Archive for October 24th, 2009
What an Impression
Claude Monet, Impression Sunrise, 1872, France
Rosa Bonheur, Plowing in the Nivernais: The Dressing of the Vines, 1849, France
After learning about the Impressionism era, I quickly found out that I didn’t like the artwork at all. I really enjoy the meaning and excitement behind the brush strokes the artists used when creating their pieces, but the final products don’t seem to excite me nearly as much. The idea behind Impressionism focused on the way the painters worked. The movement of the brush across the canvas was that of happiness. Painting out in the open air and starting on light canvas, forced the artist to layer the colors to achieve the desired darkness. It was completely opposite of the way previous artists had achieved their final pieces. For example, when comparing Claude Monet’s painting with Rosa Bonheur’s painting, there is a noticable difference in styles.
Because of the loose, happy brush strokes the Impressionists worked with, the outcome was a very loose image. This is visible in Impression, Sunrise where there is no real definition to the objects in the painting. The background seems to be filled with trees and brush, but it appears to be misty or foggy because of the loose gestures. Same is seen in the image of the boat in the middle of the painting. On the other hand, Plowing in the Nivernais has a very defined layout of the objects in the painting. This Realist painting is so specific with the defined brush strokes that it almost looks like a photograph rather than a painting.
It is the ellusive images of the Impressionist paintings that make me unable to relate to the artists. I enjoy definition and specificity, and that is exactly what Impressionism lacks. However, Realism (which happens to be one of my favorite genres of art) has all the definition and specificity that I like in artwork. Indeed, it is supposed to replicate reality.
Sources: Benton, Janetta Rebold and Robert DiYanni. Arts and Culture: An Introduction to the Humanities. Third Edition. Volume 2. 2008.
2 comments October 24, 2009
