A Brief Note On Impressionism And Post Impressionism

One of the last topics we discussed in class turned out to be a form of art that probably interests me more than almost every other type of art that we have discussed this entire semester. That form of art is the impressionist style of painting. I really love all the different brush strokes that form different images for different people. I also enjoy much of the images that the impressionists painted, because they are usually very relaxed and mellow images that put you into a comfortable place. The post-impressionist period, especially very early post-impressionist, is even better I think. I think it’s better because it is just a little more refined and puts more emphasis on the figure and form of different objects. Since I enjoyed the post-impressionist’s

While the painters after the Impressionism period were collectively called the “Post-Impressionists,” the label is quite reductive. Each artist had their own unique style, from Seurat’s pointillism to Signac’s mosaic-like divisionism, Cezanne, Émile Bernard, and others. These artists were all connected in that they were reacting to the aesthetics of Impressionism. Two of the more influential painters from this movement were Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, who aimed to connect with viewers on a deeper level by access Nature’s mystery and meaning beyond its superficial, observable level. However, each artist’s approach to achieving this goal was different. In close examination of Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait (Dedicated to Paul Gauguin) and Paul Gauguin’s Self-Portrait with Portrait of Émile Bernard (Les misérables), one may clearly see the two artists’ contrasting styles on display.

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grande Jatte, painted by Georges Seurat in 1884-6, and La Grenouillère, by Claude Monet in 1869, are both works that are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, originally painted in France during the Impressionism period. These works are recognized today for the modernity embodied in their impressionistic painting styles as well as their depiction of leisure in modern life.

Impressionism, in contrast, strove not to capture the toils of society in a moralistic setting like Realism did, but to evoke a general mood in the viewer. Painting was transformed from the idea of capturing a moment on canvas to creating a moment on canvas; painting was reduced to its own surface, “no longer transparent means but opaque ends” (Schneider 43). This was exemplified by Manet’s own ideas of painting not as “sight” but as “insight” into the human condition, driven by an artist’s intuition. Manet and the impressionists began painting en plein air, outdoors in the fresh air where they were closer to their subjects and captured the light of fleeting moments like sunrises and sunsets with quick brushstrokes intended to evoke general mood in the viewer based on the capture of light and tones in the painting, leading to the namesake “impression” left by the movement.

The renovated city became a popular subject for Impressionists such as Camille Pissarro and Gustave Caillebotte. During this period, factories for manufacturing consumer goods were increasing. Fashion was becoming more prevalent in society and industry was being revolutionized. Directly affecting impressionism were scientific advances such as better quality brushes and synthetic paint pigments that became available.

Other big change was in governmental specifically in France the government changed from absolute monarchy to Expansionist Empire. Furthermore, the religious entities of the time did not quiet understand the advance in science and the knowledge it brought to the society. The scientific knowledge was not aligned with the ancient scriptures.

This essay analyses the aesthetic and ideological underpinnings of the Modernist artwork, Impression, Sunrise of Claude Monet. The artwork and Impressionism is considered to be a visual articulation of the avant-garde and the latter statement is explained. References to the writings of Charles Harrison, Clement Greenberg and Wilhelm Worringer is used to theorise the aesthetics of modernity.

The people back in the 19th century really didn’t accept Van Gaogh’s truthful and emotionally morbid way of expressing the way of art is to himself. It finally was seen as art through the people’s eyes. This set a stage of art that is now known as Expressionism. It is best characterized by the use of symbols and a style that expresses the artist’s inner feelings about his subject. His style of painting is exemplified by a projection of the painter’s inner experience onto the canvas he paints on. Van Gogh’s paintings are done with his feelings that goes on in his life. (Mark Harden’s Artchive)

A great artist once wrote, “If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced”. This artist was Vincent van Gogh, soon to be an appraised artist known all around the world for his works, such as Starry Night. He is one of the very first artists of the post-impressionist style than is now adored in every continent. However, there is much more to the man than one painting. Creating a full timeline that stretches beyond Gogh’s life, this paper will discuss the life of Vincent van Gogh and the impression he made on the world.

Impressionist artwork becomes very unpopular among art critics because find their colors vulgar and thought each artist couldn’t draw. They view their composition as strange unfinished artwork. Their technique of using short, slapdash brushstroke made their paintings look and seem obscure. Impression art violated every rule of the Academy, the school of conservative art. Impressionism was the art of a modern urban scene. I am not surprised of their opinion because Impressionists artwork was modern and unique. The Academy only deemed “history painting” as acceptable and critics awarding paintings (Gersh-Nesic).

Post-impressionist paintings under the “IT’ theory alone were not considered art. To be able to accept post-impressionist paintings as art then required, “a revolution in taste.” The artworld, as Danto would agree needed to bring a new theory in order to

Vincent Van Gogh was formed by his social, cultural and historical context. This is expressed clearly in the underlying stories of both paintings, Starry Night, 1889 and Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889. Both of these paintings portray a narrative relating to Van Gogh significantly as he emotionally connects to the subject in each painting. Van Gogh’s aim of these subjective works was to express meaning through colour and express the painting to a more personal emotion for the viewer. Van Gogh belonged to a small style of Post Impressionism which was a reaction against Impressionism and their formality.

Modernism is an art movement that is characterized by a deliberate departure from tradition to a more expressive form that distinguishes many styles in the arts and literature of the late nineteenth and twentieth century. Emile Bernard was part of this modern art movement as can be seen in his painting, "Breton Woman and Haystacks", painted around 1888. Impressionists were modern artists who tended to paint outside landscapes and street scenes and were concerned with the effects of light. Bernard was a Post-Impressionist artist who considered Impressionism too casual or too naturalistic, and sought a means of exploring emotion in paint. Bernard's work, "Breton Woman and Haystacks", depicts a woman in

Post-Impressionism is generally considered as having begun at sometime around 1880 and continuing even until now (as technically all forms/movements of art do). Perhaps the most easily recognizable post-impressionist art piece would be Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”, crafted by the eccentric artist in 1889.

The second half of the 19th century was centered on an urban lifestyle, and capitalist like consumerism. Art had become a form of entertainment and museums, operas, music, and dance were common place in the cities. Artists like Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Edgar Degas were reminiscent of the late 1800’s. Their focus was on the Impressionistic style utilizing short brush strokes with an attention to light. Even though