Impressionism 3/20/17
Published on Feb 03, 2016
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MORE DECKS TO EXPLORE
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
REVIEW QUIZ
Gates of Paradise by:
A: Lorenzo Ghiberti
B: Lenoardo da Vinci
C: Lorenzo di Medici
So, we've covered the period of time when there was a rebirth of classical knowledge. This time period is called . . . the Renaissance! Right. So, pop quiz! In 1401, a competition was announced by the Arte di Calimala (Cloth Importers Guild) to design doors for the Florence Baptistery.
Photo by HarshLight
A: Lorenzo Ghiberti
Photo by HarshLight
The School of Athens by:
A: Donatello
B: Raphael
C: Michelangelo
D: Splinter
So, this is the School of Athens, the famous Italian fresco. It was painted between 1509 and 1511 in the Stanze di Raffaello, in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. It was painted by . . . ?
B: Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino)
Sistine Chapel ceiling by:
A: Donatello
B: Raphael
C: Michaelangelo
D: Splinter
The frescoes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling in the Vatican were painted between 1508 and 1512, and are a cornerstone work of High Renaissance art.
They contain nine scenes from the Book of Genesis of which The Creation of Adam is the best known (those limp fingers almost touching).
They contain nine scenes from the Book of Genesis of which The Creation of Adam is the best known (those limp fingers almost touching).
Photo by Beyond Forgetting
C: Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni
Photo by Beyond Forgetting
Mona Lisa by:
A: da Vinci
B: Michelangelo
C: El Greco
D: Donatello
This oil painting of a woman was made by . . .
Photo by photographerglen
The Last Supper by:
A: Rembrandt
B: Michelangelo
C: Leonardo
D: Raphael
This mural in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan was painted by . . .
C: Leonardo da Vinci
C: LEONARDO DA VINCI
C: LEONARDO DA VINCI
MANNERISM
So, after the generally sane ambitions of artists in the Renaissance, artists achieved superstar status. This was a new thing, and for the first time, the "expression of the artist" became important. Before it was just "paint this because the patron wants it, or it would be good propaganda." Now, an artist could be a bit of a primadonna. Mannerism developed, where artists could exaggerate reality to their own tastes.
Photo by Emme Debi
MANNERISM
So, after the generally sane ambitions of artists in the Renaissance, artists achieved superstar status. This was a new thing, and for the first time, the "expression of the artist" became important. Before it was just "paint this because the patron wants it, or it would be good propaganda." Now, an artist could be a bit of a primadonna. Mannerism developed, where artists could exaggerate reality to their own tastes.
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6TvfyL9vHc
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6TvfyL9vHc
ROCOCO
So, next is the Rococo period, and please, for the love of all that's holy, don't say RO-co-co. It makes you sound like you're not entirely toilet-trained. Ro-CO-co. Say it with me. Ro-CO-co. Think of rowing a boat in a river of hot chocolate. "Row-cocoa."
Link to Video: http://www.youtube.com/v/TvlMyFXiMSc
Link to Video: http://www.youtube.com/v/TvlMyFXiMSc
Untitled Slide
THE TRICHOTOMY
BRAIN/HEART/GOD
- emotions the driving force of one's life
- nature replaces the church as the source of inspiration
- aversion to industry, mechanics, rigidly rational things
So, the pendulum swings. The eternal trichotomy of the heart versus the brain vs. God. Who do you follow?
Follow your heart? Some people prefer anarchy. Some people's heart lead them to become pedophiles. "The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Who can know it?"
Follow your brain. Cold rationalism has led to euthanasia, the Holocaust. These people are not useful; they do not benefit "the System." Rationalism leads to order and efficiency and incidental cruelty to anything outside of it.
God tells you what to do with your heart and your brain. These are the 10 Commandments, or the 10 Words. You worship God alone, His day is holy (His time is sacred), you honor your parents (family is sacred), there is no adultery (your body is sacred) there is no lying (your word is sacred), there is no stealing (property is sacred), there is no killing (others are sacred), there is no jealousy (your desires are sacred). Do you understand this? Because you are made in the image of God, everything flows from this. If God's image is stamped on your very self, you are sacred simply because you are human. If you are sacred, then your word becomes sacred, and therefore it is sacrilege to lie because an untrue word coming out of the mouth of a being that resembles God is a shocking thing. Do destroy the image of God is shocking, therefore killing becomes sacrilege. If I use the body that is stamped with the image of God to go to work and earn money to buy a car, I have traded myself for the car, and it is mine, therefore if you take it, you are violating myself. Stealing becomes sacrilege.
