Impressionist exhibition
First of all, for the third time I visited the exhibition in the wonderful Art Mall in Kiev. I already wrote about miraculous technologies for displaying expositions on this site. I will not repeat myself, I will only say that this time everything was on top, there was no disappointment :). This last exhibition featured paintings by all the leading masters of this artistic movement. If anyone does not know, just in case, I will give a list of these very impressionist masters:
- Edward Mane. Although the artist himself was constantly striving for official recognition, it was his infamous painting “Breakfast on the Grass” that became a real symbol of the Salon of the Outcasts.
- Berthe Morisot. One of the few (I'm afraid to assure you that the only) female impressionist. In 2013, the painting "After Lunch" was sold at Sotheby's for $10.9 million. This event made Morisot the most expensive female artist.
- Camille Pissarro. I love his images of Parisian boulevards. The Boulevard Montmartre series is considered one of the generally accepted symbols of Impressionism.
- Claude Monet. Probably the most famous representative of the current. In any case, it was his painting “Impression. Sunrise ”at one time gave the name to the entire artistic direction.
- Edgar Degas. Here I want to voice a slightly funny and exaggerated saying of a modern bohemian party: if there are a lot of little people, this is Bosch, if fat ballerinas are Degas :)
- Pierre Renoir. My favorite impressionist. And no more comments.
- Toulouse de Lautrec. Singer of entertainment and life of the Parisian bohemia and the “bottom”. Cabaret, brothels - his theme.
- Henri Cross. I was surprised to find that I heard this name at the exhibition for the first time!
- Paul Signac. His charming landscapes of bright pure colors gave life to a new direction of neo-impressionism - pointillism.
- Paul Cezanne. I have the main association with him: still lifes and dislike for human models, and this is connected with my favorite curious situation.
- Paul Gauguin. One of the titans of post-impressionism. Almost complete non-recognition during his lifetime and records for the sale of paintings after death.
- Vincent Van Gogh. Another star with an incredibly difficult creative and life destiny. And deafening glory after death ...
It's all titans. Their paintings (reproductions) can be viewed for hours, which I did at the Kyiv exhibition. My photos do not represent any artistic value, you can find much better examples. But still I will post a couple of fragments from the exhibition:
Museums of the Impressionists
As I said, impressionism accompanies my entire conscious life. I even on some resources, impudently assign myself the nickname impressionism, hinting not at my involvement, but at my special reverent attitude. Therefore, I was interested in: where you can see non-reproductions. what about the originals? My personal experience is quite small: as a student I visited the glorious city of St. Petersburg and Hermitage. In the Hermitage, I did not even try to embrace the immensity, but immediately found in which rooms you can look at the paintings of the Impressionists. The meeting is big! Here are just a few of my favorite paintings:
Camille Pissarro. “Boulevard Montmartre in Paris” 1897
Paul Signac "Harbor in Marseille". 1906-1907
Painting by Claude Monet “Waterloo Bridge. (Fog effect)"
Paul Gauguin. "Woman holding a fetus" 1893
August Renoir. "Girl with a Fan" 1881
August Renoir. "Portrait of the actress Jeanne Samary". 1878
But in addition to my own information, I also have the impressions of my friends. They, infected with feelings for the Impressionists no less than me, visited Paris twice. And twice the obligatory number of their program was visits to museums that have collections of paintings of this direction. The highlights of this Parisian cultural expedition are:
- Orangerie Museum- the richest collection of impressionists and post-impressionists. The most famous painting is C. Monet's "Waters". It was only from friends that I learned that this picture, it turns out, was painted by the artist right on the wall of the museum and completely occupies a separate hall of the gallery.
- Musee d'Orsay is not considered to be specialized only in the works of the Impressionists, it presents various areas of European painting and sculpture. But almost all of those masters who are included in the list that I posted above are exhibited in Orsay. What is at least one famous "Olympia" by Edouard Manet worth!
- Marmottan Monet Museum has more than 300 Impressionist paintings in its collection. Zest: the iconic painting by Claude Monet “Impression. Sunrise". Yes, yes, that's it. Friends say that seeing her live is an enchanting feeling. I really envy them...
Claude Monet. Impression. Rising Sun
One of the largest trends in art in the last decades of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth is impressionism, which spread throughout the world from France. Its representatives were engaged in the development of such methods and techniques of painting that would make it possible to most vividly and naturally reflect the real world in dynamics, to convey fleeting impressions of it.
