The Romantic Era
During the Romantic Era, art was meant to provoke emotion of all kinds (Ducksters). Artists did this by including subject matter pertaining to spirituality, revolution, imagination, beauty, and much more. There are many artistic styles of the Romantic Era. These styles are known as the Romantic Style, Realist Style, Impressionism and Post Impressionism, Photography, and Art Nouveau. This post will be focusing on Impressionism and Post Impressionism art works.
Impressionism
Impressionism was an art movement developed in the late 1800's in France (History.com Editors). The style grew from artists painting from life, mainly outdoors, and focusing on how light influences the picture. Color was used as definition rather than harsh dark lines. Capturing the world in this was was much different than previous eras and styles making it extremely influential and revolutionary.
Claude Monet is famously well known for his impressionism work and is seen as a leader of the movement. The Water Lilies by Monet are some of his most notable pieces which he worked on from the late 1890's until his death in 1926 (Musée De L'Orangiere). Displayed in a rather small, serene space at the Orangerie Museum in Paris, France, The Water Lilies curve all of the walls in its two rooms. These paintings embody peace and were hung shortly after Monet's death to reflect that. Monet wanted The Water Lilies to be a great decorative project but was also adamant about the emotions the paintings emitted and having the exhibit be just that. After visiting the Orangerie Museum this summer and seeing the paintings for myself, I can confirm that the paintings fill the space with tranquility. The soft brush strokes and colors make the paintings look effortless and dreamy. Again, rather than using harsh outlines, the flowers and lily pads throughout the paintings are depicted through suggestions of color. Monet did such a great job at capturing this pond scene near his home in Giverny, France that people from all over the world visit the town just to see where the inspiration for these paintings came from. I highly recommend checking out the entire series here.
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Pierre-Auguste Renoir was another French artist seen as a leader of the Impressionism movement. Bal du moulin de la Galette, an 1876 oil painting, is arguably Renoir's most famous painting. The painting captures a scene of a lively dance hall in Paris, France. The people are loosely painted in with gleaming sunlight shining through the trees and onto their clothes. Renoir used a multitude of colors, even just to make up the black colors in the piece, adding to the depth of the painting (Kelly Richman-Abdou 2020). Bal du moulin de la Galette illustrates what living in Paris at the time was like and truly brings the viewer into the scene. When I look at the painting I feel as though I'm there, conversating and dancing with the people. The painting is joyful, energetic, and vibrant even with all of the darker tones.
Post Impressionism
Taking inspiration from the Impressionist style but reforming against its limitations is the Post Impressionism movement. According to The Editors of Encylopaedia Britannica, "Impressionism was based, in its strictest sense, on the objective recording of nature in terms of the fugitive effects of colour and light. The Post-Impressionists rejected this limited aim in favour of more ambitious expression, admitting their debt, however, to the pure, brilliant colours of Impressionism, its freedom traditional subject matter, and its technique of defining form with short brushstrokes of broken colour." Personally, I prefer Post Impressionism over Impressionism because it takes Impressionism one step further. It allows for more imagination and illustration. I do believe however, a lot of the art works from the era would have never been created without the Impressionism movement first.
Boy with the Red Vest created by Paul Cézanne in the late 1800's is one of my favorite Post Impressionism paintings. Most of Cézanne's paintings are a part of a collection or series but this one specifically stands out to me because of the figures gesture. The boy is slumped over on his arm looking aimlessly giving him a deeply depressive or bored look. His dull facial expression adds to this emotion. According to Barnes, "The artist didn't intend this as a portrait in the traditional sense. Rather, the painting is perhaps better understood as a study in human psychology and emotion." Cézanne's use of color in this piece is also captivating to admire. The painting seems to be done entirely in blocks of red, brown, blue, blue-green, and white.
By now we all know how strong my love for Vincent Van Gogh is so I figured it's time to feature his most famous painting,
The Starry Night. Van Gogh painted
The Starry Night in 1889 while admitted at an asylum in Southern France (The Van Gogh Gallery). Although the painting may seem like a beautiful landscape, it's actually a reflection of Van Gogh's deteriorating mental state at the time. When Van Gogh was struggling, he used darker colors in his work thus explaining the blues, browns, and greys in
The Starry Night. The swirling sky could also represent the hallucinations he was most likely experiencing. Some have even referenced the stars to his longing to be among them in death. Does it still seem like a dreamy night scene? To me,
The Starry Night encompasses the feeling of being lost. Not lost directionally but lost in life, lost in ones self. This might be because of the paintings history but I also think it has to do with the various lines flowing across the canvas.
