Impressionism is a direction in painting that originated in France in XIX-XX centuries, which is an artistic attempt to capture some moment of life in all its variability and mobility. Impressionist paintings are like a qualitatively washed-out photograph, reviving in fantasy the continuation of the story seen. In this article, we take a look at 10 of the world's most famous impressionists. Fortunately, talented artists much more than ten, twenty or even a hundred, so let's focus on those names that you need to know for sure.
In order not to offend either the artists or their admirers, the list is given in Russian alphabetical order.
1. Alfred Sisley
This french painter English origin considered the most famous landscape painter second half of XIX century. There are more than 900 paintings in his collection, of which the most famous are “Country Alley”, “Frost in Louveciennes”, “Bridge in Argenteuil”, “Early Snow in Louveciennes”, “Lawns in Spring”, and many others.
2. Van Gogh
Known around the world sad story about his ear (by the way, he did not cut off the whole ear, but only the lobe), Wang Gon became popular only after his death. And in his life he was able to sell a single painting, 4 months before his death. They say he was both an entrepreneur and a priest, but he often fell into psychiatric hospitals due to depression, so all the rebelliousness of his existence resulted in legendary works.
3. Camille Pissarro
Pissarro was born on the island of St. Thomas, in a family of bourgeois Jews, and was one of the few impressionists whose parents encouraged his hobby and soon sent him to Paris to study. Most of all, the artist liked nature, and he depicted it in all colors, and more precisely, Pissarro had a special talent for choosing the softness of colors, compatibility, after which air seemed to appear in the paintings.
4. Claude Monet
From childhood, the boy decided that he would become an artist, despite the prohibitions of the family. Having moved to Paris on his own, Claude Monet plunged into gray days hard life: two years in the service in the armed forces in Algeria, litigation with creditors due to poverty, illness. However, one gets the feeling that the difficulties did not oppress, but rather inspired the artist to create such bright pictures, as "Impression, Sunrise", "Houses of Parliament in London", "Bridge to Europe", "Autumn at Argenteuil", "On the Shores of Trouville", and many others.
5. Konstantin Korovin
It's nice to know that among the French, the parents of impressionism, one can proudly place our compatriot - Konstantin Korovin. Passionate love for nature helped him intuitively give unimaginable liveliness to a static picture, thanks to the combination of suitable colors, width of strokes, choice of theme. It is impossible to pass by his paintings "Pier in Gurzuf", "Fish, wine and fruit", " Autumn landscape», « Moonlight night. Winter” and a series of his works dedicated to Paris.
6. Paul Gauguin
Until the age of 26, Paul Gauguin did not even think about painting. He was an entrepreneur and had big family. However, when I first saw the paintings of Camille Pissarro, I decided that I would certainly begin to paint. Over time, the artist's style has changed, but the most famous impressionistic paintings are "Garden in the Snow", "At the Cliff", "On the Beach in Dieppe", "Nude", "Palms in Martinique" and others.
7. Paul Cezanne
Cezanne, unlike most of his colleagues, became famous during his lifetime. He managed to organize his own exhibition and gain considerable income from it. People knew a lot about his paintings - he, like no one else, learned to combine the play of light and shadow, made a loud emphasis on right and wrong geometric shapes, the severity of the subject of his paintings was in harmony with romance.
8. Pierre Auguste Renoir
Until the age of 20, Renoir worked as a fan decorator for his older brother, and only then he moved to Paris, where he met Monet, Basil and Sisley. This acquaintance helped him in the future to take the road of impressionism and become famous on it. Renoir is known as the author of a sentimental portrait, among his most outstanding works- "On the terrace", "Walk", "Portrait of actress Jeanne Samary", "Lodge", "Alfred Sisley and his wife", "On the swing", "Frog" and many others.