Many artists created their canvases in the style of impressionism, but the founders of the movement were Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, Edgar Degas, Frederic Bazille, Camille Pissarro. It is impossible to name their best works, since they are all beautiful, but there are the most famous ones, which will be discussed further.
Claude Monet: “Impression. Rising Sun"
The canvas with which to start a conversation about the best paintings of the Impressionists. Claude Monet painted it in 1872 from life in the old port of French Le Havre. Two years later, the painting was shown to the public for the first time in the former workshop of the French artist and cartoonist Nadar. This exhibition has become a life-changing event for the art world. Impressed (not in the best sense) by the work of Monet, whose original name sounds like “Impression, soleil levant”, journalist Louis Leroy first coined the term “impressionism”, denoting a new direction in painting.
The painting was stolen in 1985 along with the works of O. Renoir and B. Morisot. Discovered five years later. Currently Impression. The Rising Sun" belongs to the Marmottan Monet Museum in Paris.
Edouard Monet: Olympia
The painting "Olympia", created by the French impressionist Edouard Manet in 1863, is one of the masterpieces of modern painting. It was first presented at the Paris Salon in 1865. Impressionist artists and their paintings often found themselves at the center of high-profile scandals. However, Olympia caused the largest of them in the history of art.
On the canvas we see a naked woman, with her face and body facing the audience. The second character is a dark-skinned maid holding a luxurious bouquet wrapped in paper. At the foot of the bed there is a black kitten in a characteristic pose with an arched back. Not much is known about the history of the painting, only two sketches have come down to us. The model was, most likely, Manet's favorite model, Quiz Menard. There is an opinion that the artist used the image of Marguerite Bellanger - Napoleon's mistress.
During that period of creativity, when Olympia was created, Manet was fascinated by Japanese art, and therefore deliberately refused to work out the nuances of dark and light. Because of this, his contemporaries did not see the volume of the depicted figure, they considered it flat and rough. The artist was accused of immorality, vulgarity. Never before have Impressionist paintings caused such a stir and mockery from the crowd. The administration was forced to put guards around her. Degas compared Manet's fame through the Olympia and the courage with which he accepted criticism with Garibaldi's life story.
For almost a quarter of a century after the exhibition, the canvas was kept inaccessible to prying eyes by the master artist. Then it was exhibited again in Paris in 1889. It was almost bought, but the artist's friends collected the required amount and bought the Olympia from Manet's widow, and then donated it to the state. The painting is now owned by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
Auguste Renoir: The Great Bathers
The painting was painted by a French artist in 1884-1887. Taking into account all the currently known Impressionist paintings between 1863 and the beginning of the twentieth century, the "Great Bathers" is called the largest canvas with nude female figures. Renoir worked on it for more than three years, and during this period many sketches and sketches were created. There was no other painting in his work that he would devote so much time to.
In the foreground, the viewer sees three naked women, two of which are on the shore, and the third is in the water. The figures are painted very realistically and clearly, which is a characteristic feature of the artist's style. Renoir's models were Alina Charigot (his future wife) and Suzanne Valadon, who in the future became a famous artist herself.
Edgar Degas: Blue Dancers
Not all of the well-known Impressionist paintings listed in the article are painted in oil on canvas. The photo above allows you to understand what the painting "Blue Dancers" is. It was done in pastel on a paper sheet measuring 65x65 cm and belongs to the late period of the artist's work (1897). He painted it with already weakened vision, so the decorative organization is of paramount importance: the image is perceived as large colored spots, especially when viewed close up. The theme of dancers was close to Degas. She repeatedly repeated in his work. Many critics believe that in terms of the harmony of color and composition, Blue Dancers can be considered the artist's best work on this topic. The painting is currently kept in the Museum of Art. A. S. Pushkin in Moscow.
