preview

Essay impressionism

Good Essays

For the Love of Impressionism

Impressionism is arguably the most beloved and famous of all the artistic styles to date, which is celebrated for its bright colour and new, imaginative view of the world and society. However, originally in Paris in the 1870s, this kind of art was viewed as controversial and undisciplined, it was considered to threaten the values that fine art was meant to uphold. Then in 1874, a group of artists got together to make their own exhibition, mostly of quite small, informal pieces of art that would not have attracted any notice in the Salon (the big annual art exhibition in Paris). They did eight shows altogether, the last one being in 1886. In the first show, the critics picked up on the title of one of Claude …show more content…

Almost always there is remarkable technique and composition associated with Degas's use of lighting effects, Renoir's fat, sensuous brushstrokes, Pissarro's use of slabs and bits of paint, and Gauguin and Van Gogh's bold, bright colors. Also associated with these elements is the theme of change. The Impressionists, particularly the greatest among them, seemed remarkably open to changing the way they painted.

De Santis 3
The Impressionists' subjects were often of modern day, depicting the entertainment parts of Paris, or of the landscapes around the edges of the city that had been invaded by tourism and industrialization. Pierre-Auguste Renoir mainly focused on the young women of the city at the theatres, in cafés, or in the streets and gardens of Paris. Berthe Morisot's favorite subjects were more domestic and tamed, showing her family and friends socializing at home. Monet, together with Camille Pissarro and Alfred Sisley, specialized in landscape scenes from the surrounding areas of Paris, and Degas was fascinated by the world of ballet, and by the entertainers in Paris's popular cafés.
The critics at the time praised these artists initiative for organizing their own exhibitions to display and get their work seen and talked about, but their paintings were

Get Access