9. Edgar Degas
If you haven't heard anything about Blue Dancers, Ballet Rehearsals, ballet school"And" Absinthe "- hurry to learn more about the work of Edgar Degas. The selection of original colors, unique themes for paintings, the feeling of movement of the picture - all this and much more made Degas one of the most famous artists peace.
10. Edouard Manet
Do not confuse Manet with Monet - these are two different person who worked at the same time and in the same artistic direction. Manet was always attracted by everyday scenes, unusual appearances and types, as if by chance "caught" moments, subsequently captured for centuries. Among famous paintings Manet: "Olympia", "Breakfast on the Grass", "Bar at the Folies Bergère", "Flute Player", "Nana" and others.
If you have even the slightest opportunity to see the paintings of these masters live, you will fall in love with impressionism forever!
Alexandra Skripkina,
Impressionism is a direction in painting that originated in France in the 19th-20th centuries, which is an artistic attempt to capture any moment of life in all its variability and mobility. Impressionist paintings are like a qualitatively washed-out photograph, reviving in fantasy the continuation of the story seen. In this article, we take a look at 10 of the world's most famous impressionists. Fortunately, there are more than ten, twenty or even a hundred talented artists, so let's focus on those names that you need to know for sure.
In order not to offend either the artists or their admirers, the list is given in Russian alphabetical order.
1. Alfred Sisley
This French painter of English origin is considered the most famous landscape painter of the second half of the 19th century. There are more than 900 paintings in his collection, of which the most famous are “Country Alley”, “Frost in Louveciennes”, “Bridge in Argenteuil”, “Early Snow in Louveciennes”, “Lawns in Spring”, and many others.
2. Van Gogh
Known to the whole world for the sad story about his ear (by the way, he did not cut off the whole ear, but only the lobe), Wang Gon became popular only after his death. And in his life he was able to sell a single painting, 4 months before his death. It is said that he was both an entrepreneur and a priest, but often ended up in psychiatric hospitals due to depression, so all the rebelliousness of his existence resulted in legendary works.
3. Camille Pissarro
Pissarro was born on the island of St. Thomas, in a family of bourgeois Jews, and was one of the few impressionists whose parents encouraged his hobby and soon sent him to Paris to study. Most of all, the artist liked nature, and he depicted it in all colors, and more precisely, Pissarro had a special talent for choosing the softness of colors, compatibility, after which air seemed to appear in the paintings.
4. Claude Monet
From childhood, the boy decided that he would become an artist, despite the prohibitions of the family. Having moved to Paris on his own, Claude Monet plunged into the gray everyday life of a hard life: two years in the service in the armed forces in Algeria, litigation with creditors due to poverty, illness. However, one gets the feeling that the difficulties did not oppress, but rather inspired the artist to create such vivid paintings as “Impression, Sunrise”, “Parliament Building in London”, “Bridge to Europe”, “Autumn in Argenteuil”, “On the Shore Trouville, and many others.
5. Konstantin Korovin
It's nice to know that among the French, the parents of impressionism, one can proudly place our compatriot - Konstantin Korovin. Passionate love for nature helped him intuitively give unimaginable liveliness to a static picture, thanks to the combination of suitable colors, width of strokes, choice of theme. It is impossible to pass by his paintings "Pier in Gurzuf", "Fish, Wine and Fruit", "Autumn Landscape", "Moonlight Night. Winter” and a series of his works dedicated to Paris.
6. Paul Gauguin
Until the age of 26, Paul Gauguin did not even think about painting. He was an entrepreneur and had a large family. However, when I first saw the paintings of Camille Pissarro, I decided that I would certainly begin to paint. Over time, the artist's style has changed, but the most famous impressionistic paintings are "Garden in the Snow", "At the Cliff", "On the Beach in Dieppe", "Nude", "Palms in Martinique" and others.
7. Paul Cezanne
Cezanne, unlike most of his colleagues, became famous during his lifetime. He managed to organize his own exhibition and gain considerable income from it. People knew a lot about his paintings - he, like no one else, learned to combine the play of light and shadow, made a loud emphasis on regular and irregular geometric shapes, the severity of the themes of his paintings were in harmony with romance.