Frederic Bazille: "Pink Dress"
One of the founders of French Impressionism, Frederic Bazille was born into a bourgeois family of a wealthy winemaker. Even in the years of study at the Lyceum, he began to get involved in painting. After moving to Paris, he made acquaintance with C. Monet and O. Renoir. Unfortunately, the fate of the artist was destined for a short life path. He died at the age of 28 at the front during the Franco-Prussian War. However, his, albeit few, canvases are rightfully included in the list of “The Best Impressionist Paintings”. One of them is “Pink Dress”, written in 1864. By all indications, the canvas can be attributed to early impressionism: color contrasts, attention to color, sunlight and a stopped moment, the very thing that was called “impression”. One of the artist's cousins Teresa de Horse acted as a model. The painting is currently owned by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
Camille Pissarro: Boulevard Montmartre. Afternoon, sunny"
Camille Pissarro became famous for his landscapes, a characteristic feature of which is the depiction of light and illuminated objects. His work had a notable influence on the genre of impressionism. The artist independently developed many of the principles inherent in him, which formed the basis of creativity in the future.
Pissarro liked to write the same place at different times of the day. He has a whole series of paintings with Parisian boulevards and streets. The most famous of them is Boulevard Montmartre (1897). It reflects all the charm that the artist sees in the seething and restless life of this corner of Paris. Looking at the boulevard from the same place, he shows it to the viewer on a sunny and cloudy day, in the morning, in the afternoon and late in the evening. In the photo below - the painting "Boulevard Montmartre at night."
This style was subsequently adopted by many artists. We will only mention which Impressionist paintings were written under the influence of Pissarro. This trend is clearly seen in the work of Monet (a series of paintings "Hacks").
Alfred Sisley: Lawns in Spring
"Lawns in the Spring" is one of the latest paintings by the landscape painter Alfred Sisley, written in 1880-1881. On it, the viewer sees a forest path along the banks of the Seine with a village on the opposite bank. In the foreground is a girl - the artist's daughter Jeanne Sisley.
The artist's landscapes convey the true atmosphere of the historical region of Ile-de-France and retain the special softness and transparency of natural phenomena characteristic of specific seasons. The artist was never a supporter of unusual effects and adhered to a simple composition and a limited palette of colors. The painting is now in the National Gallery in London.
We have listed the most famous Impressionist paintings (with titles and descriptions). These are masterpieces of world art. The unique style of painting, which originated in France, was at first perceived with derision and irony, critics emphasized the blatant carelessness of the artists in writing canvases. Now hardly anyone dares to challenge their genius. Impressionist paintings are exhibited in the most prestigious museums in the world and are a desirable exhibit for any private collection.
The style has not sunk into oblivion and has many followers. Our compatriot Andrei Koch, French painter Laurent Parcelier, Americans Diana Leonard and Karen Tarleton are well-known modern impressionists. Their paintings are made in the best traditions of the genre, filled with bright colors, bold strokes and life. In the photo above - the work of Laurent Parcelier "In the rays of the sun."
Impressionism
is the newspaper of the soul.
Henry Matisse.
Impressionism is a direction in painting that arose and developed in France in the second half of the 19th century - the first quarter of the 20th century. It was an art school that put in the forefront "to convey impressions, but in such a way that it was perceived as something material." The task of the impressionist artist was to depict his own feelings from objects.
It is well known that the very word "impressionism" in relation to artists was first used by the journalist Louis Leroy, who was prompted by this title of the painting by Claude Monet " Impression. Sunrise”, which depicts the port of Le Havre in a bluish predawn haze.
The painting is in the Musée Marmottan-Monet in Paris. There are more than three hundred paintings of the Impressionists and Neo-Impressionists here, which means that by visiting the museum, you will already come out with some understanding of the ideas of Impressionism. And you can continue at the Musée d'Orsay, whose collections many can envy.
Impressionist artists transferred to canvases only their perception of reality and its various manifestations, and not what they knew: for example, the earth in their paintings can be purple, lilac, blue, pink or orange, but never black or dark brown.
Impressionism, so criticized by contemporaries, was appreciated fifty years later, and today the Impressionists are regarded and appreciated as masterpieces of world painting. We present to your attention the most memorable representatives of impressionism.
Renoir, Pierre Auguste (1841 - 1919).
Art critics say that an important achievement of Renoir is the use of the theory of the Impressionists and their technique, not only when he painted landscapes and still lifes or people in the open air, but also when writing nude models and portraits.
Renoir often referred to the image of a naked female body. He conveyed the play of light and sun on the skin, which seemed alive in his paintings. He painted a naked female body, with frozen drops of water, mother-of-pearl sparkling skin, pink, tanned, and at the end of life - orange, iridescent in the fire of sunlight.
