Romantic Era

 

 

Claude Monet, Nymphéas, 1916-19. Fondation Beyeler.

Claude Monet contributed to the establishment of the Impressionist style in late 1800s France, and his lush, light-dappled plein-air paintings reflect its aesthetics. The botanical name for a water lily is "Nymphaea." In 1893, he planted a water garden at Giverny, where he raised white water lilies. This painting is so pastel and aesthetic. The extraordinary detail with which he painted the shadows and shimmering light in this painting sets it apart from the rest of his works.

The square structure of the painting supports its neutral tone. The lack of a structure gives the portion a limitless quality. He focused his attention just on the pond's surface, discarding standard perspective. The constant reflecting qualities of light in nature were recreated with small, flowing color brushstrokes. The final outcome was an idea that was truly adventurous for its time.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Sunset, 1879 or 1881, Clark Art Institute.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir contributed to the founding of the Impressionist school of painting with his powerful use of color and his broad, quick, loose brushstrokes. He valued spontaneity and the unique quality of light over conventional creative techniques, much like his friend Claude Monet. He creates a dramatic picture of the sea as the sun sets beneath the waves by applying thick layers of color. He employs a little boat as a means of directing the viewer's attention toward the center of the picture and evoking a serene and peaceful atmosphere, using soft pinks, blues, orange, and purples. This painting is so vibrant, it gives me a joyful feeling to look at.

 Paul Gauguin, Old Women of Arles, 1888, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

When Gauguin first started studying under the instruction of Pissarro, he was having difficulty learning how to paint and draw. He received an invitation to participate in the fifth Impressionist exhibition in 1880, and that invitation was extended for 2 years. In Gauguin's 1888 painting Old Women of Arles, a group of women are shown walking solemnly over a landscape that has been flattened and designed randomly. Gauguin used thick paint on a raw canvas. He saw something that approached his emerging "primitive" ideal in the subject matter of devoted peasants and his rough technique. The setting is situated in the winter months, as shown by the two orange cones that symbolize wrapped shrubs. The mistral is the name given to the chilly breeze in the area. A bench ignores logical perspective in the upper left corner. A bush in the lower left appears to be staring back at the observer; it has eyes and a nose. He used warm, neutral tones within this painting and now that I noticed the shrub has eyes and a nose, it gives me an uneasy feeling. 

Paul Cezanne, Mont Sainte-Victoire, 1902-1906, Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

Paul Cezanne was a famous painter of the post-impressionist movement. By his work, connections were made between the impressionism of the nineteenth century and the rise of major artistic movements in the twentieth century. 

With a view of Aix-en-Provence, Montagne Sainte-Victoire is a limestone peak in southern France. Because it was connected with many early Christian feasts and a historic Roman victory, it already had symbolic value in the area. Although we are watching from a distance, it seems as though we are just across from it. The color palette is a blend of natural and neutral tones, including blue, brown, green, and orange, with hints of pink and lilac. A blend of cold and warm hues is present.

Impressionism's focus on capturing light and color in a spontaneous and realistic style was declined by the Post-Impressionists. Instead, they preferred a focus on formal order and structure, as well as more symbolic content. They did emphasize the picture's artificiality just as the Impressionists did. Impressionism is defined by the use of large brushstrokes and unpainted, raw surfaces to represent common things and natural light. On the other hand, post-impressionism is a more sentimental painting style that emphasizes vivid colors and intense feelings

Degzuman, Kyle. Studio Binder. "What is Post Impressionism Art- History, Example, Artists." 8 Janurary 2023. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-post-impressionism-art-definition/ Accessed Oct 2023.

 du Plessis, Alicia. " Mont Sainte-Victorie by Paul Cezane." Art in Context https://artincontext.org/mont-sainte-victoire-by-paul-cezanne/ Accessed Oct 2023.