8. Pierre Auguste Renoir
Until the age of 20, Renoir worked as a fan decorator for his older brother, and only then he moved to Paris, where he met Monet, Basil and Sisley. This acquaintance helped him in the future to take the road of impressionism and become famous on it. Renoir is known as the author of a sentimental portrait, among his most outstanding works are "On the Terrace", "Walk", "Portrait of the Actress Jeanne Samary", "The Lodge", "Alfred Sisley and his Wife", "On the Swing", "The Frog" and a lot others.
9. Edgar Degas
If you haven't heard anything about the "Blue Dancers", "Ballet Rehearsals", "Ballet School" and "Absinthe" - hurry up to learn more about the work of Edgar Degas. The selection of original colors, unique themes for paintings, the feeling of movement of the picture - all this and much more made Degas one of the most famous artists in the world.
10. Edouard Manet
Do not confuse Manet with Monet - these are two different people who worked at the same time and in the same artistic direction. Manet was always attracted by everyday scenes, unusual appearances and types, as if by chance "caught" moments, subsequently captured for centuries. Among the famous paintings of Manet: "Olympia", "Breakfast on the Grass", "Bar at the Folies Bergère", "Flutist", "Nana" and others.
If you have even the slightest opportunity to see the paintings of these masters live, you will fall in love with impressionism forever!
Alexandra Skripkina,
“A new world was born when the Impressionists painted it”
Henri Kahnweiler
19th century. France. The unthinkable happened in painting. A group of young artists decided to shake the 500-year-old tradition. Instead of a clear drawing, they used a wide “sloppy” brushstroke.
And they completely abandoned the usual images. Depicting everyone. And ladies of easy virtue, and gentlemen of dubious reputation.
The public was not ready for Impressionist painting. They were ridiculed and scolded. And most importantly, they did not buy anything from them.
But the resistance was broken. And part of the Impressionists lived to see their triumph. True, they were already over 40. Like Claude Monet or Auguste Renoir. Some waited for recognition only at the end of their lives, like Camille Pissarro. Someone did not live up to it, like Alfred Sisley.
What revolutionary did each of them? Why did the public not accept them for so long? Here are 7 of the most famous french impressionists. Who knows the whole world.
1. Edouard Manet (1832 - 1883)
Edward Mane. Self portrait with palette. 1878 Private collectionManet was older than most of the Impressionists. He was their main inspiration for change.
Manet himself did not claim to be the leader of the revolutionaries. He was a man of the world. Dreamed of official awards.
But he waited a very long time for recognition. The public wanted to see Greek goddesses. Or still lifes at worst. To look beautiful in the dining room. Manet wanted to write modern life. For example, courtesans.
The result was "Breakfast on the Grass". Two dandies are resting in the company of ladies of easy virtue. One of them, as if nothing had happened, sits next to dressed men.
Edward Mane. Breakfast on the grass. 1863, Paris Compare his "Breakfast on the Grass" with Thomas Couture's "Romans in the Decline". Couture's painting made a splash. The artist instantly became famous.
"Breakfast on the Grass" was accused of vulgarity. Pregnant women in all seriousness were not recommended to look at her.
Thomas Couture. Romans in decline. 1847 Musée d'Orsay, Paris. artchive.ru In the picture of Couture, we see all the attributes of academicism ( traditional painting 16th-19th centuries). Columns and statues. Apollonian people. Traditional muted colors. The mannerism of postures and gestures. A plot from a distant life of a completely different people.
“Breakfast on the Grass” by Manet is a different format. Before him, no one portrayed courtesans like that easily. Close to respectable citizens. Although many men of that time spent their leisure time in this way. Real life real people.
Once I wrote a respectable lady. Ugly. He couldn't flatter her with a brush. The lady was disappointed. She left him in tears.
