Art History Notes

The Paris Exposition of 1889 celebrated the future with exhibits of new inventions.
The most prominent exhibit was the Eiffel Tower, designed by Gustav Eiffel, serving as the entrance to the fair.
Visitors were amazed by its height and the use of electricity for illumination and access.
Many Parisians, especially artists, protested against the Eiffel Tower, finding it ugly and overpowering (Protestation des artistes).
Construction of the Eiffel Tower took two years (1887-1889).
It stands at a height of 1069 feet, approximately 1/5 of a mile.
There are 300 steps to the first level and another 300 to the second level. Access to the top level is by elevator only.
The square base measures 328 feet per side.

Key Post-Impressionist painters:
- Paul Cézanne (1839-1906)
- Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
- Georges Seurat (1859-1891)
- Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
The term "Post-Impressionism" is chronological rather than stylistic.
Two main categories within Post-Impressionism:
- Focus on form: Seurat and Cézanne
- Focus on personal expression: van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Gauguin
- These categories are not mutually exclusive.
Georges Seurat, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884, Oil on canvas, 5’ 11 ¾” by 10’ 1 ¼”

Also known as Divisionism because it divides colors into tiny dots (pointilles).
Seurat systematically applied optical theories and scientific analyses of color and light.
Principles of Pointillism based on optical color theories:
- Color is a perception, not inherent to the object.
- Colors are not pure but contain many colors.
- Juxtaposing different colors intensifies hues and creates a visual vibration.
- The eye blends contiguous dots; for example, blue next to yellow appears as green.
- Optical mixing occurs in the eye rather than physical mixing of paint.
Seurat aimed for permanence in his subjects, unlike the fleeting nature of Impressionism.
His work is also termed “Neo-Impressionism” for blending science and control with Impressionistic style.
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte demonstrates controlled dot placement and compositional structure, with echoed curves and verticals.

Explored how color structures space.
Interested in compositional structure.
Used color to create form and was focused on depicting 3-D objects on a 2-D surface.
Believed in using geometric forms as a foundation and sought them in nature.
The tension between spatial perspective and surface flatness influenced 20th-century modern painting.
Cézanne influenced many 20th-century artists due to his experimentation.
Like the Impressionists, he painted outdoors and repeatedly painted the same subject.
Interested in structure and planes of color, not psychological realism or emotion.
Still Life with Apples, 1875-1877, oil on canvas
Still Life with Plaster Cast, 1894, oil on canvas, $26 \frac{1}{2}$ inches × $32 \frac{1}{2}$ inches

Significantly influenced by Degas, especially regarding Japanese prints.
Used strong silhouettes to contrast with textured areas.
Produced lithographs for dance halls, nightclubs, and night cafes.
Employed partially oblique, cropped views, reflecting the influence of photography.
Loose, sketchy brushstrokes within defined color areas create dynamic motion.
Suffered from a genetic disorder resembling osteoporosis, causing his legs to stop growing. He had an adult-sized torso and child-sized legs, standing 4’ 6” tall.
At the Moulin Rouge, 1892–1895, $4 \frac{3}{8}$ feet  $4 \frac{7}{14}$ feet

(Mar 30, 1853 - Jul 29, 1890)
Dutch, but later lived in France.
Used impasto, applying heavy, thick strokes of color, which was not appreciated during his time.
Painted working-class and poor subjects in the Netherlands.
Color in van Gogh’s work is symbolic, full of feeling, and used for emotional expression.
Influenced by Japanese art, like Degas and other Impressionists.
Employed "bird’s eye perspective" instead of traditional linear perspective.
Featured less atmospheric perspective.
Used many flat, broad spaces of color.
Didn’t start painting until 27 years old.
Was a missionary to the poor.
Produced over 2,000 works, including around 900 paintings and 1,100 drawings/sketches, between 27 and his death at 37.
Experienced fits of madness and was in and out of mental asylums.
Was close to his brother Theo, who provided emotional and financial support.
Complementary colors in Night Café create visual tension and emotional imbalance, expressing the idea that the café is a place of ruin, madness, or crime.
Red and green are used to express terrible passions, with a clash and contrast of alien reds and greens.
He aimed to express the powers of darkness in a low wine shop, in an atmosphere like a devil’s furnace.
Described the color as not locally true but meant to suggest the emotion of an ardent temperament.

Norwegian artist (December 23, 1863 – January 23, 1944).
His paintings align with Symbolist theory, depicting states of mind, emotions, or ideas rather than physical reality.
His work is labeled Symbolism and considered the beginning of Expressionism.
The Scream reflects the anxiety of modern life and the scream of nature dwindling due to industrial expansion.
Munch described the painting, saying he felt a scream go through nature and painted the clouds like blood, with the colors screaming.
The Scream, 1893, oil, pastel and castein on cardboard, 2’ $9 \frac{3}{4}$ ” x 2’ 5”