12va - impressionism (monet, renoir, degas, cassatt & morisot)
TRANSCRIPT
Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cassatt & Morisot
Claude Monet is considered thefounding Father of Impressionism,as the Movement’s name andorigin comes from his practice.
Impressionists were artists thatwanted to capture the impressionof light in a scene (often landscapes/scenes of the mundane/every day life).
Impressionist paintings are known for their thick application of paint with visible, short brush strokes, often on a smaller and more intimately sized canvas.
Claude Monet (1873). Oil on canvas. 19 x 24 3/8
Photography
challenged artists to
produce something
that wasn’t realistic
as in the late 1700s
cameras were invented
and therefore realism was
attained by taking a
photograph, so they wanted
to make something new.
The idea of a blurring and capturing a fleeting moment in time with photography inspired artists to strive to achieve a similar effect with paint.
The newly accessible ‘tubed paint’ allowed artists to paint outside, which was why their canvases were often small, to be portable. It was called “plein air ” painting, which translates to “outdoors”.
Impressionists were not interested in the traditional subject matter of religious, mythological or historical depictions as was popular in the Renaissance.
Instead they chose more contemporary life, leisure, transportation and the down-and-outs of society.
Degas was particularly interested in the backwash of society at the time.
Copyists in the Grand Gallery of the Louvre (1867).
Art students spent hours
studying the masters of
the great Renaissance
artists, such as Da Vinci,
that hung in the Paris
Museum, The Louvre.
They copied the exact forms, colours, and tones of the traditional Masterpieces, hoping to achieve the illusion of reality by the Renaissance Master Artists.
The Grand Salon was the only Official Venue available to exhibit, though there were tough critics that either accepted or rejected what they deemed as successful artworks.
Monet’s Impression Sunrise was rejected and then displayed in another exhibition that was held for the rejected works, which in the end was more popular by means on controversy.
Claude Monet (1872). “Impression Sunrise” Oil on board.
Leroy worked for the Grand Salon and responded to Monet’s Impression Sunrise with…
“A harbour at dawn? An Impression? Wallpaper looks more finished..”
However, within a year, “Impressionism” was an accepted term in the Artworld and the artists who followed this radical style become popular and successful.
Claude Monet (1872). “Impression Sunrise” Oil on board.
Impressionism broke every rule of the French Academy of Fine Arts.
The conservative school had dominated art training and taste since 1648.
This was why the movement was met with rejection.
Art should teach moral lessons.
Artists should paint biblical, historical, and mythological scenes.
Paint surfaces should be smooth.
Images should be idealised.
Compositions should be symmetrical.
Techniques should be careful.