Edward Mane. Angelina. 1860 Musée d'Orsay, Paris. wikimedia.commons.org So he continued to experiment. For example, with color. He did not try to depict the so-called natural color. If he saw gray-brown water as bright blue, then he depicted it as bright blue.
This, of course, annoyed the public. After all, even the Mediterranean Sea cannot boast such a blue as the water at Manet, they quipped.
Edward Mane. Argenteuil. 1874 Museum of Fine Arts, Tournai, Belgium. wikipedia.org But the fact remains. Manet fundamentally changed the purpose of painting. The picture became the embodiment of the artist's individuality. Who writes as he pleases. Forget about patterns and traditions.
All innovations did not forgive him for a long time. Recognition waited only at the end of life. When he no longer needed it. He was painfully fading away incurable disease.
2. Claude Monet (1840 - 1926)
Claude Monet. Self-portrait in a beret. 1886 Private collection Claude Monet can be called a Christopher Impressionist. Since he was faithful to this direction all his long life.
He painted not objects and people, but a single color construction of highlights and spots. Separate strokes. Air trembling.
Claude Monet. Paddling pool. 1869 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Metmuseum.org Monet painted not only nature. He was also good at urban landscapes. One of the most famous - .
There is a lot of photography in this painting. For example, motion is conveyed using a blurred image.
Pay attention, distant trees and figures seem to be in a haze.
Claude Monet. Boulevard des Capucines in Paris. 1873 (Gallery of European and American Art of the 19th-20th centuries), Moscow Before us is a stopped moment of the bustling life of Paris. No staging. Nobody is posing. People are depicted as a collection of strokes. Such plotlessness and the “freeze frame” effect - main feature impressionism.
By the mid-1980s, artists had become disillusioned with Impressionism. Aesthetics is, of course, good. But the plotlessness of many oppressed.
Only Monet continued to persist. Hypertrophy of impressionism. What developed into a series of paintings.
He depicted the same landscape dozens of times. IN different time days. At different times of the year. To show how much temperature and light can change the same view beyond recognition.
Thus, countless haystacks appeared.
Paintings by Claude Monet at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Left: Haystacks at sunset at Giverny, 1891 Right: Haystack (snow effect), 1891
Please note that the shadows in these paintings are colored. And not gray or black, as was customary before the Impressionists. This is another feature of theirs.
Monet managed to enjoy success and material well-being. After 40, he already forgot about poverty. He got a house and a beautiful garden. And he created for his own pleasure long years.
Read about the most iconic painting by the master in the article
3. Auguste Renoir (1841 - 1919)
Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Self-portrait. 1875 Sterling and Francine Clark Institute of Art, Massachusetts, USA. Pinterest Impressionism is the most positive painting. And the most positive among the Impressionists was Renoir.
You will not find drama in his paintings. Even black paint he did not use. Only the joy of being. Even the most banal Renoir looks beautiful.
Unlike Monet, Renoir painted people more often. Landscapes for him were less significant. In his paintings, his friends and acquaintances relax and enjoy life.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Rowers breakfast. 1880-1881 Phillips Collection, Washington, USA. wikimedia.commons.org You will not find in Renoir and thoughtfulness. He was very glad to join the Impressionists. Which polls refused plots.
As he himself said, finally he has the opportunity to write flowers and call them simply “Flowers”. And don't make up any stories about them.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Woman with an umbrella in the garden. 1875 Thyssen-Bormenis Museum, Madrid. arteuam.com Renoir felt best in the company of women. He asked his maids to sing and joke. The more stupid and naive the song was, the better for him. A man's chatter tired him. No wonder Renoir is known for his nudes.
The model in the painting “Nude in Sunlight” seems to appear against a colorful abstract background. Because for Renoir there is nothing secondary. The eye of the model or the area of the background are equivalent.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Nude in the sunlight. 1876 Musée d'Orsay, Paris. wikimedia.commons.org Renoir lived a long life. And never put down the brush and palette. Even when his hands were completely shackled by rheumatism, he tied the brush to his arm with a rope. And he painted.