Renoir rejected all theories, saying: " Theories do not help to paint a good picture, most often they try to cover up the lack of expressive means.».
Interestingly, the first works of Renoir are made in a realistic manner. For example, "Diana the Hunter" and "Mother Anthony's Tavern".
Renoir was friends with Monet, an impressionist painter, which will be discussed below. This friendship, in fact, led to the fact that Renoir will use the technique of the Impressionists.
Nevertheless, art critics and painting historians pay attention to the fact that if, following the example of the Impressionists, Renoir refuses dark tones, but from time to time he still makes small inclusions in his paintings. Among the works of this period, in the first place, one can name Pont Neuf, Grand Boulevards, Path among tall grass.
The artist, suffering from bouts of rheumatism, spent the last years of his life in the south of France in Cagnes-sur-Mer at the Colette estate. Works of this period, from 1903 to 1919. imbued with sensuality, warm tones predominate on Renoir's canvases - pink red, orange.
The influence of the masters of the past is very noticeable - Rubens Boucher and others. For example, “ Judgment of Paris», « Bather wiping her leg". The best and last work is the painting "Bathers", written in 1918. Today, his estate, in the shade of an olive and orange grove, is open to visitors. You can look into the living room and dining room, go upstairs to the artist's bedroom, which keeps the atmosphere of his last days: a wheelchair, an easel and brushes. A photograph of Renoir's son Pierre hangs on one of the walls in his wife's room, and an amazing view of Antibes and Upper Cannes opens from the window.
Thanks to French cinema, you can immerse yourself in the last period of the life of Auguste Renoir, get to know his son and see the struggle of art with harsh reality. In March, the film by French director Gilles Bourdo "Renoir: Last Love" will be released on a wide screen. The artist is just finishing The Bathers.
The Cote d'Azur, the great artist, his muse ... the French are masters of their craft, and the opportunity to actually see the great master at work, and then see the result of his work, is worth a lot. It was this picture that closed the last Cannes Film Festival.
Monet Claude (1840 - 1926).
Claude Monet called the father of impressionism. The future artist was born in Paris, but his childhood and youth were spent in the north of France, in the city of Le Havre. Monet was greatly influenced by Eugène Boudin, a French artist who is considered the forerunner of Impressionism. It was he who taught him to work in the open air (in the lane, in the open air).
Cezanne said: Monet is only an eye, but what an eye!» It's hard to argue and not fall in love with the Parisian streets, coasts and landscapes of Normandy, on Monet's canvases.
His famous painting Luncheon on the Grass was painted in 1863. in the village of Chailly-en-Bières, located on the outskirts of the forest of Fontainebleau; its central part, affected by dampness and carved by the author, is stored in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, and a repetition of the painting is in the Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin in Moscow.
Autumn 1908 and 1909. the artist spent in Venice, captivated by the charm of the city, its ever-changing reflection on the water surface of the canal. Here Monet painted the paintings "Venice: Doge's Palace" and "Venice: Grand Canal". The genius of Monet incredibly managed to portray the city, as if covered in a light predawn haze.
At the end of his career, Monet created exquisite paintings, which the artist was inspired by water lilies in the pond of his house in Giverny.
When the artist moved in 1883 in search of a quiet and peaceful place in Giverny, he hardly suspected how much life would change the life of a sleepy village in Normandy. Shortly after his arrival, the city, eighty kilometers from Paris, was flooded with young artists from different parts of Europe in search of the Master.
Today, artists and art lovers in search of inspiration come to take a walk in the gardens of Giverny, to visit the restored house. Therefore, if you fell in love with the beautiful paintings of Monet in the d'Orsay, Marmottan and Orangerie museums, then Giverny will not be in the first place on your must se list.
Sisley Alfred (1839 - 1899).
Being an Impressionist Sisley especially much attention paid to the transfer of nuances and sensations. He was very fond of painting the water surface, the sky, fog, snow. “It is necessary that the picture evokes in the viewer the same feelings that overwhelmed the artist when he looked at this landscape,” said Sisley.
Pay attention to how light, almost weightless the houses seem, the water surface with light ripples, the pastel sky and the foliage of the trees. His paintings, painted with thin, airy strokes, set in a poetic, romantic mood.
A significant collection of paintings by the artist is in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Do not leave it unattended when you are in the capital of France. You will enjoy not only Sisley's work, but also the paintings of other Impressionist artists exhibited in this museum on the banks of the Seine.
