Modern Art & Impressionism Overview

Modern Art: Definition & Historical Span

• Term typically covers artworks produced between 1870 and 1970.

• Marked by a conscious break from Renaissance-based academic traditions.

  • Renaissance ideals prioritized idealized realism, linear perspective, and mytho-religious themes.

  • Modern artists questioned both form (materials, techniques) and function (role of artist in society).

• Philosophical/ethical dimension:

  • Emphasis on individual vision rather than adherence to institutional standards.

  • Reflected broader 19th–20th-century shifts (industrialization, urbanization, scientific progress).

Artistic Innovations in the Modern Era

• Adoption of new materials beyond canvas & oil (e.g.

  • Industrial paints, metal, collage elements).

• Exploration of new techniques of applying pigment (impasto, pointillism, dripping, etc.).

• Development of theories of perception:

  • Art should mirror the perceived—not necessarily the objective—world.

  • Color theory, optical science, and psychology informed brushwork and palette choices.

• Re-examination of the artist’s role:

  • From craftsman serving patrons to autonomous commentator or social critic.

Impressionism: Overview

• Paris-based movement active roughly 1872–1885 ("mid-1880s").

• Artists aimed to capture fleeting impressions of light, atmosphere, and contemporary life.

• First group exhibition in 1874 marked a public challenge to the official Salon system.

• Core members: Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot, et al.

Origin of the Term “Impressionism”

• Coined by a critic referencing Claude Monet’s 1872 canvas Impression, Soleil Levant (Impression, Sunrise).

• Initially pejorative—implication that the work was an unfinished "impression" rather than a polished painting.

• Movement later embraced the label, foregrounding spontaneity and sensory immediacy.

Case Study: Dante & Virgil Crossing the River Styx (after Delacroix)

• Scene adapted from Inferno depicts Dante and poet Virgil in hellish waters (River Styx).

• Technical significance:

  • Water droplets on tormented souls rendered with unconventional, broken brushstrokes—anticipating Impressionist surface effects.

  • Illustrates early experimentation with textured marks to convey movement & moisture.

• Connects Romanticism (Delacroix) to Modern experimentation, bridging narrative drama and formal innovation.

Technical Hallmarks of Impressionist Painting

• Visible brushstrokes: Short, broken dabs create vibration and deny seamless illusion.

• Light, high-keyed palette: Preference for pastel and pure hues over earth tones.

• Side-by-side color placement with minimal pre-mixing:

  • Encourages optical mixing in the viewer’s eye, heightening luminosity.

  • Example: placing strokes of pure ultramarine next to cadmium yellow produces a perceived green at viewing distance.

• Emphasis on transient light and its color shifts across times of day & weather conditions.

• Ordinary subject matter: Boulevards, cafés, riversides, ballet rehearsals; democratization of artistic themes.

• Unusual visual angles: Cropped compositions, high viewpoints—partly inspired by photography and Japanese prints.

Influence of Photography

• Mid-19th-century cameras delivered instantaneous, objective images.

• Impressionists responded by offering subjective interpretations:

  • Sought to freeze moments of action (e.g., ripples, pedestrian stride) yet embed personal sensation.

• Framing devices (tight cropping, asymmetry) echo photographic snapshots.

• Philosophical implication: Truth in art may reside in perception over mechanical recording.

Optical Mixing & Color Theory (Expanded)

• Scientific backdrop: Chevreul’s law of simultaneous contrast; Helmholtz’s optics.

• By juxtaposing complements (e.g., orange & blue) painters intensified vibrancy without muddying pigments.

• Viewer becomes an active participant, completing color synthesis in the retina.

Key Figure: Édouard Manet (1832 – 1883)

• Early career grounded in classical realism and Salon exhibition.

• Pivoted toward Impressionist ideas while maintaining distinctive, flatter tonal blocks.

• Subjects: Bar scenes, urban leisure, everyday Parisians—often with subtle social commentary.

• Transitional importance:

  • Bridged Realism (Courbet) and full Impressionism.

  • Challenged academic norms with controversial works (Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe, Olympia).

Broader Significance & Legacy

• Impressionism laid groundwork for subsequent movements:

  • Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, Expressionism.

• Advanced the modern principle that process & perception can equal or surpass narrative content.

• Ethical/practical ramifications:

  • Redefined public expectations of what counts as “finished” or “valuable” art.

  • Opened institutional space (independent exhibitions) for avant-garde expression.