Like Monet, he waited for recognition after 40 years. And I saw my paintings in the Louvre, next to the works of famous masters.
Read about one of the most charming portraits of Renoir in the article
4. Edgar Degas (1834 - 1917)
Edgar Degas. Self-portrait. 1863 Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, Portugal. cultured.com Degas was not a classical impressionist. He did not like to work in the open air ( outdoors). You will not find a deliberately brightened palette with him.
On the contrary, he loved a clear line. He has plenty of black. And he worked exclusively in the studio.
But still he is always put on a par with other great impressionists. Because he was an impressionist of gesture.
Unexpected angles. Asymmetry in the arrangement of objects. Characters caught off guard. All these are the main attributes of his paintings.
He stopped the moment of life, not allowing him to come to his senses. Look at least at his “Opera Orchestra”.
Edgar Degas. Opera Orchestra. 1870 Musée d'Orsay, Paris. commons.wikimedia.org In the foreground is the back of a chair. The musician has his back to us. And on background the ballerinas on the stage did not fit into the “frame”. Their heads are mercilessly “cut off” by the edge of the painting.
Therefore, the dancers so beloved by him are far from always depicted in beautiful poses. Sometimes they just stretch.
But such improvisation is imaginary. Of course, Degas carefully thought out the composition. This is just a freeze frame effect, not a real freeze frame.
Edgar Degas. Two ballet dancers. 1879 Shelbourne Museum, Wermouth, USA Edgar Degas loved to paint women. But the disease or the characteristics of the body did not allow him to have physical contact with them. He never married. No one has ever seen him with a woman.
Absence real stories in his personal life added a subtle and intense eroticism to his images.
Edgar Degas. Ballet star. 1876-1878 Musee d'Orsay, Paris. wikimedia.comons.org Please note that in the picture “Ballet Star” only the ballerina herself is drawn. Her backstage colleagues are barely distinguishable. Just a few legs.
This does not mean that Degas did not finish the picture. Such is the reception. Keep only the most important things in focus. Make the rest disappear, illegible.
Read about other paintings by the master in the article.
5. Berthe Morisot (1841 - 1895)
Edward Mane. Portrait of Berthe Morisot. 1873 Marmottan Monet Museum, Paris. Bertha Morisot is rarely put in the first row with the great Impressionists. I'm sure it's not deserved. Just in her you will find all the main features and techniques of impressionism. And if you like impressionism, you will love her work with all your heart.
Morisot worked quickly and impetuously. Transferring your impression to the canvas. The figures seem to be about to dissolve into space.
Berthe Morisot. Summer. 1880 Fabre Museum, Montpellier, France. Like Degas, she often did not complete some details. And even body parts of the model. We cannot distinguish the hands of the girl in the painting “Summer”.
Morisot's path to self-expression was difficult. Not only was she engaged in “sloppy” painting. She was still a woman. In those days, a woman was supposed to dream of getting married. After that, any hobbies were forgotten.
Therefore, Berta refused marriage for a long time. Until she found a man who respectfully treated her occupation. Eugene Manet was the brother of the painter Edouard Manet. He dutifully longed for his wife's easel and paints.
Berthe Morisot. Eugene Manet with his daughter in Bougival. 1881 Marmottan Monet Museum, Paris. But it was still in the 19th century. No, Morisot did not wear trousers. But she could not afford complete freedom of movement.
She couldn't go to the park to work alone. Unaccompanied by someone close. I couldn't sit alone in a cafe. Therefore, her paintings are people from the family circle. Husband, daughter, relatives.
Berthe Morisot. A woman with a child in a garden in Bougival. 1881 National Museum Wales, Cardiff. Morisot did not wait for recognition. She died at the age of 54 from pneumonia. Not selling almost any of his work during his lifetime. In the certificate of her death in the column "occupation" was a dash. It was unthinkable for a woman to be called an artist. Even if she really was.
