Impressionism - Overview from Phil Hansen

one of the most significant movements for modern art is Impressionism but did you know the word Impressionists was first used as an insult the term Impressionism comes from a scathing critique by Lewis Lee rod which described one hated painting as a mirror impression the painting referred to in this brutal review was Claude Monet's impression sunrise Impressionism was born during a time when the best-loved themes were religious and historical in the French Academy of Fine Arts supported realistic renditions fervently landscapes and still life pictures were deemed inferior while portraits and historical paintings were highly prized young artists including Claude Monet Pierre Renoir Alfred Sisley and Frederick bisaya differed significantly from the Academy in their views and artistic styles one of these young artists Edouard Manet was a classically trained painter and studied with an established master copying paintings at the Louvre MANET experienced regular rejection from the French Academy and led impassioned discussions about the Academy stifling traditional perceptions and practices little did anyone know that the Academy's rejection of mayonnaise luncheon on the grass in 1863 accompanied with a strongly worded missive would spark off a revolution in the world of art after more than half of the art pieces submitted that year were rejected by the French Academy the public demanded to be able to judge the rejected work for themselves in response to this public outcry Emperor Napoleon the third created the salon of the refused to let the public enjoy the rejected works the salon of the refused exposed the world at large to the existence of an entirely new style and technique in 1876 three years after the salons debut Impressionism entered its age of glory which would last until 1886 we now know how the impressionist movement started but what makes impressionist art impressionist impressionist art depicts a scene in the way as if the viewer might have only caught the scene with a glance the paintings from this era are characterized by short brushstrokes that give the overall impression of the object or person rather than a finally finished and detailed work vibrancy is a critical aspect of the impressionist canvas and impressionist artists ensured vibrancy through the use of dominant colors laid close together unblended impressionist subject matter was as innovative as their technique deviating from the historical themes of the French Academy many Impressionists painted contemporary scenes of urban life one way vibrancy was depicted was in the play of natural light Monet depicts natural light faithfully in his woman with a parasol in this work Monet captures his wife and son in an outdoor setting where the bright sunlight touches the top of Camilla's parasol and the flowers beneath her feet tinged the front of her dress the sheer life of the painting the sense of open space and warmth of the sunlight all combined to create a real-life scene for the viewer all of this was achieved without the artist realistically finishing his central characters Renoir was another Impressionists artist who chose to challenge the Academy with his depiction of risque and pretty maidens Renoir and Monet together worked over a two-month period where they perfected the style that would later be called Impressionism during Renoir's early career he had a passion for portraiture which he carried with him even after his style grew more impressionistic in fact it has said that his success with portraits gave him the financial freedom to explore new techniques with landscapes and still lifes Renoir's well-known dance at the Moulin de la galette showed his ability to communicate to the viewer a joyful and vivacious environment using a play of colors and subtle lighting techniques the critics at the time were not happy with this work at all though danced at the Moulin de la galette is deemed one of the best impressionist masterpieces ever created if you've ever seen depictions of ballerinas by dega you'll understand why he is known as the master when depicting the human figure in motion he did not fully abandon the classical technique in favor of the unfinished style of rough and bold brushstrokes that the Impressionists favoured this was especially evident when it came to the clarity of outline and continuity of contours in his work however his style definitely took an impressionist slant and this is clear when you take a look at his later works that prominently featured ballet dancers Digga who is considered to be one of the founders of this complex era actually rejected the term Impressionism and preferred to be known as a realistic artist in the late 1880s there was yet another revolution in the art world we're a group of young artists once again chose to adopt a style divergent from the popular impressionist style Paul Cezanne was the oldest member of this group of rebels which included the likes of Vincent van Gogh and go Gann known as a post Impressionists Cezanne was doubtlessly inspired by the new style that Impressionism had given birth to however his inclination was to do away with a naturalism that Impressionists embraced symbolism was becoming the next big thing although the style borrowed from impressionist techniques quite heavily Cezanne x' work also differs from that of the early Impressionists by bringing a balance between the visual elements and the harmony of colors used the small forest is one of his paintings that captures the essence of this impressionist style perfectly both in terms of showcasing his exquisite brushwork and his shift to a lighter brighter palette to depict outdoor scenes Cezanne x' focus on creating structured paintings and carefully modulating color lay at the foundations for the revolutionary artistic style of cubism outside of visual art writers and composers experimented with impressionist techniques as well charles Baudelaires volume of poetry the flowers of evil inspired the symbolist movement in literature which like impressionist artwork communicated through non formulaic impressions with the goal of expressing the essence of a subject rather than reproducing it inspired by such poets composer Claude Debussy deviated from the rigid formal structures such as the Sonata and Symphony in favor of less rigidly defined tonality tailored to express the emotional themes of his work Impressionism undoubtedly defied the traditions of European art by doing so it pushed the boundaries of artistic freedom and forever change the way we define art you

Channel: Philinthecircle

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Keywords: Impressionism (Art Period/Movement), Claude Monet (Author), Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Author), Édouard Manet (Visual Artist), Alfred Sisley (Visual Artist), Camille Pissarro (Visual Artist), frederic bazille, Art (Collection Category), Painting, goodbye art

Id: kuOonogw-TM

Length: 7min 52sec (472 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 16 2014