were directly at odds with classical paintings, which aimed to look ageless and ubiquitous.
One can compare the aforementioned with "The Grands Boulevards" in which Renoir shifts the focus from individual subjects, to the effects of light on a landscape, which reflects the tendency for Impressionist artists to begin experimenting with painting outdoors. Again, open composition is used here as the building on the right is not strictly contained within the frame, making the painting seem dynamic and energetic, though slightly less so than that of " Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette". To reiterate the shift in focus away from individuals in "The Grands Boulevards", the human figures take up less than half of the canvas, slightly above the immediate foreground, and faces cannot be seen, removing the subjects' individuality. This is compounded by Renoir's short brush strokes which give the audience a blurry, almost two-dimensional point of view (Harris and Zucker, 2012). This seems to be intentional on Renoir's (as well as other impressionist artists') part, as one of the reasons to use this technique was to emphasize the subjectivity of human perception. However, it must be noted that the palate for this piece is slightly more muted, in comparison to many of Monet's paintings, which highlights the differential emphasis the 2 artists placed on light and the human subject despite allegedly occasionally painting in the same areas along the Seine River. This serves to compound the subjectivity of the artists' differing perspectives on objective scenes.
In a wide and open outdoor setting, Monet painted " Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son", a depiction of his family on a windy day. The movement brought about by the wind is brilliantly captured, through the seemingly haphazard white brushstrokes in the sky, contrasting the mass of colour where the grass is (Hanson, 2014). The shadow cast onto the grass has tinges of blue and green, reminiscent of the blue shadows seen on snow. Compositionally, Monet's wife takes centre stage, despite having delineated features, as the focal point in this painting, with the audience's point of view made slightly lower than normal, so that she looks tall, and almost as if she and her son are at the top of a hill. Monet's prowess in capturing natural light accurately can be seen from the largely consistent way that the sunlight hits the top of her parasol, the back of her dress and part of the grass not obscured by her shadow, using brighter tones for these areas and placing
dominant colours next to each other. The informality of the piece suggests the closeness between Monet and his family. Additionally, the brightness of the painting as a whole speaks to feelings of happiness and ease with the viewer, in comparison to the somber palate of works prior to impressionism. This contrasts his later piece " Camille Monet on her deathbed", which poignantly depicts his wife in her dying days. The colour contrast is evident in the sheer lack of variation in the hue of the latter poem. Though Monet's signature style can still be seen, his use of black and gray increase, possibly reflective of Monet's grief at his wife's failing health.
In general, Monet's paintings seem to carry a sense of luminosity, and seem to focus heavily on the effects of light, which was one of the primary focal points in impressionism, and it is for this reason that his works are the most representative of the impressionist aesthetic. The technical progress in painting under natural light successfully captured the passage of time through a visual medium This can be mostly clearly seen in his extensive study of the "Rouen Cathedral", in which he painted the cathedral more than 30 times at different times of the day to capture the effects of shadows on the building (Kleiner, 2013). His brushstrokes in the Rouen series, as well as some landscape pieces such as "Haystacks (sunset)" (which employs a similar medium in observing natural light and its effects on the environment across time and space), are so small and the impasto paint so thick that they have an almost pointillist effects, creating illusory vibrancy by leaving spaces between each brushstroke and leaving the paint unblended. As a medium, Monet experimented with water as well in " The Cliff at Étretat after the Storm", capturing the shimmering quality of the sun as it is reflected off the sea (Impressionism, n.d.). In his extensive pursuit of portraying light, Monet's art reflected changing sentiments towards art at the time. With the advent of photography and new technology, the use of art purely as a way to capture a moment in accuracy began to dwindle, making way for the impressionist's styles of manipulating perception and time through paintings. The experimentation they provided through their art also paved the way to establish 19th century colour theory and complementary colours, which was integral to post-impressionist artists like Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh.