Read about the paintings of the master in the article
6. Camille Pissarro (1830 - 1903)
Camille Pissarro. Self-portrait. 1873 Musée d'Orsay, Paris. wikipedia.org Camille Pissarro. Non-confrontational, reasonable. Many considered him as a teacher. Even the most temperamental colleagues did not speak badly of Pissarro.
He was a faithful follower of impressionism. In dire need, with five children and a wife, he still worked hard in the same style. And never switched to salon painting. To become more popular. It is not known where he got the strength to fully believe in himself.
In order not to die of hunger at all, Pissarro painted fans. which were readily sold. And the real recognition came to him after 60 years! When at last he was able to forget about the need.
Camille Pissarro. Stagecoach at Louveciennes. 1869 Musée d'Orsay, Paris The air in Pissarro's paintings is thick and dense. Unusual fusion of color and volume.
The artist was not afraid to paint the most changeable phenomena of nature. Which will appear for a moment and disappear. First snow, frosty sun, long shadows.
Camille Pissarro. Frost. 1873 Musée d'Orsay, Paris His most famous works are views of Paris. With wide boulevards, vain and motley crowd. At night, during the day, in different weather. Something in common with a series of paintings by Claude Monet.
Today, impressionism is perceived as a classic, but in the era of its formation, it was a real revolutionary breakthrough in art. The innovation and ideas of this direction have completely changed artistic perception art of the 19th and 20th centuries. A modern impressionism in painting, he inherits principles that have already become canonical and continues his aesthetic search in the transfer of sensations, emotions and light.
Prerequisites
There are several reasons for the appearance of impressionism, this is a whole complex of prerequisites that led to real revolution in art. In the 19th century in french painting a crisis was brewing, it was due to the fact that "official" criticism did not want to notice and let various emerging new forms into the galleries. Therefore, painting in impressionism became a kind of protest against the inertia and conservatism of generally accepted norms. Also, the origins of this trend should be sought in the trends inherent in the Renaissance and associated with attempts to convey living reality. Artists Venetian school are considered the first progenitors of impressionism, then the Spaniards took this path: El Greco, Goya, Velasquez, who directly influenced Manet and Renoir. He played a role in the formation of this school and technical progress. Thus, the advent of photography gave rise to new idea in art about capturing momentary emotions and sensations. It is this instant impression that the artists of the direction we are considering strive to “grab”. Also, this trend was influenced by the development of the plein-air school, which was founded by representatives of the Barbizon school.
History of Impressionism
In the second half of the 19th century during french art develops critical situation. Representatives classical school they do not accept the innovations of young artists and do not allow them to the Salon - the only exhibition that opens the way to customers. A scandal erupted when the young Édouard Manet presented his work Luncheon on the Grass. The painting aroused the indignation of critics and the public, and the artist was forbidden to exhibit it. Therefore, Manet participates in the so-called "Salon of the Rejected" along with other painters who were not allowed to participate in the exhibition. The work received a huge response, and a circle of young artists began to form around Manet. They gathered in a cafe, discussed problems contemporary art, argued about new forms. A society of painters appears, who will be called the Impressionists after one of the works of Claude Monet. This community included Pissarro, Renoir, Cezanne, Monet, Basil, Degas. The first exhibition of artists of this trend took place in 1874 in Paris and ended, like all subsequent ones, in failure. Actually, impressionism in music and painting covers a period of only 12 years, from the first exhibition to the last, held in 1886. Later, the direction begins to break up into new trends, some of the artists die. But this period made a real revolution in the minds of creators and the public.
