Permanent Revolution
-The break in tradition=the Great Revolution in France
-old established ideas of art that were inherited from prior to around 1800 were almost overthrown in this century
-"What made matters worse was that the Industrial Revolution and the decline of craftsmanship"
-old established ideas of art that were inherited from prior to around 1800 were almost overthrown in this century
-"What made matters worse was that the Industrial Revolution and the decline of craftsmanship"
House of Parliament in London
-it was designed by Barry for the overall shape and grouping and Pugin for Gothic decoration of the facade and the interior.
-1835 CE, stone
-Gothic type of structure
-1835 CE, stone
-Gothic type of structure
Examples of Academic Art
Revolutions in Art
-Millet, Courbet, Barbizon scholl
-common scenes of life were dignified and worthy of painting; realism -Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Jean-Francois Millet -The Gleaners -oil on canvas, 1857 CE -dignified peasants, confused Academy Gustave Courbet -The meeting, or 'Bonjour Monsieur Courbet' -oil on canvas, 1854 CE -play-there painting, not staged in the studio -made the artist look like a country bumpkin instead of intellectual -some works were rejected -development in supplies, portable -development of chemistry in service of the textile industry, isolate indigo -concocted substances as synthetic pigments, began in 1860s |
Dante Rossetti
-Ecce Ancilla Domini(PRB) -oil on canvas, 1849 CE -artists who were in same group with Dante thought art had gong wrong -left big influence, vivid use of colours and distinctive appearance to art -back to period before Rafael, no style of beautifying things -Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, rather a short-lived movement around 1852-1855 |
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Hokusai
-born in 1760 in Yego in Tokyo, an adopted child -apprenticed to a well-known artist -became famous wood print designer -changing style frequently -age 70, thousands of painting, drawing and prints -some events happened: his wife died, his grandson took his all money, he had to leave his home to live in a temple with his daughter -caused his great master work -affected by European style: -Hokusai wrote titles horizontally, Japanese culture was writing vertically(western style) -decorative borders Great Waves -death and destruction of insignificant men -scary but unreal -not a greatest portrayal of the power of sea -really exist -a real dangerous waves that occurs in nature -it is a dark image but sources are in light and delight -one of the series 36 views of Mount Fuji -showed his personality -not fighting with waves, but going floating of life -special way of self-portrait -near end of life Print of Great Waves -based clearly on his structural theories -involves geometry, some circles and triangles -block copy, much more finished drawing -print lines first -total nine blocks in this case -can not make any mistakes |
Personal Thoughts
This was a period of new attempts of art. Artists were unpleasant with judgement of the Academy. There were three revolutions to change the view that traditions upon art. Artists such as Jean-Francois Millet chose new subject matter in real life, Gustave Courbet used new supplies of art to describe the world in his eyes. Dante Rossetti and Edouard Manet followed what they saw in their eyes to draw their paintings. Artists during this time period tried to get rid of the tradition of beautifying those subject matters that the Academy thought were dignified. They painted all scenes of real life as all common scenes were dignified. History is like a circle which starts from one point to another point, and them back to one point with development. Art history is also developed in this way, starting from the Middle Age to Renaissance, to Mannerism, to Baroque, then back to impressionism and realism. It was from simple to beautifying, and then to real.
Impressionism
-artists painted what they saw at the first glance
-the memory of what you remembered first is impression -Impressionism was a new idea of art which focused more on general impact instead of details and harmony of colours. It transferred actual visual scene to beholders by paintings. -Two allies that helped Impressionism to get victory: photograph and Japanese colour-print Photograph: -mainly used for portraits -the portable camera and the snapshot developed with the rise of Impressionists painting -better and cheaper than painting -take over the function of pictorial art: preserve the aspect of any object for posterity -affect modern art |
Japanese colour-print
-developed out of Chinese art -in the middle of the 19th century, forced to start trade with Europe and America -prints were used as wrappings and padding at first -artists of Manet’s circle appreciated their beauty first -relished every unexpected and unconventional aspect of the world -Mount Fuji seen behind a cistern(1835), made by Katsushika Hokusai, 1760-1849 -Rolling up a blind for the plum-blossom view(late 1790s), made by Kitagawa Utamaro, 1753-1806 -daring disregard of an elementary rule of European painting, stuck Impressionists |
Famous Impressionists and paintings
Manet:
-The Balcony -comparison between Goya and Manet -Manet tried to explore the contrast between the full light of the open air and the dark which swallows up the forms in the interior, round forms sometimes of look flat -more immediately real -regardless of the traditional rules of colour harmonies -The races at Longchamp -a horse-race -gain the impression of light, speed and movement -refused to be influenced in forms by knowledge -Monet working in his boat -Manet came to visit Monet -paid him a tribute to paint Monet while he was working in his open-air studio, a boat |
Personal Thought on the painting Monet working in his boat:
I personally like this painting: Monet working in his boat because this painting reflected the relationship between Manet and Monet. They had similar names and almost same ideas on art painting. Both of them were famous Impressionists and focused more on general impact of a scene.
I personally like this painting: Monet working in his boat because this painting reflected the relationship between Manet and Monet. They had similar names and almost same ideas on art painting. Both of them were famous Impressionists and focused more on general impact of a scene.
