IMPRESSIONISM
History of Interior Design 2
IMPRESSIONISM
A movement in French painting sometimes called optical realism
because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual
experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of
objects. The most conspicuous characteristic of Impressionism in
painting was an attempt to accurately and objectively record visual
reality in terms of transient effects of light and color.
GENERAL FEATURES IN ART
1. Light and its reflection
2. Quickly painted surfaces (or the appearance of quickly painted
surfaces)
3. Dots, dashes, commas and other short brushstrokes
4.Bright pure colors and separating them, and letting the eye's
perception mix them
5.Modern life as the subject matter.
IMPORTANT ARTISTS
1. Édouard Manet
2. Claude Monet
3. Edgar Degas
4. Pierre-Auguste Renoir
5. Camille Pissarro
ÉDOUARD MANET
As an impressionist artist, Manet's predominantly consisted of Parisian life.
Female nudes were often the subjects of Manet and many a time caused
much controversy. What set Manet apart from his contemporaries was that
he had a unique style of painting. He also did not attend any impressionist
exhibitions in Paris. Manet preferred to capture everyday life and common
objects in his paintings. The cafes and bars of Paris, the city and urban life,
the street, and its people; beggars, singers, workers, were common in
Manet's paintings. His brush strokes were loose and therefore some parts of
the canvas were not properly covered, which made the critics comment on
his work that it looks unfinished. Some of Manet's famous paintings include
Luncheon in the Studio, Concert in the Tuileries Gardens, A Bar at the
Folies-Bergere, Portrait of Berthe Morisot, Concert in the Tuileries Gardens
and Roadmenders in the Rue de Berne.
MUSIC IN THE TUILERIES, 1862
CLAUDE MONET
Monet is considered to be one of the founding fathers of
Impressionism. Monet loved to paint in the open air and capture in his
paintings the natural light. Figures were replaced by light and
atmosphere as subjects of Monet's paintings. He was not interested in
conforming to the notions of conventional art that he went on to defy
them by experimenting with art. Bold colors and unusual compositions
were all present in Monet's paintings. He used broader fields of color
and smaller stroke of paint and worked with complementary and
contrasting hues. Water lilies, Impression, Rouen Cathedral series, The
Haystacks, Woman in the green dress, are some of his notable works.
IMPRESSION, SUNRISE (IMPRESSION, SOLEIL
LEVANT) 1872
EDGAR DEGAS
His work mostly consisted of slices of the Parisian life. His main subjects
were human figures, particularly female bodies. Dancers, singers,
prostitutes, all made up Degas work and he was keen to painting them in
innovative ways. He painted them unusual angles under artificial light
with strange postures. The much-celebrated academic ideals of historical
and mythical subjects were rejected by him and took inspiration from
modern day life. Many critics during the impressionist era were in
complete disapproval of the lower-class subjects used by Degas in his
paintings. Some of the important works of Edgar Degas are The Bellelli
Family, At the Races, Monsieur and Madame Édouard Manet, Foyer de la
Danse, Le Foyer de la danse, and Prima Ballerina.
AT THE RACES, 1877–1880
PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR
Capturing the modernity and leisure of Parisian life was Pierre-
Auguste Renoir's focal point. He had a special eye for beauty and his
skills as a colorist was much celebrated. He beautifully captured the
movement of light and shadow to create some timeless masterpieces.
His works were full of life and vibrant colors featuring well dressed
Parisian people enjoying their life. The great masterpieces of Pierre-
Auguste Renoir are Woman in Black, Pont-Neuf, Diana the Huntress,
La Loge, La Grenouillère, Madame Georges Charpentier and Her
Children.
PONT-NEUF, 1872
CAMILLE PISSARRO
Camille Pissarro was the only one who had exhibited his paintings in
all eight Impressionist exhibitions. His canvas captured the daily life of
a peasant in Paris. Pissarro's work mainly focused on the effects of
light on color. He was heavily influenced by politics and one cannot
separate politics from his art. Rural subjects were his favorite and
painted them in vibrant compositions. Two Women Chatting by the
Sea, St. Thomas, The Banks of the Oise near Pontoise, Jalais Hill,
Pointoise, The Boulevard Montmartre on a Winter Morning, Road to
Versailles at Louveciennes are the most notable works of Camille
Pissarro.
TWO WOMEN CHATTING BY THE SEA, ST. THOMAS
