👨🏻‍🎤European Art and Civilization – 1400 to Present Unit 6 – Impressionism & Post-Impressionism

What's the Deal with Impressionism?

• Emerged in Paris, France during the 1860s and 1870s as a radical departure from traditional art styles
• Focused on capturing fleeting moments, light, and color rather than creating highly detailed, realistic scenes
• Emphasized the artist's perception and impression of a subject over strict adherence to realism
• Influenced by advancements in color theory and the availability of portable paint tubes that allowed artists to work outdoors (en plein air)
• Rejected the rigid rules and conventions of the French Academy of Fine Arts, which favored historical, mythological, and religious subjects
• Embraced modernity, depicting everyday life, leisure activities, and the changing urban and rural landscapes of the time
• Key characteristics include visible brushstrokes, vivid colors, open composition, and an emphasis on light and its changing qualities

Key Artists and Their Vibes

• Claude Monet known for his series paintings of haystacks, water lilies, and the Rouen Cathedral that explored the effects of light and color at different times of day
• Pierre-Auguste Renoir celebrated beauty, sensuality, and joie de vivre in his paintings of social gatherings, portraits, and female nudes
• Édouard Manet a key figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism, his controversial works (Luncheon on the Grass, Olympia) challenged social norms and artistic conventions
• Edgar Degas captured the movement and grace of ballet dancers, racehorses, and everyday Parisian life, often employing unusual viewpoints and cropped compositions
• Camille Pissarro painted rural and urban landscapes, as well as scenes of peasant life, with a keen eye for the effects of light and atmosphere
• Alfred Sisley devoted himself to landscape painting, capturing the subtle changes in the natural world across different seasons and weather conditions
• Berthe Morisot one of the few prominent female Impressionists, known for her intimate domestic scenes, portraits, and garden paintings that showcased her unique brushwork and color palette

Techniques That Shook Things Up

• Broken color applying pure, unmixed colors in short, distinct brushstrokes that optically blend when viewed from a distance, creating a vibrant, shimmering effect
• Wet-on-wet painting applying wet paint onto a still-wet surface, allowing colors to blend and mix directly on the canvas, resulting in softer edges and a more spontaneous look
  • This technique required artists to work quickly and decisively, as the paint would dry rapidly
• Impasto using thick, textured brushstrokes that leave visible traces of the artist's hand, adding depth, dimension, and a tactile quality to the painting
• Sketchy, unblended brushwork leaving brushstrokes visible and unblended, emphasizing the artist's personal touch and the immediacy of the painting process
  • This approach challenged the traditional notion of a highly polished, "finished" work of art
• High-keyed color palette employing bright, pure colors directly from the tube, rather than the muted, earth-toned colors favored by academic painters
  • This bold use of color helped capture the intensity of natural light and convey a sense of energy and vitality
• Plein air painting working outdoors to directly observe and capture the effects of light, color, and atmosphere on the subject
  • This practice was made possible by the introduction of portable paint tubes and easels, allowing artists to leave their studios and paint on location

From Realism to Impressionism: The Big Shift

• Realism, which preceded Impressionism, aimed to depict the world as it appeared, without idealization or romanticization
  • Realist artists like Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet focused on everyday subjects, often highlighting social issues and the lives of the working class
• Impressionists built upon the Realist tradition of depicting contemporary life but shifted their focus to the ephemeral qualities of light, color, and atmosphere
• While Realists often used a muted, earth-toned palette and smooth, blended brushwork, Impressionists embraced bright, pure colors and visible, expressive brushstrokes
• Impressionists prioritized capturing the fleeting moments and sensations of modern life, rather than creating meticulously detailed, studio-crafted compositions
• The Impressionist approach to color and light was influenced by scientific discoveries in color theory, such as Michel Eugène Chevreul's work on simultaneous contrast and complementary colors
• Édouard Manet, often considered a bridge between Realism and Impressionism, paved the way for the Impressionist movement with his bold, flat color areas, unconventional compositions, and modern subject matter
• The Impressionists' embrace of modernity, spontaneity, and personal expression marked a significant departure from the rigid academic traditions of the time, setting the stage for further experimentation in modern art

Society's Reaction: Love It or Hate It?