Pissarro Camille (1830 - 1903).
Art historians write that if Claude Monet and Sisley loved to imagine water and changing reflections on its surface in their paintings, then Pissarro preferred land. His art is free from fleeting impressions - everything in it is more fundamental. Pay attention to how often scenes from rural life are in his paintings. The artist used colors in such a way that when studying his canvases, it seems as if they are filled with light from within. Pissarro loved to paint orchards, fields, surprisingly conveying the changes in nature.
Pissarro was familiar with Monet, with whom they loved to write together in the vicinity of Paris. Here were written "Gare Saint-Lazare", "Pavilion of Flora and Pont-Royal", "Place Comédie-Française", "View of the Louvre, Seine and Pont Neuf".
Cezanne called him "modest and great", well deserved, what do you think?
Seurat Georges (1859 - 1891).
One of the characteristic features of Seurat was the desire to bring a fresh stream to impressionism.
His work - both drawings and paintings - are based on the theory of contrasts. The most famous painting, of course, is familiar to you, this masterpiece "Sunday walk on the island of Grande Jatte", stored in the Art Institute of Chicago. This picture has become an expression of new trends in art, an expression of the ideas of neo-impressionism. The feeling of complete peace was achieved by combining cold and warm tones, light and shadow.
"Cancan", a no less famous painting by the artist, on the contrary, conveys a feeling of joy, movement, with the help of warm shades and bright colors.
I would like to end with the words of Claude Monet " People discuss my art and pretend to understand as if it were necessary to understand, when it "s simply necessary to love ». ( People discuss my paintings, trying to understand. Why do you have to understand when you can just love?)
European art of the late 19th century was enriched by the emergence of modernist art. Later, its influence extended to music and literature. It was called "impressionism" because it was based on the subtlest impressions of the artist, images and moods.
Origins and history of occurrence
Several young artists formed a group in the second half of the 19th century. They had a common goal and coincided interests. The main thing for this company was to work in nature, without the walls of the workshop and various restraining factors. In their paintings, they sought to convey all the sensuality, the impression of the play of light and shadow. Landscapes and portraits reflected the unity of the soul with the universe, with the surrounding world. Their paintings are true poetry of colors.
In 1874 there was an exhibition of this group of artists. Landscape by Claude Monet “Impression. Sunrise” caught the eye of the critic, who in his review for the first time called these creators Impressionists (from the French impression - “impression”).
The prerequisites for the birth of the impressionism style, the paintings of whose representatives will soon find incredible success, were the works of the Renaissance. The work of the Spaniards Velazquez, El Greco, the English Turner, Constable unconditionally influenced the French, who were the founders of impressionism.
Pissarro, Manet, Degas, Sisley, Cezanne, Monet, Renoir and others became prominent representatives of the style in France.
The philosophy of impressionism in painting
The artists who painted in this style did not set themselves the task of drawing public attention to troubles. In their works, one cannot find plots on the topic of the day, one cannot receive moralizing or notice human contradictions.
Paintings in the style of impressionism are aimed at conveying a momentary mood, developing color schemes of a mysterious nature. In the works there is only a place for a positive beginning, gloom bypassed the Impressionists.
In fact, the Impressionists did not bother to think through the plot and details. The main factor was not what to draw, but how to depict and convey your mood.
Painting technique
There is a colossal difference between the academic style of drawing and the technique of the Impressionists. They simply abandoned many methods, some were changed beyond recognition. Here are the innovations they made:
- Abandoned contour. It was replaced with strokes - small and contrasting.
- We stopped using palettes for We selected colors that complement each other and do not require merging to obtain a certain effect. For example, yellow is purple.
- Stop painting in black.
- Completely abandoned work in the workshops. They wrote exclusively on nature, so that it would be easier to capture a moment, an image, a feeling.
- Only paints with good opacity were used.
- Don't wait for the next layer to dry. Fresh smears were applied immediately.
- They created cycles of works to follow the changes in light and shadow. For example, "Haystacks" by Claude Monet.
Of course, not all artists performed exactly the features of the impressionism style. Paintings by Edouard Manet, for example, never participated in joint exhibitions, and he himself positioned himself as a separate artist. Edgar Degas worked only in workshops, but this did not harm the quality of his works.