Returning to the piece with gave Impressionism its name, Monet's " Impression, sunrise" was likely inspired by a desire to use art to fuel postwar patriotism following France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. The symbolic element of this was greatly influential to later artists, and even musicians and writers, who began to include symbolism and iconography into their works (Kleiner, 2013). The haziness of the painting stands as a testament of Impressionism as a legitimate form of art, because although it was mocked for merely capturing an impression, rather than actuality, strangely enough, that evolved to bring Impressionism to its golden age, by embracing subjectivity and giving greater freedom to opinionated viewers and artists alike. The characteristic short brushstrokes provide the overall impression or essence of the object, rather than finely detailed work, which lends more room to variability, thus making it easier to look through the artist's eyes. In this case, it has the additional effect of blurring the horizon line between the sea and the sky, thereby providing the impression of an almost ethereal limitless expanse of space.
Impressionism grew out a realist movements, fueled by revolutionary socio-economic changes, which then impacted the way not only the Salon, but also the general public, thought about art in terms of what it was and what it should be. Although Manet, Monet and Renoir may have endured criticisms for their experimentation, they allowed viewers all across time and space to come to look closer at our everyday environment in different ways, and to find appreciation in the concepts of
transience, exploring the unknown, and accepting the unfamiliar. The appeal of impressionism thus remains, according to Phil Hanson, ”the ability to capture a moment, as if at a glance".
Word Count: 1992
References
Berhneimer, C. (2010). Manet's Olympia: The Figuration of Scandal. Duke University Press.
Delacour, H. (2011). The Decline and Fall of the Paris Salon : a Study of the Deinstitutionalization Pro cess of a Field Configuring Event in the Cultural Activities. Retrieved from https://www.cairn.info/revue-management-2011-1-page-436.htm
Kleiner, F.S. (2013). Gardner's Art through the Ages. Cengage Learning.
Hanson, P. [Philinthecircle]. (2014). Impressionism - Overview from Phil Hansen [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuOonogw-TM
Harris, B. and Zucker, S. (2012). Renoir's The Grands Boulevards. Smarthistory. Khan Academy.
Impressionism. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Impressionism.pdf
Puchko, K. (2016). 15 Things You Might Not Know About Manet's Luncheon on the Grass. Retrieved from http://mentalfloss.com/article/72782/15-things-you-might-not-know-about-manets-luncheon-grass
This essay will discuss a brief overview of the art movement, impressionism, which ran from approximately 1865 to 1885, using the works of Claude Monet, Édouard Manet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The conventions of the art movement in terms of techniques and subject matter, as well as the context in Europe which bred these changes will be explored in detail. An example of this would be the movement away from the conventions of the Paris Salon in terms of palette, paint technique, subject matter, as well as an increase in the artists' own autonomy over exhibition spaces. The significance of impressionism allowed artists to grapple with the effects the rapid socio-economic changes had on the psyche and perception. This is in addition to revolutionising the diverse ways in which to capture the same objective scene in subjective ways, and an appreciation for fleeting moments in everyday life.
Manet's frequent rejections from the Paris Salon led him to openly discuss the oppressiveness of the Jury in their conservative views and unwillingness to deviate from romantic and neoclassical conventions (Delacour, 2011). However, in the first exhibition where the public were able to view rejected works from the Salon- Salon des Refusés- "The Luncheon on the Grass" brought much attention due to the juxtaposition of the clothed men with the nude woman (Puchko, 2016). The contrast between the dark natural surroundings and her light palour of skin draws the eye to her as the main focal point, as well as the woman behind, who is barely dressed. This challenged the propriety of audiences at the time, but garnered mixed reviews, leading the Jury's views on Salon art in general to become relativised, and more open to critique from the public. This increased interest opened opportunities for artists to later begin displaying their work in independent exhibition spaces outside the Salon. This painting is indicated as being an early impressionist work due to the use of soft lines to create non-idealised subjects and discrepancies in the depth of the background. The forest looks flat, and the bathing woman is scaled only slightly smaller than her counterparts, contributing to the unclear visual dimensions.