• Initial public reception to Impressionist works was often hostile, with critics denouncing the paintings as unfinished, crude, and even scandalous
  • Some viewers were shocked by the Impressionists' unconventional subject matter, such as Manet's nude figures in "Luncheon on the Grass" and "Olympia"
• The Impressionists' loose, sketchy brushwork and bright, pure colors were seen as a radical departure from the polished, realistic style favored by the French Academy
• Conservative art critics and the public often ridiculed the Impressionists' works, considering them a threat to traditional artistic values and a sign of moral decay
• The term "Impressionism" itself was originally used pejoratively by art critic Louis Leroy in response to Monet's painting "Impression, Sunrise" (1872)
• Despite initial resistance, the Impressionists gradually gained support from progressive writers, art collectors, and dealers who recognized the innovation and modernity of their approach
• As the public became more accustomed to the Impressionist style, appreciation for their works grew, and they began to find commercial success through independent exhibitions and sales
• By the 1880s and 1890s, Impressionism had become a widely recognized and influential art movement, paving the way for further experimentation in the Post-Impressionist and modern art eras
• Today, Impressionist paintings are among the most beloved and valuable works in the art world, with masterpieces by Monet, Renoir, and others attracting millions of visitors to museums and fetching record prices at auctions

Post-Impressionism: Taking It Further

• Post-Impressionism refers to the various artistic movements that emerged in the wake of Impressionism, roughly spanning the 1880s to the early 1900s
• While Post-Impressionists were influenced by the Impressionists' use of color, light, and modern subject matter, they sought to move beyond the limitations of capturing fleeting moments and impressions
• Post-Impressionists often employed more structured compositions, symbolic content, and expressive use of color and form to convey emotions and ideas
• Key Post-Impressionist artists include:
  • Paul Cézanne known for his analytical approach to form, using geometric shapes and planes of color to create a sense of depth and solidity in his landscapes and still lifes
  • Vincent van Gogh renowned for his expressive, energetic brushwork, vivid colors, and emotional intensity in his portraits, landscapes, and still lifes
  • Paul Gauguin famous for his bold, flat color areas, simplified forms, and exotic subject matter inspired by his travels to Tahiti and other non-Western cultures
  • Georges Seurat developed the technique of Pointillism, using tiny dots of pure color to create optical mixing and luminous effects in his large-scale compositions
• Other notable Post-Impressionists include Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, known for his posters and paintings of Parisian nightlife, and Henri Rousseau, a self-taught artist who created dreamlike, primitive-style jungle scenes
• Post-Impressionism laid the groundwork for various modern art movements, such as Fauvism, Cubism, and Expressionism, by emphasizing subjective expression, formal experimentation, and the autonomy of the artist

Legacy and Influence on Modern Art

• Impressionism and Post-Impressionism had a profound impact on the development of modern art, challenging traditional notions of representation, composition, and artistic expression
• The Impressionists' emphasis on capturing light, color, and fleeting moments inspired future artists to explore the subjective experience of perception and the role of the artist's personal vision
• Post-Impressionists' formal experimentation and expressive use of color and form paved the way for the development of abstract art in the early 20th century
• Fauvism, led by artists like Henri Matisse and André Derain, built upon the Impressionists' and Post-Impressionists' bold use of color, employing even more intense, non-naturalistic hues to convey emotions and create visual impact
• Cubism, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, drew inspiration from Cézanne's analytical approach to form, breaking down objects into geometric planes and exploring multiple perspectives simultaneously
• Expressionism, which emerged in Germany and Austria, embraced the emotional intensity and subjective expression of artists like Van Gogh and Gauguin, using distorted forms and exaggerated colors to convey inner feelings and psychological states
• The Impressionists' and Post-Impressionists' rejection of academic conventions and emphasis on individual expression set the stage for the radical experimentation and pluralism of 20th-century art movements, from Surrealism to Abstract Expressionism and beyond
• Today, the legacy of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism can be seen in the work of countless contemporary artists who continue to explore the boundaries of representation, color, and personal expression in their art

Cool Facts and Trivia

• The first Impressionist exhibition, held in 1874 in Paris, was organized by the artists themselves as an alternative to the official Paris Salon, which had rejected many of their works
• Claude Monet's famous series of haystacks paintings (1890-1891) consists of 25 canvases depicting the same subject under different light and weather conditions, showcasing his fascination with the changing effects of light
• Pierre-Auguste Renoir was known for his love of painting outdoors, often working on several canvases at once to capture the changing light throughout the day
• Edgar Degas, who is famous for his paintings and sculptures of ballet dancers, was actually more interested in capturing the behind-the-scenes moments of rehearsals and preparation than the performances themselves
• Vincent van Gogh, who struggled with mental illness throughout his life, sold only one painting during his lifetime: "The Red Vineyard" (1888), which was purchased by Belgian artist Anna Boch
• Paul Gauguin, who is known for his colorful, exotic paintings of Tahitian life, was not well-received by the local population during his time in Tahiti, as they found his behavior and artwork strange and offensive
• Georges Seurat's most famous work, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" (1884-1886), is a massive painting measuring approximately 7 by 10 feet (2.1 by 3 meters) and composed of millions of tiny dots of color
• The term "Post-Impressionism" was coined by British art critic Roger Fry in 1910, years after the movement had already begun, as a way to group together the various artistic responses to Impressionism