French Impressionism

French Impressionism Art History Unit Floral Design

French Impressionism Period • Started by a group of Paris-based artists who exhibited their art in the 1860’s. • The name of the movement is derived from Claude Monet’s Impression, Sunrisepainting. • Characteristics of Impressionist painting include visible brushstrokes, light colors, open composition, and emphasis on light in its changing qualities • Radicals in their time, this group broke the picture-making rules of painting. They allowed colors to overpower lines. Primary Artists: Monet Degas Van Gogh Renoir Seurat Cezanne

Claude Monet – French painter, initiator, leader, and unswerving advocate of the Impressionist style Later, his attention was focused on the gardens at Giverny, which was the theme for the series of paintings on Water-lilies Monet Waterlilies, 1923 Gardens at Giverny, 1900

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Renoir painted landscapes as well as people in intimate and candid compositions He sometimes applied paint with a palette knife rather than a brush. Characteristic of impressionism style, Renoir painted not the details of a scene, but instead his figures softly fuse with one another and the surroundings Renoir Girl with a Watering Can, 1876 Dance at the Moulin de la Galette, 1876

Edgar Degas Best known for his ballet dancers and racehorses, because he was able to perfect movement in them He later became a photographer to capture movement accurately His paintings were like snapshots, freezing a moment in time He did not have dissolving lines His primary influence were Japanese prints (the odd angles) Degas The Dance Class, 1875 At the Races, 1880

Georges Seurat The ultimate example of the artist as scientist Known for his technique called pointillism, or divisionism, which uses small dots or strokes of contrasting color to create subtle changes in form Later in his life he created 1 large canvas per year, all dots Seurat Vase of Flowers, 1880 Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1886

Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch His work show the objects, people, and places in his life with bold, usually distorted, draughtsmanship and visible dotted or dashed brushmarks He only cut off his ear lobe He didn’t want to be famous He did have mental illness, but he painted when he was sane He is VERY popular, but also great He committed suicide (but it took 2 days) The Potato Eaters,1885 Van Gogh Wheatfield with Crows, 1890

Paul Cezanne Known as the “Father of Modern Art” Lived as an outsider, very isolated He tried to bring back structure and mass to painting He focused on still lifes, bathers, and landscapes He made space confusing, with out depth Cezanne Houses along the Road 1881 Compote, Pitcher, Fruit 1894

French Impressionism