Impressionism and Post Impressionism Essay

Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects (Impressionism). Neoimpressionism was a late-19th century art movement led by Georges

The 19th century art movement, Impressionism originated by a group of artists who rejected the official, government endorsed exhibitions. In 1863, a large number of artist were not accepted into the most important event of the art world, The Official Salon. To which they responded by creating an exhibition known of their own, known as the Salon de Refuses which consisted of work by artists who had been refused acceptance to the official salon. The Impressionists aimed to capture the fleeting moment of a scene, which turned away from the fine finish and detail that majority of artists aimed for in their day. They wanted to capture the effects of light, to convey the difference of time, changes in weather, and other differences in the atmosphere,

Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet are two highly influential contributors to the art world. Both are renowned artists whose creations are on display in several art museums throughout the world. They are two artistic geniuses who are more alike than they appear to be. While there are many similarities between the lives and art of these two prodigies there are numerous differences as well in their technique/style, subject matter, and personal lives.

Monet is known foremost as an Impressionist, but he was also involved in the late 19th century art movement known as Japonisme. Japonisme describes a period at the end of the nineteenth century in Paris during which “all things Japanese were very much in vogue, particularly among the arts” (metmuseum.org). In “Japonisme: East-West Renaissance in the Late 19th Century”, Yoko Chiba describes how “a taste for things Japanese swept throughout Europe”, its influence covering “a wide area from pictorial to decorative art, from literature to theater” (3).

The impressionist movement was a leap away from traditional art and a innovative style that would capture the hearts of many. Although, the elimination on detail and lines would be seen as blasphemous to true art to some. The new style of using light ground and working up with dark colors would breed some brilliant work. For instance, Vincent Van Gogh's painting entitled, "Starry Night" makes you really just want to sit and marvel in its beauty. Van Gogh's paintings seemed to be painted in quick passionate and precise strokes which effortlessly create unique and breathtaking pieces of art. Although, they were painted in passion I was blown away when I heard of the amount of detail and sketching that went into a lot of Van Gogh's work. I appreciate

Impressionism art can be considered the first distinctly modern movement in painting, it was developed in Paris in the 1860’s but wasn’t first exhibited until 1874. Impressionist art turned away from the fine finish and detail that artist during the same time aspired to create. Impressionist captured or at least tried to capture momentary, and sensory effect of a scene. Impressionist didn’t rely heavily on realistic depictions of an object or scene, they loosed the brushwork and lightened their palettes to include intense pure colors. They didn’t follow the traditional linear perspective and clarity that previous art forms depicted to lesser ones. Many critics during the time faulted the impressionist paintings because of that

Monet primarily used the boats and the people near the harbor as his subjects. He reflects his great observation skills on those subjects. We can see small details of the people and boats in the painting. Two small and maybe completely coincidental details in the painting really attracted my attention. First one is that every person in the painting is wearing outfits in darker colors, except a woman wearing a white dress. Second detail is the sandal that is in the middle of the sea; this sandal is the only subject in the painting that does not have a shadow. When we take a look at these two details it almost looks like the woman in the white dress is looking at that

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.

In the mid-1800s artists frustrated by the restraints placed upon them by governing bodies such as the French Academy of Fine Arts, began a movement that became known as Impressionism. These artists created paintings based upon their view of the world around them, and how they felt in both their hearts and minds in a manner that fit their own personal style and in doing so shattered the glass ceiling that existed for centuries to control how art was made. As history demonstrates, paintings and other works of art are created within a particular style and that this style is one that is widely set by the culture as the acceptable standard for art. The style includes both form and composition and is influenced by the time period, the region and

The Impressionist painting, “The Meadow at Vetheuil,” was painted by Claude Monet in 1879. The painting measures 32 inches by 39 ¼ inches. Claude Monet used oil on canvas. He was known for painting landscapes and scenes from life in Paris. The city of Vetheuil, where he lived, was northwest of Paris. It was a small village. The impressionistic style of painting came about in the mid 1800’s. Painters who painted in this style used everyday life as their subject matter. Paint was applied to canvases with short brushstrokes that could be seen on the finished painting. There was no blending and smoothing as in the past and wasn’t well received at the time by the art world. The lines in the Monet painting are very subtle. A horizontal line forms on the horizon and through the tree line in the middle. You can see some subtle curved lines at the tree tops. The dominate colors in this artwork are cool greens and blues with hints of warm yellow. They are realistic colors, as what you would see in nature. There are strong contrasts of dark to light throughout the green grass and trees to add depth. Colors are placed right next to each other to help show how light is reflected and to give the first impression of the scene. The color scheme is blue, green and yellow. This painting has realistic, organic tree shapes that have height and depth. The flowers in the front have a very loose representation of a realistic plants. Clouds appear to have curvy, smooth edges. They have depth due to the gray underneath. Textures from brushstrokes become thick to thin in the foreground. Small dabs of darks and lights also bring texture to the painting in the flowers and trees. The artist shows depth in this painting by objects becoming smaller as they recede. He also places the warmer tones in the front and cooler tones in the distance. Colors overlap and there is more definition in the front.

The two paintings I have chosen to write about are Fisherman’s cottage on the cliffs at Varengeville and Argenteuil (Read Boat) by Claude Monet. Fisherman’s Cottage on the Cliffs at Varengevilel is a beautiful work full of warm, inviting colors. I love this painting for many reasons, but I guess my absolute favorite thing about it is that it makes me feel free. It appears to be summer in the painting and I associate summer with warmth, happiness, carefreeness and freedom. Also, the fact that the subject matter is the ocean and scene around it adds to the peace and serenity of it. The detail Monet put into Fisherman’s Cottage on the Cliffs at Varengeville is very impressive. When I look at this work, I can almost feel the

Impressionist is a style of art that seeks to capture a feeling or experience rather than to achieve accurate depiction. Impressionism came about in the 1860’s. It is done by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes. Impressionism started with a group of Paris-based artist that there independent art work helped encourage the idea. The development of Impressionism in the art was soon followed by styles in other

Impressionism is a new kind of painting that captures a fleeting moment in time. Whether it be moving people doing daily activities or water shimmering on the lake. During the 1800s, impressionism was a drastic break in the history of art. It is also described as a revolution because it broke away from the average paintings that consisted of history and mythology. The artists could paint what they saw through their own eyes and could use their own techniques. The history of art went from classical paintings to modern, weird paintings. All of the artists had the idea that it was time for them to paint what they saw through their own eyes.

Monet is known for his use of strong colors, while Cézanne was of the first to mold impressionism into cubism. Distinct techniques used by two different artists can portray contrasting moods or feelings even if the paintings share a similar theme.

Color is of equal importance in both pieces as it lures the viewer in and allows the viewer's eyes to be driven around the piece. Van Gogh’s painting seemed more bold than luminous, whilst Monet created the sparkling surface effect with light dabs of pigment, building his forms with pure color. The weighty application in both painting creates a clear textural finish. The expressive nature that is brought out in the quick brushstrokes is equally defined in the actual texture of the painting plain.