Sources
Ducksters. “Art History and Artists.” Ducksters, Technological Solutions, Inc. (TSI), https://www.ducksters.com/history/art/romanticism.php.
History.com Editors. “Impressionism.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 3 Aug. 2017, https://www.history.com/topics/art-history/impressionism.
“History of the Water Lilies Cycle.” History of the Water Lilies Cycle | Musée De L'Orangerie, https://www.musee-orangerie.fr/en/node/33.
Richman-Abdou, Kelly. “The Story behind Renoir's 'Bal Du Moulin De La Galette'.” My Modern Met, 8 Sept. 2020, https://mymodernmet.com/renoir-bal-du-moulin-de-la-galette/.
The Editors of Encylopaedia Britannica. “Post-Impressionism.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 27 Sept. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/art/Post-Impressionism.
“Paul Cézanne: Boy in a Red Vest (Le Garçon Au Gilet Rouge).” Barnes Collection Online, https://collection.barnesfoundation.org/objects/6964/Boy-in-a-Red-Vest-(Le-Garcon-au-gilet-rouge)/.
“Vincent Van Gogh: Starry Night.” The Van Gogh Gallery, https://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starry-night.html.
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Allison,
ReplyDeleteThere were so many movements from this era I had trouble picking, but impressionism and post-impressionism very closely came into mine. I'd have to say I agree on preferring post-impressionism, my favorite aspect is that it's much "looser" in rendering its subjects, by going beyond proportions, skewing angles or altering the literal colors of objects. The relationship between emotions, the observer's perspective and light are intertwined, since how we visualize places, objects, memories in our minds eye are influenced by our feelings at the time. To me it's very dream-like.
As for Van Gogh's intentions for "The Starry Night", I have to strongly disagree with the idea it embodies a deterioration of his mental health. While it was painted when he was receiving treatment in an asylum, I interpret it not as an expression of hopelessness, but of hopefulness despite his struggling of the time. I am reminded of a quote from filmmaker and artist David Lynch about trying to create while struggling from depression:
"Negativity is the enemy of creativity. For instance if you're filled with depression, you can hardly get out of bed, let alone feel like creating something. If you are filled with bitter selfish anger, this occupies the mind and leaves little room for creative ideas." -David Lynch
I interpret Van Gogh's mental deterioration to be the largest obstacle to his work, imagine how many more paintings he could've shared with the world if he didn't take his life. While I can see elements of melancholy and lostness in the work as you said, I'd like to think he was looking out his window that night with a sense that he could live in that world, even if his conditions often alienated him from society. It's not just a dark landscape of the city, but illuminated by the light of the stars, at least until morning.
Lee, I love that interpretation that Van Gogh could have created the painting out of hope that "he could live in that world" and I would much rather that be the truth than my interpretation!
DeleteHi Allison!
ReplyDeleteI love your compare and contrast of these two styles and I also have a love for Van Gogh!
Despite that I would have to pick impressionism, the light paint strokes and colorful depictions of real life light and elements has always been a favorite style of mine.
The elements of post impressionism are also very interesting to learn about so thank you for sharing. I particularly enjoy the breaking of “limitations” it really drives the point home that art can be in any form and anyone can view art in their own way.
I think the perspective of Monet is so clear in his paintings because his depictions of the scenes he created are so beautiful like you stated that tons of people go to the places to view themselves but they do indeed inflict emotion from the viewer, when I look at his The Water Lilies piece I feel calm and captivated by the rich colors and how the water seems alive.
I also did not know The Starry Night was showing Van Gogh’s mantal state slipping away, that seems like such a sad fact but that painting is world renowned and beautiful, I guess the mix of a landscape piece with some shapes and different painting styles helps show that contrast to other pieces in this era.
Did you know there is a Van Gogh exbibit in WA state in Seattle? I live close to there and I am planning a trip to see it soon.