Characteristics Of The Post-Impressionist Paintings

Impressionism is an artistic style of painting that originated in France in the 1870s. This style of painting attempts to capture an experience or emotion opposed depicting a scene accurately. Every impressionistic painter has a distinct method of rendering as well as their own distinct set of qualities that reflect the artist themselves. For instance, The Basket Chair by Berthe Morisot and The Orange Trees by Gustave Caillebotte are two impressionist works of art of oils on canvas that contrast in many ways. These two paintings will be compared side by side with an in depth approach comparing the artist’s personal status in society, modernism’s role in the piece, and the execution of composition.

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.

Impressionism is a way of painting which depicts objects using strokes and dabs of primary unmixed colours in order to simulate reflections of light. This style of painting was completely different and new at the time and both Seurat and Monet used these methods to become pivotal impressionist artists in the early 1870s.

Visual opulence, creativity, inimitable vision, and a style that is highly influential are the many characteristics of an admired movement in art history, that being of the Post-Impressionism movement (1875-1892). This movement, which was a by-product of the Impressionism movement, is the bridging gap between the two movements known as Realism and Expressionism. Post-Impressionism takes on some of the stylistic characteristics of these movements; however, it does not contain the all too glossy visuals of Realism or the heavily fantastic visuals of Expressionism, rather it is the intermediary of these two poles. My paper will discuss why this link was absolutely essential to the history of art movements, and I will be specifically using the

The period of Impressionism and Post Impressionism embarks from ca. 1860 to 1910 CE. For the Impressionists artists the main focus were the upper middle class, the city and restful activities. They emphasized in the outdoors, parks, sky, star, sun etc. in hope to obtain directly the effects of light and the atmosphere, this method was known as en plein air. This technique was influenced by the Japanese art and photography. They used strokes and touches of pure colors mostly white, almost never black. They were able to record or attain the shifting play of light on the surface of the object they were working on. This method allowed the artist to record the effect light had on the eyes of the spectator without concern for the physical aspect

Claude Monet was a prolific French painter who founded Impressionism in the 19th century. He strongly held onto his belief of his painting style throughout his long career and is considered to be one of the most prominent and influential painters in history. He focused on capturing the feeling or experience of a certain moment. He was intrigued by the light and color, so he explored their changes under various weather conditions at various times of day. Monet’s fascination of shifting effect of light and color directed him in the creation of Impressionism. In addition to his passion for depicting the visual impression, Claude strongly disliked the classical style of painting, which encouraged him to present the world as it is. Monet was disenchanted with the traditional academics of art; therefore, he was motivated to pioneer a new and fresh style of painting, which transformed visual arts and unleashed a path to the beginning of abstraction.

The following essay will identify three examples of each, 19th century Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings and seeks to explain how these works fall into the two distinct styles.

George Seurat reflects the post-impressionism era by the structure and optical effects portrayed that dominated the aesthetic vision of post-impressionists. Post-impressionism is every aspect of the impressionist era but exaggerated and George Seurat created the divisionism technique in his paintings. Rather than merely representing their surrounds

As you all know the company is under new management and we are trying to broaden our visions as well as show that we as a company are more diverse. Our new public relations officer has decided to acquire some paintings that will show a deeper side of the company.

Once you look at Renoir’s painting, you immediately notice the colors. The piece involves a variety of different colors not only separately but also combined constructing different skin tones, and complexions. The surface is dominated by contrasted colors of soft and smooth variations of colors, crisp accents along with warm and cool colors as well as light and dark tone all working together. These colors include, blue, brown, pink, yellow, orange, green and red. The colors of the women’s faces, for example, the blush color added to their cheeks, conjure an element of intimacy to the painting. Renoir is known for invoking moods from his subjects rather than stories. Before this time period these colors were not typically experimented with, which is why paintings of Impressionism maintain a unique brightness. The piece looks like it is necessary a sketch is drawn to create the image, however Renoir like many other Impressionists did not plan their work ahead but rather developed compositions as they painted . The canvas captures a real event-taking place, however it cannot be described as realism because of the textures previously

Impressionist art brought with it a characteristic and long-lasting originality and approachability that, until now, was never found in the art of earlier periods. The interests of these painters seem to be relevant to our own and function humbly by exciting our visual contentment. The term “impressionism” itself entails a great assemblage of extraordinary painters who have changed the artistic world, as we know it.

Impressionism, French Impressionnisme, is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as “a theory or style of painting originating and developed in France during the 1870s, characterized by concentration on the immediate visual impression produced by a scene and by the use of unmixed primary colors and small strokes to simulate actual reflected light.” Impressionist painting comprises the works of art produced between about 1867 and 1886 by a group of artists that shared related techniques and approaches to art. The title ‘Impressionism’ originated from the influence of Claude Monet and his famous painting, Impression Sunrise. This movement

Rewind roughly back to the 1860’s. Several apprentice painters, namely Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Frédéric Bazille learned that they did not share the same views of the Académie des Beaux-Arts. The Academy believed that mythological and historical scenes for painting was vastly superior to that of still life and landscape scenes. The Académie des Beaux-Arts would run an art show, the Salon de Paris, which was the only way for an artist during that time to gain prestige, commissions, and of course money. The Salon would only accept paintings which were in their approved style, which was based on the art of the old masters. Since the art of these young painters did not conform to the standards put forth by the Académie des Beaux-Arts, their art was mostly rejected until Emperor Napoleon III settled to allow the public to judge the submitted art themselves. The Salon des Refusés was created just for this purpose. The results of the new Salon were such; “While many viewers came only to laugh, the Salon des Refusés drew attention to the existence of a new tendency in art and attracted more visitors than the regular Salon.” (Denvir, pg. 194). Louis Leroy wrote a disparaging review on Monet’s work, “Impression, Sunrise”. He suggested that Monet’s painting was a sketch, and it could not be called a finished work. This was where the Impressionists acquired their name. Yet even though their

As art practices evolved during the 19th and 20th centuries, the elite of society became an object of criticism and obscurity as subject matter, whereas the working class began to appear in artworks in a more open and positive light. This shift in artworks depicting the working class in favor of aristocracy is clear in the analysis of three different periods, with the works of three different artists: Jean-François Millet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Vera Mukhina. Millet depicts the working class forthright in his works, such as The Gleaners (1857); he focuses on the futility of labor and the conditions of the emerging middle class in reaction to the extravagance and leisure of the aristocracy around him. Renoir utilizes an Impressionistic style to depict the working class neighborhood and surroundings he lives in; in paintings such as Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881), he exposes the leisurely lifestyle of the working class and their integration into the rest of society. The working class could now intermix with the aristocracy in a way that had never before been plausible. Mukhina, however, like other Socialist Realist artists, represents the working class in her sculpture Worker and Collective Farm Girl (1937) as a powerful and driving force; in the piece, noticeably absent is any reference to the elite in society. Marking a great departure from earlier representations of the working class, Mukhina places the worker front and center in a positive light. Together, these