LZ

Impressionism 

  • 1860s - 1900s (originated in France before spreading through Europe and America)
  • Stresses atmosphere & sunlight on subject matter
  • Ordinary people being leisurely
  • Mostly outdoor landscapes (“en plein air”) on small canvases that could be done quickly, before sun shifted
  • Artists not interested in painting history, mythology
  • The goal was to capture a spontaneous “impression” - not perfection
  • Quick, short, loose brushstrokes (dabs of colour meant to be viewed from a distance - pointillism)
  • Critics found this art to be “unfinished” and “amateur”
    • Considered “low-class art” because it was painted outside and did not have fine details
    • Genre paintings; people doing ordinary things
  • Impressionists: Interested in colour and developed a fascination with the effect of light & spontaneous rendering.
    • Wanted to express an immediate impression, not a detailed analysis (making light and colour their subject matter)
  • “Momentary glimpse of nature” is achieved based on what they saw - bright, glaring and high-keyed with coloured light penetrating shadows
  • ^^Artists^^
    • %%Degas%%
    • Master of line and drawing (carefully considered the positioning of people and objects)
    • Doesn’t use the blurring technique
    • Earliest of impressionism so it’s the closest to realism
    • Known for drawing bodies in motion and different perspectives
    • Carriage at the Races, The Ballet Class, The Belleli Family, Glass of Absinthe
      • The Ballet Class series is when he used softness to express action or material
      • Planned asymmetric balance
    • %%Manet%%
    • “Not as they are, but as they appear to be”
    • Painted The Railway in a very flat manner and mundane (not realism’s detail with shadows and depth) with unblended paint
    • The Waitress, Luncheon on the Grass, Impression Sunrise, Boulevard des Capucines
    • %%Monet%%
    • Perfect example for broken colour (eyes naturally blend the colours)
    • Made 30 paintings of hay bales in different seasons and times of day, “The sun sets so fast, I cannot follow it”
    • Water-lilies series with dry brush technique, no horizon line
    • Rouen Cathedral
      • He wanted to analyze changes in the sun’s movement or interruptions of clouds or haze
    • %%Renoir%%
    • Interested in painting women and nude figures
    • Blurs edges to blend subjects with their surroundings (In the Meadow)
    • Used blue paint instead of black in some paintings
    • Luncheon of the Boating Party, The Swing