Representatives of French Impressionism
The first exhibition of Impressionist works is dated 1874. After 12 years, their last exposition took place. The first work in this style can be called “Breakfast on the Grass” by E. Manet. This picture was presented in the Salon of the Rejected. It was met with hostility, because it was very different from the academic canons. That is why Manet becomes a figure around which a circle of followers of this stylistic direction gathers.
Unfortunately, contemporaries did not appreciate such a style as impressionism. Paintings and artists existed in disagreement with official art.
Gradually, Claude Monet comes to the fore in the team of painters, who later becomes their leader and the main ideologist of impressionism.
Claude Monet (1840-1926)
The work of this artist can be described as a hymn to impressionism. It was he who was the first to refuse to use black in his paintings, arguing that even shadows and night have other tones.
The world in Monet's paintings is vague outlines, voluminous strokes, looking at which you can feel the whole spectrum of the play of the colors of day and night, the seasons, the harmony of the sublunar world. Only a moment that was snatched from the flow of life, in the understanding of Monet, is impressionism. His paintings seem to have no materiality, they are all saturated with rays of light and air currents.
Claude Monet created amazing works: "Station Saint-Lazare", "Rouen Cathedral", the cycle "Charing Cross Bridge" and many others.
Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)
Renoir's creations give the impression of extraordinary lightness, airiness, ethereality. The plot was born as if by accident, but it is known that the artist carefully thought through all the stages of his work and worked from morning to night.
A distinctive feature of the work of O. Renoir is the use of glazing, which is possible only when writing Impressionism in the artist's works is manifested in every stroke. He perceives a person as a particle of nature itself, which is why there are so many paintings with nudes.
Renoir's favorite pastime was the image of a woman in all her attractive and attractive beauty. Portraits occupy a special place in the creative life of the artist. “Umbrellas”, “Girl with a Fan”, “Breakfast of the Rowers” are just a small part of the amazing collection of paintings by Auguste Renoir.
Georges Seurat (1859-1891)
Seurat associated the process of creating paintings with the scientific substantiation of color theory. The light-air environment was drawn on the basis of the dependence of the main and additional tones.
Despite the fact that J. Seurat is a representative of the final stage of Impressionism, and his technique is in many respects different from the founders, he in the same way creates an illusory representation of the objective form with the help of strokes, which can be viewed and seen only at a distance.
Masterpieces of creativity can be called the painting "Sunday", "Cancan", "Models".
Representatives of Russian impressionism
Russian impressionism arose almost spontaneously, mixing many phenomena and methods. However, the basis, like the French, was a full-scale vision of the process.
In Russian impressionism, although the features of French were preserved, the features of the national nature and state of mind made significant changes. For example, the vision of snow or northern landscapes was expressed using an unusual technique.
In Russia, few artists worked in the style of impressionism, their paintings attract the eye to this day.
The impressionistic period can be distinguished in the work of Valentin Serov. His "Girl with Peaches" is the clearest example and standard of this style in Russia.
The paintings conquer with their freshness and consonance of pure colors. The main theme of this artist's work is the image of a person in nature. "Northern Idyll", "In the Boat", "Fyodor Chaliapin" are bright milestones in the activity of K. Korovin.
Impressionism in modern times
Currently, this direction in art has received a new life. In this style, several artists paint their paintings. Modern impressionism exists in Russia (André Cohn), in France (Laurent Parcelier), in America (Diana Leonard).
Andre Kohn is the most prominent representative of the new impressionism. His oil paintings are striking in their simplicity. The artist sees beauty in ordinary things. The Creator interprets many objects through the prism of movement.
The watercolor works of Laurent Parcelier are known all over the world. His series of works "Strange World" was released in the form of postcards. Gorgeous, vibrant and sensual, they are breathtaking.
As in the 19th century, plein air painting remains for artists at the moment. Thanks to her, impressionism will live forever. artists continue to inspire, impress and inspire.
“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 the Greek goddesses. Or still lifes at worst. To look beautiful in the dining room. Manet wanted to paint contemporary 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 Couture's painting, we see all the attributes of academicism (traditional painting of the 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 of 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 agonizingly dying from an 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 blurry 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 is the main feature of 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. At different times of the day. 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 did it for his pleasure for many years to come.
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. He didn't even use black paint. 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 (open air). 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 in the 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 Shelburne 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.
The absence of real plots 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 of 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.
