Claude Debussy Essay examples

Illogical, submissive, and sensual are some of the words used to describe the view of women during the nineteenth century. In the novel The Awakening, Kate Chopin tells the controversial story of a woman, Edna Pontellier, and her spiritual growing. Throughout the story, Edna constantly battles between her heart’s desires and society’s standard. The novel shows how two women’s lives influence Edna throughout the novel. Mademoiselle Reisz and Madame Ratignolle are both in their own way strong, motherly influences in Edna’s life. Mademoiselle Reisz is Edna the mother who wants Edna to pursue her heart’s desires. Madame Ratignolle however, is the type of mother to Edna who wants Edna to do what is socially right. The way the two live

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.

She created the “spontaneity and freshness…associated with sketches” through “[painting] on unprimed and unsized white canvas,” allowing her paintings to appear much more in the moment, a hallmark characteristic of Impressionist art. Sometimes, she would leave the edges of the canvas devoid of paint, furthering the sketch-like quality of her paintings. White was dominant in her palette, be it through the application of paint or the peeping through of the canvas, giving her paintings the luminosity she desired. Her palette consisted of vibrant colors that “[were] admirably suited to her essentially feminine subjects” and she created the illusion of depth through

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.

Giorgio De Chirico’s art can be viewed one that evolved tremendously over time. However, his artwork portrayed a number of characteristics and traits that differentiated them from the works of other artists in his time. This is probably why his art remains a puzzling factor to many from the 20th Century to date. A wide use themes and concepts can be seen in a number of his works. He has played a huge role in shaping the surrealist works of art.

Art has evolved and regenerated itself many times during our human existence. These differences are defined through changes in styles under various theories. During the nineteenth and early twentieth century, a style known as Expressionism became popular. During this movement the artists were trying to use their artwork as a tool of expression toward life. It was mainly dominant in the nonrepresentational arts, such as abstract visual arts and music. It also was probably one of the most difficult movements to understand because the whole point of the piece lay within the artist. Not only was it a movement, it defined the act of art as a whole. From the beginning of time, each work of art, excluding replicas, show a way of expressing

It is noticeable that most of his artworks are dealing with space and time. For example, his famous pieces are the train that

After being ruled by a prime minister for so long, France needed some changes. That is exactly what Louis the XIV would bring to France. In an age of separation, Louis wanted to start a unification process. He started this by giving himself sole power and also only having one religion for the country. The king is always the center of attention good or bad. Louis was prepared to take the good with the bad, and handled it well. He emphasized the king as the center of attention. While some see him as egotistical and greedy, Louis was one king who knew how to make improvements.

“Pagodes” is taken from Claude Debussy’s “Estampes”, a collection of three pieces for solo piano composed in 1903. Working from Paris, in these pieces Debussy explores the beginnings of the new French impressionist style that Debussy was a central innovator in, though Debussy personally rejected the term. “Estampes” moves away from the predominantly German, late-Romantic style by avoiding extreme length and melodic complexity in favour of, as Michael Kennedy describes it, “conveying the moods and emotions aroused by the subject” through briefer and melodically simpler pieces. Debussy also moves away from the tonal system, utilising techniques such as the use of the whole-tone and pentatonic scales and quartal and quintal chords to create

Achille-Claude Debussy or Claude Debussy was a French 20th century composer known for his prominent role in impressionistic music. Debussy never described his pieces as impressionism as he disliked the term when it was associated with his music. Born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, he and his family left for Paris in 1867 only to move to Cannes in 1870 to escape the Franco-Prussion war. Claude Debussy learnt to play piano from an Italian violinist by the name Jean Cerutti and later studied under a woman, by the name of Marie Mauté de Fleurville, who claimed to have been a pupil of Frédéric Chopin. In 1872 he was enrolled in the Paris Conservatoire and remained there to develop musically over the next 11 years. Debussy was infamous for his experimental nature breaking

Art has been part of our society since humanity existed. For countless years’ people been creating, observing, criticizing and appreciating art. Claude Monet’s piece titled Sunrise (Marine) illustrates the daylight in the industrial port of Le Havre of the north coast, France. This piece was made in March or April of 1873. The piece’s present location is the J. Paul Getty Museum, west pavilion, gallery w204. The medium is oil on canvas and is next to another piece made by Monet called The Portal of Rouen Cathedral in the morning light. Claude Monet was part of the impressionist movement that changes French paintings of the nineteenth century. For Sunrise (1872), people criticized the paint due to the appearance of an unfinished painting,

The 19th Century saw many composers come to light as they made a mark on the art music world. Unknown at the time, they would soon be remembered for their work in decades to come. As music developed so did the various ways to portray the piece that was being played. One type of art music that emerged at the time was ‘programme music’. This was defined as where the “composer intends to guard the listener against a wrong poetical interpretation” . In other words it was a way to correctly convince an audience of the story with a number of movements. Composer Camille Saint – Saens was one of the many who did this exceptionally well. Throughout his lifetime, 1835 – 1921, he was known to be one of “France’s most gifted musicians” . Many of his works are still used today and have helped inspire many in not only the musical world, but outside of it as well.

Claude Debussy was born in France on August 22, 1862 during a decade in which Roger Nichols’s claims was one of “the low points of French musical life” (4). Debussy clashed with the musical norms of his time due to his fascination with writing music for how it sounds and feels. Lesure writes, “Ever since his years at the Conservatoire, Debussy had felt that he had more to learn from artists than from career-obsessed musicians” (5). Debussy composed from the ideas around him and this is heard in his composition of “Clair de lune”. Claude Debussy’s “Claire de lune” is one of his most beloved and known piano works. “Clair de lune” is the third movement of Debussy’s piano concerto, Suite Bergamasque, published in 1905 and offers a view into the complexity and originality of Claude Debussy. “Clair de lune” beautifully displays Debussy’s fascination with nature and symbolist poetry. Debussy uses form and atmospheric phrasing to depict the melancholic and subdued beauty of nature.

Paris today is known as a center of arts and rich culture both acclaimed and original. Famous moments pop up through the history of France’s art, such as the impressionistic artworks by Monet, the École des Beaux-Arts teachings of classicism, and the iconic Eiffel Tower by Stephen Sauvestre. Paris augments itself with numerous museums to catalog countless masterpieces and sculptures throughout France’s enduring, yet sometimes gritty, history. As a whole, Paris comprises of a mixture between historic architectural themes like rusticated brick clad, mansard roofs, striated columns, and a modern day architectural themes like engineered metalwork, and external program support machinery. The notion of classic French architecture, juxtaposed

Beyond the simple fact that one (post-impressionism) cannot have existed without the other (impressionism) the revolutionary technique shared by both movements; small, generally circular or curved strokes, brilliant colors, use of light, and subject matter that reached beyond the traditional scope ties them together in a unique and easily identifiable manner. One cannot view Monet’s Impressions: soleil levant and Van Gogh’s Starry Night without instantly seeing the undeniable similarities; both artists’ use of light and deliberate brush strokes leave the viewer with little doubt about the artistic movements from which they came.