Claude Monet:
-Claude Monet was from Le Havre, 1840-1926 -joined Manet and helped to develop these ideas -Monet’s idea: all painting of nature must actually be finished ‘on the spot’ not only demanded a change of habits and a disregard of comfort, bound to result in new technical methods. -care less detail than the general effect of the whole -Impression: sunrise -1874, a show contained ‘Impression: sunrise’ by Monet -critics referred the whole group of artists as “The Impressionists" -Regatta at Argenteuil, Claude Monet -oil on canvas, 1872 CE -look in short time and look away to remember things, interpreting the scene in artist’s head |
-Gare St-Lazare, by Monet
-a Paris steaming railway station -the effect of light streaming through the glass roof on to the clouds of steam -oil on canvas, 1877 CE -back buildings were fuzzy -his impression when he looked at this train yard -impression that conveyed his eyes -whole philosophy difference between impressionism and traditional art -applied new principles into landscape and any scene of real life |
Edgar Degas:
-1834-1917 -interested in design and draughtsmanship -focused on the interplay of light and shade on the human form -especially like depicting dancers Henri Degas and niece Luci -oil on canvas, 1876 CE -not really impressionism, but conclude some elements such as rougher brushstrokes -nothing central about -various compositional forms that violated some concepts -the Academy lost influence gradually Awaiting the cue -pastel on paper, 1879 CE -young girls were practising ballet -showed part of people -impact of camera, snapshot |
Pierre Auguste Renoir
-he was from France, 1841-1919 Dance at the moulin de la Galette -1876 -using bright colours -studying the effect of sunlight on the whirling throng Boating on the Seine -oil on canvas, 1879 CE -crude brushstrokes, giving the feeling of shimming on the water -fuzzy background to show distance |
Auguste Rodin
-1840-1917, a great French sculptor -despised the outward appearance of ‘finish' -left imagination to beholders -The sculptor Jules Dalou, 1883, Bronze -The hand of God, 1898, Marble -influenced Impressionism to be accepted by more people -full expression of the main principles -the new movement in sculpture -most famous sculpture in the world: Thinker |
Mary Cassatt
-a woman Impressionist -from America, but lived in France for most of her adult time -a painter and printmaker Little Girl in Blue Armchair -oil on canvas, 1878 -National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C The Child Bath -oil paint, 1893 -subject matter and perspective were inspired by Japanese woodblocks -Art Institute of Chicago Building |
Personal Reflection
Art had changed from early 1800 to 1900s. Artists focused more on first feeling of scenes instead of details and composition of colours. Impressionism was a new idea of art which opposed traditional art standard. Because of various art movements that happened by the 1900s, art changed from conventions to new forms such as abstract art, modern art and cubism. In the pictures that was introduced above, I especially loved Boulevard des Italiens which painted by Camille Pissarro because it gave me a feeling of dream and combination of fuzzy and clearness. I liked colour composition in the painting. It showed a busy street by using fuzzy painting method. I could not see any details on any person on this street, but I could imagine that if I saw this scene at the first time, I would probably remember the same scene that showed in this picture in this kind of fuzzy and unclear way. That was impression to me.
Critics and My Opinions
Personally, I don’t want to judge whether critics’ judgements on Impressionism were right or wrong, but I think it was not a wrong thing to express their opinions on those pictures which were painted by painters who were regarded and grouped as “Impressionists”. Under the traditional way to think and review pictures, critics had a format in their minds that a great painting should include subject matters that they believed were appropriate and dignified, using fine brushstrokes and harmonious colours to express them. However, Impressionists didn’t think in this way. They chose subject matters from nature and expressed them on their paintings with rough brushstrokes and vivid colours. They mainly concentrated on the moment that they first saw a scene and the momentary memory that they had about it.
In my opinion, if I were a critic in the period of Impressionism, I would probably have same thoughts with them because I was familiar with the traditional definition of art. It was not easy to change my mind and accept a new idea to define art. However, as a student in modern society, I really like the method that Impressionists used probably because I am not good at painting and fine art is so hard for me. I admired those Impressionists because they followed their will and didn’t give up their idea when critics judged their paintings and the society didn’t approve their methods. Artists earned money by painting for exhibition and their patrons. If there was no way for them to exhibit their paintings, only a few people would know them. Without approval, no one would buy their paintings, so it was hard for them to earn money to support their lives, but they still insisted their dream. I believe this spirit was what we should learn.
In my opinion, if I were a critic in the period of Impressionism, I would probably have same thoughts with them because I was familiar with the traditional definition of art. It was not easy to change my mind and accept a new idea to define art. However, as a student in modern society, I really like the method that Impressionists used probably because I am not good at painting and fine art is so hard for me. I admired those Impressionists because they followed their will and didn’t give up their idea when critics judged their paintings and the society didn’t approve their methods. Artists earned money by painting for exhibition and their patrons. If there was no way for them to exhibit their paintings, only a few people would know them. Without approval, no one would buy their paintings, so it was hard for them to earn money to support their lives, but they still insisted their dream. I believe this spirit was what we should learn.
Bibliography
The Story of Art - E.H. Gombrich
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4F7OEDJMnA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4F7OEDJMnA