Haussmann Vs Degas

Paris in the 1920’s – “The Lost Generation” Between the end of the First World War and Hitler's seizure of power a cultural explosion occurred in Paris that altered our notions of art and reality and shaped our way of viewing the world ever since. In the 1920's, Paris became the undisputed international capital of pleasure and was regarded as the cultural and artistic center of Europe with a reputation for staging one of its most glamorous eras, as well as some of the most spectacular revues in the world. Imagine for a moment, that it really is 1920's Paris. You are leisurely strolling through the gas lit promenades. World War I is over and the exuberance of jazz musicians, symbolist painters, and American expatriates

When one walks into RISD Museum’s contemporary exhibition, it is easy to notice the architectural strong lines of the room and immediate sculptures on view, which are simple but strong with minimalistic lines are easy on the eye. One glance at Steven Campbell’s Men Insulting Nature and the Notion of Travel, and people don’t know what to do. The large size of the canvas, in comparison to the other works of art in the exhibition, is harsh to the eye. Campbell’s piece creates a reaction opposite: one needs to back up and take in the whole piece, then move closer to analyze the details. This “dance” continues, moving closer to look at the tiny details, then backing up to look at the whole piece with the new information learned; however, every time the viewer does this, it leaves them with more questions.

This philosophical periodicity was lost in later times. Artistic genres now cut across one another, with a complexity that cannot be disentangled, and become traces of authentic or false searching for an aim that is no longer clearly and unequivocally given... (40-41)

“To us, art is an adventure into an unknown world of the imagination which is fancy-free and violently opposed to common sense. There is no such thing as a good painting about nothing. We assert that the subject is

By that specialize in the ‘here and now’ of his time, these momentaneous moments come to be relished homesick memories. Renoir’s portrayal of glow shade, skilfully numerous brushstrokes, nuances of sunshine and shadow all labored along to create a heat sensualism. Planted inside the heart of Paris, we tend to face at the location of the Seine, trying upstream towards the wrought-iron Pont des Arts. A ferry pulls up to the quayside, jam-filled with commuters and idlers from all walks of lifestyles: idle women in brilliant crinolines and neatly turned-out dandies, competitive road urchins and soldiers in crimson trousers, romping dogs and a blue-smocked workman, seated at the riverside. Up the ramp at right, secondhand booksellers exchange the shadow of the vaulted Institut Delaware France, whereas at the horizon at left appear the brand-new theaters of the Place du Châtelet. The crisp shadows and munificently implemented black air usual of Renoir’s early career, once the writer and his friend Monet launched to record their dynamical city in an exceedingly celebrated series of views to that this one belongs. Pierre-Auguste Renoir’ and Pierre-Étienne-Théodore Rousseau’s paintings proportion the equal biblical challenge, historic duration, and geometrical form, yet range in a number of widespread

The Golden Age in Los Angeles, the art world was also hitting its stride. By the early sixties, complained art dealer Irving Blum, the “the earlier camaraderie and real affection that these people had for one another; began to shift with the spectre of money, the spectre of commerce, the spectre of greater interest, the spectre of greater collecting activity, the spectre of competition” (Colpitt 1983, 39). At the epicenter of the boom, the dimensions and mood of the art world were shifting - for good. Concerns were mounting that the art world was abandoning its cherished autonomy from the norms of mainstream society. In a faster, commercial art world dominated by newcomers and speculators, how could such agreements be reached about aesthetic

Degas, The Anti-Impressionist Impressionist I set foot in the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena on October 25th, 2015. As I step through an entrance marked ‘European Art: 19th Century,” I’m instantly greeted by a plethora of bronze figures with a placard under each of them reading ‘Edgar Degas.” I moved on to peruse the art hanging from the walls when I noticed a correspondence between the bronzes and the paintings — both depicting unaware figures in the midst of ubiquitous activities. I then came to a halt in front of a compelling piece. I dwelled on the two dancers’ swaying bodies progressing further into the painting. The audacious color palette trapped my eyes and the composition guided them around. The focus was drawn to the structured

The use of blue Prussian imported ink seemed to be the first thing that caught Europe’s eye. This first discovery started the wave pf admiration in French artists. Various French artists began collecting his pieces and began showcasing them as well as imitating his prints in their own works. This caused the works to gain acclaim and therein his influence elevated the reputation of graphic arts in France. Based on these artist’s collections and clear influence it does appear as though Hokusai unknowingly bridged the gap of printmaking as a respectable medium for fine artists. I believe this caused a social change in the perspectives of what their lives actually were when observing the expansive differences of Hokusai’s experience. This new perspective is clearly shown in the adopting of his two dimension style, uncluttered composition, and thin brushstrokes; Various artists seen even in prints classically known in France today, such as ‘The Nightclub Le Divan Japonais’ by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. There is a tangible quintessence of Hokusai and he is an undoubtedly impactful artist and will remain as

As the popular art subjects become more and more used up, artists search for other ways to express antiquated ideas. They begin carving and painting roses onto vases. ("renews/ itself in metal or porcelain" (line 8)) Ironically, while this new format originated from the overuse of the subject, this simple overuse also opened a gateway for more

Jules de Balincourt was born in 1972 in Paris and moved to the United States with his family in the early 1980s. He lives and works in Brooklyn (NY). De Balincourt’s painting can be interpreted on several different levels. The image is always an encounter and an invitation to escape,

Art Nouveau When one considers the term “Art Nouveau,” what comes to mind most immediately is “images of a European-wide invasion [characterized] by the restless dynamism of organic form”(Silverman 1). For me it is usually the work of Alphonse Mucha– his mysterious women surrounded by the beauties of nature. Often my Art Nouveau fantasies take shape in the odd fungal-shaped stained-glass lamps of Tiffany. Or sometimes they surface as the romantic Parisian posters I’ve seen at Pier One, advertising champagne or cats noir or bicycles or the like. But no matter what ones notion may be of what Art Nouveau looks like, there is a feeling that accompanies it that is at the heart of the style’s appeal. It is difficult to define or describe what

The Large Bathers, 1898-1905 is the largest of Paul Cezanne's pictures and has been cited as an example of his ideal of composition and his restoration of classic monumentality after its lapse during the nineteenth century. Cézanne’s great achievement forced the young Picasso, Matisse, and many other artists to contend with

The world of art was responding to this new boom of wrenches and gears with: Art Nouveau, a highly stylized and decorative art, framing the importance of organic, botanical, and true form of the objects. So while the world focused on exact and complicated features, the artists in Paris were simplifying, making decadence, and flow emerge out of their art. The one who had the most harmony, intensity and influence in Paris was Mucha.

This research essay is based on Andries Gouws' series of oil paintings entitled 'Hiding Behind Simple Things'. The reason that this specific series of artworks has been chosen, is because it fits in almost perfectly with the theme I have chosen to embark upon, in terms of subject matter, medium, composition, and style. Both artworks analyze society’s oblivion to life, and how the beauty in life so often goes unnoticed. It comments on how society has become entrapped in the rat race of modern day living. Both artworks do this by painting small, often unnoticed, objects that surround society every day.

In a ‘tradition breaking spirit’ [D’Alleva, 2012], that characterised modernist artists, early in the twentieth century, Duchamp abandoned traditional ideas and techniques, to create a new kind of ‘art’, one that the idea behind a work of art is more important that its visual realization, the ‘retinal’. The ready-mades was the product of Duchamp’s questioning what art is.