"Olympia" garnered similar shock from the public, in line with the fact that both pieces had implications of prostitution (thus opening a previously taboo subject up for discussion) and the gender difference in France at the time. The painting depicts a nude prostitute lying in a way similar to Titian's "Venus of Urbino". In both cases, the parallel composition of the subject's body draws the eye to her body, rather than the face. However, in comparing the two, as well as the drastically different responses to them, the Paris Salon Jury's conservative conventions at the time can be deduced, including a bias towards academic paintings which featured historical, biblical or mythological scenes depicting idealised subjects through the use of clean, hard lines and shading to create the effect of depth and shadow. The placement of the servant in the scene firmly localises the scene in that time period, such that to impose the position of a Goddess on a modern everyday woman suggested a deliberate deviation towards realism . This was a movement in which artists such as Gustave Courbet chose to paint more urban and contemporary scenes, rather than the aforementioned classical or fantastical scenes, and depict human subjects more realistically. Whilst the subject in "Venus of Urbino" averts her gaze, the subject in "Olympia" stares forward with a confrontational, almost interrogatory gaze (Bernheimer, 2010). This gaze, coupled with the small accessories (flower, bracelet, shoes) serve to emphasize her unabashed nakedness, which was
deviant from any idea of modesty, save for the fact that her left hand covers her pubis. The smoothness to this painting as seen from the flatness of the bed and lack of contouring on her body is contributed to by the concealed brushwork, which gives the image an illusory aspect.
Renoir's " Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette" reflects a key characteristic of Impressionist painting: that of open composition. Although he may not have officially or strictly considered himself an impressionist painter, Renoir's work was greatly influential to other impressionist painters, and he often displayed his works alongside them. The figures at the edge of the painting are cut off by its border, rather than being contained within it, giving the piece a sense of movement. The foreground and middle ground is also densely packed with people in casual postures, giving the impression of a large crowd in a lively atmosphere (Kleiner, 2013). The increasing depiction of ordinary citizens is reflective of rising socialist tendencies at the time, following the publication of The Communist Manifesto. It is implied that the bustling crowd is comprised mostly of the middle class through the style of their clothing, which reflects the effects that the industrial revolution had on population demographics at the time. People living on the outskirts began to migrate inwards due to increased work opportunities in the city, thereby contributing to the rapidly growing middle class. The use of natural light as opposed to studio light (which was the convention prior to this), as seen through the painting of shadows cast on figures by the sun, suggest the transience of the moment which were directly at odds with classical paintings, which aimed to look ageless and ubiquitous.
One can compare the aforementioned with "The Grands Boulevards" in which Renoir shifts the focus from individual subjects, to the effects of light on a landscape, which reflects the tendency for Impressionist artists to begin experimenting with painting outdoors. Again, open composition is used here as the building on the right is not strictly contained within the frame, making the painting seem dynamic and energetic, though slightly less so than that of " Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette". To reiterate the shift in focus away from individuals in "The Grands Boulevards", the human figures take up less than half of the canvas, slightly above the immediate foreground, and faces cannot be seen, removing the subjects' individuality. This is compounded by Renoir's short brush strokes which give the audience a blurry, almost two-dimensional point of view (Harris and Zucker, 2012). This seems to be intentional on Renoir's (as well as other impressionist artists') part, as one of the reasons to use this technique was to emphasize the subjectivity of human perception. However, it must be noted that the palate for this piece is slightly more muted, in comparison to many of Monet's paintings, which highlights the differential emphasis the 2 artists placed on light and the human subject despite allegedly occasionally painting in the same areas along the Seine River. This serves to compound the subjectivity of the artists' differing perspectives on objective scenes.
In a wide and open outdoor setting, Monet painted " Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son", a depiction of his family on a windy day. The movement brought about by the wind is brilliantly captured, through the seemingly haphazard white brushstrokes in the sky, contrasting the mass of colour where the grass is (Hanson, 2014). The shadow cast onto the grass has tinges of blue and green, reminiscent of the blue shadows seen on snow. Compositionally, Monet's wife takes centre stage, despite having delineated features, as the focal point in this painting, with the audience's point of view made slightly lower than normal, so that she looks tall, and almost as if she and her son are at the top of a hill. Monet's prowess in capturing natural light accurately can be seen from the largely consistent way that the sunlight hits the top of her parasol, the back of her dress and part of the grass not obscured by her shadow, using brighter tones for these areas and placing
dominant colours next to each other. The informality of the piece suggests the closeness between Monet and his family. Additionally, the brightness of the painting as a whole speaks to feelings of happiness and ease with the viewer, in comparison to the somber palate of works prior to impressionism. This contrasts his later piece " Camille Monet on her deathbed", which poignantly depicts his wife in her dying days. The colour contrast is evident in the sheer lack of variation in the hue of the latter poem. Though Monet's signature style can still be seen, his use of black and gray increase, possibly reflective of Monet's grief at his wife's failing health.