Ideological principles
Unlike many other areas, painting in impressionism was not associated with deep philosophical views. The ideology of this school was momentary experience, impression. The artists did not set themselves social tasks, they sought to convey the fullness and joy of being in everyday life. That's why genre system Impressionism was generally very traditional: landscapes, portraits, still lifes. This direction is not an association of people based on philosophical views, but a community of like-minded people, each of whom conducts his own searches in the study of the form of being. Impressionism lies precisely in the uniqueness of the view of ordinary objects, it is focused on individual experience.
Technique
It is quite easy to recognize painting in impressionism by some characteristic features. First of all, it is worth remembering that the artists of this direction were furious lovers of color. They eschew black and brown almost entirely in favor of a rich, vibrant palette, often heavily highlighted. Impressionist technique is characterized by short strokes. They aspire to general impression rather than meticulous detail. The canvases are dynamic, intermittent, which corresponds to human perception. Painters strive to arrange colors on the canvas in such a way as to obtain coloristic intensity or affinity in the picture, they do not mix colors on the palette. Artists often worked in the open air, and this was reflected in the technique, in which there was no time to dry the previous layers. Paints were applied side by side or one on top of the other, using a opaque material that made it possible to create the effect of an "inner glow".
The main representatives in French painting
The birthplace of this trend is France, it was here that impressionism first appeared in painting. The artists of this school lived in Paris in the second half of the 19th century. They presented their works at 8 impressionist exhibitions, and these canvases became classics of the direction. It is the French Monet, Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro, Morisot and others who are the progenitors of the trend we are considering. by the most famous impressionist, of course, is Claude Monet, whose work fully embodied all the features of this trend. Also, the current is rightly associated with the name of Auguste Renoir, who considered his main artistic task to be the transmission of the play of the sun; in addition, he was a master of the sentimental portrait. Impressionism also includes such outstanding artists like Van Gogh, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin.
Impressionism in other countries
Gradually, the direction is spreading in many countries, the French experience has been successfully picked up in others. national cultures, although they have more to say about separate works and techniques than about the consistent implementation of ideas. German painting in impressionism is represented primarily by the names of Lesser Uri, Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth. In the USA, ideas were implemented by J. Whistler, in Spain - by J. Sorolla, in England - by J. Sargent, in Sweden - by A. Zorn.
Impressionism in Russia
Russian art in the 19th century was significantly influenced by French culture, therefore domestic artists also could not avoid being carried away by the new trend. Russian impressionism in painting is most consistently and fruitfully represented in the work of Konstantin Korovin, as well as in the works of Igor Grabar, Isaac Levitan, Valentin Serov. The peculiarities of the Russian school consisted in the etude nature of the works.
What was impressionism in painting? The founding artists sought to capture the momentary impressions of contact with nature, and the Russian creators also tried to convey a deeper, philosophical meaning works.
Impressionism today
Despite the fact that almost 150 years have passed since the appearance of the direction, modern impressionism in painting has not lost its relevance today. Due to the emotionality and ease of perception, paintings in this style are very popular and even commercially successful. Therefore, many artists around the world are working in this direction. Thus, Russian impressionism in painting is presented in the new Moscow museum of the same name. There are regular exhibitions contemporary authors, for example, V. Koshlyakova, N. Bondarenko, B. Gladchenko and others.
Masterpieces
Modern lovers visual arts often called impressionism in painting their favorite direction. Paintings by artists of this school are sold at auctions at fabulous prices, and collections in museums enjoy great public attention. The main masterpieces of impressionism are considered to be the paintings of C. Monet "Waters" and " Rising Sun”, O. Renoir “Ball at the Moulin de la Galette”, C. Pissarro “Montmartre Boulevard at night” and “Boildieu Bridge in Rouen on a rainy day”, E. Degas “Absinthe”, although this list can be continued almost endlessly.
Impressionism is one of the most famous destinations French painting, if not the most famous. And it originated in the late 60s and early 70s of the XIX century and largely influenced further development art of that time.
Impressionism in painting
The name itself impressionism» was coined by the French art critic named Louis Leroy after attending the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874, where he criticized Claude Monet's Impression: Rising Sun ("impression" in French sounds like "impression").
Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Frederic Bazille are the main representatives of impressionism.
Impressionism in painting is characterized by quick, spontaneous and free strokes. The guiding principle was realistic image light-air environment.
The Impressionists sought to capture fleeting moments on canvas. If at that very moment the object appears in an unnatural color, due to a certain angle of incidence of light or its reflection, then the artist depicts it that way: for example, if the sun paints the surface of a pond in pink color, then it will be written in pink.
Features of Impressionism
Speaking about the main features of impressionism, it is necessary to name the following:
- immediate and optically accurate image of a fleeting moment;
- doing all the work outdoors - no more preparatory sketches and finishing work in the studio;
- the use of pure color on the canvas, without pre-mixing on the palette;
- the use of splashes of bright paint, strokes of various sizes and degrees of sweeping, which visually add up to one picture only when viewed from a distance.
Russian impressionism
The reference portrait in this style is considered one of the masterpieces of Russian painting - "Girl with Peaches" by Alexander Serov, for whom impressionism, however, became just a period of passion. Russian impressionism also includes works written in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Konstantin Korovin, Abram Arkhipov, Philip Malyavin, Igor Grabar and other artists.
This affiliation is rather conditional, since Russian and classical French impressionism have their own specifics. Russian impressionism was closer to materiality, objectivity of works, gravitated towards artistic sense, while French Impressionism, as mentioned above, simply sought to depict the moments of life, without unnecessary philosophy.
In fact, Russian impressionism adopted from the French only outside style, the techniques of his painting, but he never mastered the pictorial thinking itself, invested in impressionism.
Modern impressionism continues the traditions of the classical french impressionism. In modern painting of the XXI century, many artists are working in this direction, for example, Laurent Parcelier, Karen Tarleton, Diana Leonard and others.
Masterpieces in the style of impressionism
"Terrace at Sainte-Adresse" (1867), Claude Monet
This painting can be called Monet's first masterpiece. She is still the most popular painting early impressionism. Here, too, there is a favorite theme of the artist - flowers and the sea. The canvas depicts several people relaxing on a terrace on a sunny day. On the chairs, with their backs to the audience, the relatives of Monet himself are depicted.
The whole picture is flooded with bright sunlight. Clear boundaries between earth, sky and sea are separated, ordering the composition vertically with the help of two flagpoles, however, the composition does not have a clear center. The colors of the flags are combined with the surrounding nature, emphasizing the diversity and richness of colors.
"Ball at the Moulin de la Galette" (1876), Pierre-Auguste Renoir
This painting depicts a typical Sunday afternoon in 19th-century Paris at the Moulin de la Galette, a café with an open-air dance floor, named after the windmill nearby, emblematic of Montmartre. Renoir's house was located next to this cafe; he frequented Sunday afternoon dances and enjoyed watching happy couples.
Renoir demonstrates real talent and unites art group portrait, still life and landscape painting in one picture. The use of light in this composition and the smoothness of the strokes the best way present style to the general public impressionism. This picture has become one of the most expensive paintings ever sold at auction.
Boulevard Montmartre at night (1897), Camille Pissarro
Despite the fact that Pissarro is famous for his paintings depicting rural life, he also wrote a large number of beautiful urban scenes of the 19th century in Paris. He liked to paint the city because of the play of light during the day and in the evening, because of the roads illuminated by both sunlight and street lamps.
In 1897, he rented a room on the Boulevard Montmartre and painted him at different times of the day, and this work became the only job from a series captured after night fell. The canvas is filled with deep blue and bright yellow spots of city lights. In all the pictures of the "tabloid" cycle, the main core of the composition is the road going into the distance.
The painting is currently in National Gallery London, but during the life of Pissarro, she never exhibited anywhere.
You can watch a video about the history and conditions of creativity of the main representatives of impressionism here:
