HA 298 - Impressionism; Exam 1 TERMS

1816

Académie des beaux-arts was established.

1848

France abolished slavery in its colonies; The beginning year of Modern art; The 1848 Revolution in France leading to the Second French Republic.

1849

The Salon introduced medals, becoming more Democratic.

1863

The Ecole des beaux-arts underwent significant reform, including the introduction of competitions. The Salon des Refuses.

1870

The Third Republic begins. French rail lines radiate from the center and connect the rural to the urban.

Modernity

Convergence of social, political, scientific, and historical characteristics such as secularism, industrialization, urbanization, democratic expansion, and general optimism.

Modernism

(In art) A break from tradition and push towards abstraction, reflecting the modern world.

Haussmannization

Large-scale demolition and reconstruction of Paris from 1853-1914.

Bourgeois

Industrialists, professionals, and their literary/cultural allies. They own and control factories, land, and resources.

Peasant

People who do not own land, especially in rural areas of France.

(The) Salon

An annual or biannual art exhibition that was government funded. Included hundreds to thousands of works of art; the Salon was important for an artists financial support.

Salon des refusés

First held in 1863, artists refused from the Salon were permitted to exhibit here. Allowed an alternative way for your art to be seen, supported, and/or purchased. May create a negative connotation around ones artwork.

Grande machine

Ambitious, stunning, and/or controversial paintings that were very large.

Paul Durand-Ruel

An art dealer who supported the Barbizon School and the Impressionists.

Charles Baudelaire

An art critic who believed makeup and fashion should be used to enhance the natural. He views nature as wild and perverted, something that can be tamed by civilization. Interested in the senses; praised Constantin Guys - which Manet was jealous of.

Alfred Sensier

An art historian. Wrote Millet’s biography.

Napoleon III

President (Second Republic) and the King during the Second Empire in France. Commissioned Haussmannization, oversaw the modernization of France.

Galerie Martinet

Art gallery meant to be an exhibition space, promoting financial independence for artists. Key exhibition space for Manet, Millet, and Courbet.

Exposition universelle

Staring in 1851, a series of world’s fairs, mostly convening in Europe and the US. Served as international showcases for science, technology, and the arts. Paris held a number of these, becoming an international tourist destination.

Ecole des beaux-arts

Government funded, curriculum included ancient history, anatomy, geometry, perspective, and drawing. It did NOT teach other subjects. Extremely traditionalist. Encouraged the continuation of Western art standards and controlled style.

Musée du Louvre

Primarily for dead artists

Musée du Luxembourg

Primarily for living artists

Académie Julian

An alternative to the Ecole des beaux-arts; permitted women artists though they were segregated from men. Important for foreign artists as well.

Villa Medici

Prix de Rome winners stayed here.

Académie

The Academie des beaux-arts and the Ecole des beaux-arts were oversaw by the government and overseen by a small prestigious group (Academicians). Once elected, one held the position for life.

Equisse

A preliminary sketch with limited detail.

Ebauche

A preliminary sketch with blocks of color and limited detail (underpainting).

Croquis

A quick rough sketch.

Hors concours

Outside or beyond competition

Academician

A small, prestigious group which oversaw the Academies.100 artists, lifetime membership, must be elected by current academician.

Salonnier

Someone who hosts a salon

Prix de Rome

Most coveted prize between students, the winner would receive an all-expenses paid trip to Rome where they are meant to make art and experience culture/history. Students were provided a story to paint, usually of biblical or mythological origin.

Forest of Fontainebleau

Important meeting place for the Ecole de Barbizon. Symbolized a shift from studio to in-nature painting.

Barbizon School/Ecole de Barbizon

Direct observation of nature, emphasis on individuality. Ones brushstroke is what sets one apart. Intellectual vs Individual as academics continue to value the Old Masters.

Staffage

Human/Animal figures depicted in a scene yet are not the central focus.

Hierarchy of Genres

System of valuation taught by the Ecole des beaux-arts.

Historical Painting

Biblical, mythological, and otherwise historic subject matters. Deemed most valuable by the Hierarchy.

Portraiture

Portraits of important people such as royalty and members of the bourgeoisie. Deemed second-most valuable by the Hierarchy.

Genre Painting

Quotidian scenes, mundane activities. Regular people in regular life. Deemed third-most valuable by the Hierarchy.

Landscape Painting

Scenes of often picturesque landscapes. Deemed penultimate in value by the Hierarchy.

Still-Life Painting

Paintings of fruit, flowers, and objects. Deemed least valuable by the Hierarchy.