In general, Monet's paintings seem to carry a sense of luminosity, and seem to focus heavily on the effects of light, which was one of the primary focal points in impressionism, and it is for this reason that his works are the most representative of the impressionist aesthetic. The technical progress in painting under natural light successfully captured the passage of time through a visual medium This can be mostly clearly seen in his extensive study of the "Rouen Cathedral", in which he painted the cathedral more than 30 times at different times of the day to capture the effects of shadows on the building (Kleiner, 2013). His brushstrokes in the Rouen series, as well as some landscape pieces such as "Haystacks (sunset)" (which employs a similar medium in observing natural light and its effects on the environment across time and space), are so small and the impasto paint so thick that they have an almost pointillist effects, creating illusory vibrancy by leaving spaces between each brushstroke and leaving the paint unblended. As a medium, Monet experimented with water as well in " The Cliff at Étretat after the Storm", capturing the shimmering quality of the sun as it is reflected off the sea (Impressionism, n.d.). In his extensive pursuit of portraying light, Monet's art reflected changing sentiments towards art at the time. With the advent of photography and new technology, the use of art purely as a way to capture a moment in accuracy began to dwindle, making way for the impressionist's styles of manipulating perception and time through paintings. The experimentation they provided through their art also paved the way to establish 19th century colour theory and complementary colours, which was integral to post-impressionist artists like Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh.
Returning to the piece with gave Impressionism its name, Monet's " Impression, sunrise" was likely inspired by a desire to use art to fuel postwar patriotism following France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. The symbolic element of this was greatly influential to later artists, and even musicians and writers, who began to include symbolism and iconography into their works (Kleiner, 2013). The haziness of the painting stands as a testament of Impressionism as a legitimate form of art, because although it was mocked for merely capturing an impression, rather than actuality, strangely enough, that evolved to bring Impressionism to its golden age, by embracing subjectivity and giving greater freedom to opinionated viewers and artists alike. The characteristic short brushstrokes provide the overall impression or essence of the object, rather than finely detailed work, which lends more room to variability, thus making it easier to look through the artist's eyes. In this case, it has the additional effect of blurring the horizon line between the sea and the sky, thereby providing the impression of an almost ethereal limitless expanse of space.
Impressionism grew out a realist movements, fueled by revolutionary socio-economic changes, which then impacted the way not only the Salon, but also the general public, thought about art in terms of what it was and what it should be. Although Manet, Monet and Renoir may have endured criticisms for their experimentation, they allowed viewers all across time and space to come to look closer at our everyday environment in different ways, and to find appreciation in the concepts of
transience, exploring the unknown, and accepting the unfamiliar. The appeal of impressionism thus remains, according to Phil Hanson, ”the ability to capture a moment, as if at a glance".
Word Count: 1992
References
Berhneimer, C. (2010). Manet's Olympia: The Figuration of Scandal. Duke University Press.
Delacour, H. (2011). The Decline and Fall of the Paris Salon : a Study of the Deinstitutionalization Pro cess of a Field Configuring Event in the Cultural Activities. Retrieved from https://www.cairn.info/revue-management-2011-1-page-436.htm
Kleiner, F.S. (2013). Gardner's Art through the Ages. Cengage Learning.
Hanson, P. [Philinthecircle]. (2014). Impressionism - Overview from Phil Hansen [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuOonogw-TM
Harris, B. and Zucker, S. (2012). Renoir's The Grands Boulevards. Smarthistory. Khan Academy.
Impressionism. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Impressionism.pdf
Puchko, K. (2016). 15 Things You Might Not Know About Manet's Luncheon on the Grass. Retrieved from http://mentalfloss.com/article/72782/15-things-you-might-not-know-about-manets-luncheon-grass
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