This is why courts have marble plaques of the 10 commandments: because there is no justice outside of God, and these 10 Words carry through the thought of the sacred and how it affects everything in life. Think about it. Try to explain something being wrong outside of the concept of God. It cannot be done.
So, let's see how Romanticism compares. Is it wrong that a train should go through the country, if we apply this lens? Nothing really. Grass and sheep are not sacred.
If a young man desires a married woman, what could be wrong with that? Everything, since marriage is sacred since both men and women are made in the image of God, and together they represent all the strength and power and fairness and tenderness and compassion and mercy that is God, and to divide them is an unholy thing.
So, if a young man considers himself misunderstood because his poetry is not popular, and he kills himself, is that admirable and noble and deserving of our sympathy or not? Is he the victim a of cold, unfeeling and rigid society who cannot understand his intense feelings, or is he an impulsive wretch who refused to possess his own emotions and committed the ultimate heresy by defacing and destroying the image of God, namely himself? It depends on your worldview.
This moment in change reflects a change in the entire world, of which art is only a small part. Art reflects what happened; the changing worldviews are the engines that drive history.
- nature replaces the church as the source of inspiration
- aversion to industry, mechanics, rigidly rational things
So, the pendulum swings. The eternal trichotomy of the heart versus the brain vs. God. Who do you follow?
Follow your heart? Some people prefer anarchy. Some people's heart lead them to become pedophiles. "The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Who can know it?"
Follow your brain. Cold rationalism has led to euthanasia, the Holocaust. These people are not useful; they do not benefit "the System." Rationalism leads to order and efficiency and incidental cruelty to anything outside of it.
God tells you what to do with your heart and your brain. These are the 10 Commandments, or the 10 Words. You worship God alone, His day is holy (His time is sacred), you honor your parents (family is sacred), there is no adultery (your body is sacred) there is no lying (your word is sacred), there is no stealing (property is sacred), there is no killing (others are sacred), there is no jealousy (your desires are sacred). Do you understand this? Because you are made in the image of God, everything flows from this. If God's image is stamped on your very self, you are sacred simply because you are human. If you are sacred, then your word becomes sacred, and therefore it is sacrilege to lie because an untrue word coming out of the mouth of a being that resembles God is a shocking thing. Do destroy the image of God is shocking, therefore killing becomes sacrilege. If I use the body that is stamped with the image of God to go to work and earn money to buy a car, I have traded myself for the car, and it is mine, therefore if you take it, you are violating myself. Stealing becomes sacrilege.
This is why courts have marble plaques of the 10 commandments: because there is no justice outside of God, and these 10 Words carry through the thought of the sacred and how it affects everything in life. Think about it. Try to explain something being wrong outside of the concept of God. It cannot be done.
So, let's see how Romanticism compares. Is it wrong that a train should go through the country, if we apply this lens? Nothing really. Grass and sheep are not sacred.
If a young man desires a married woman, what could be wrong with that? Everything, since marriage is sacred since both men and women are made in the image of God, and together they represent all the strength and power and fairness and tenderness and compassion and mercy that is God, and to divide them is an unholy thing.
So, if a young man considers himself misunderstood because his poetry is not popular, and he kills himself, is that admirable and noble and deserving of our sympathy or not? Is he the victim a of cold, unfeeling and rigid society who cannot understand his intense feelings, or is he an impulsive wretch who refused to possess his own emotions and committed the ultimate heresy by defacing and destroying the image of God, namely himself? It depends on your worldview.
This moment in change reflects a change in the entire world, of which art is only a small part. Art reflects what happened; the changing worldviews are the engines that drive history.
Photo by Verino77
Skipping Realism...
So, after that comes Realism, and maybe we can come back to that, but I think this is a good time to jump into Impressionism.
A caveat about dates. These dates are a rough estimate of "movements" in art. When we study history, we like to cut everything up into easy bites: Renaissance art, Rococo, Realism, Impressionism, but each of these bleeds into the other. There is no hard line, as if somebody said: "Okay, it's December 31st 1875 and we've been doing Realism since 1840, but at midnight tonight, it will be 1876, so we'll all be ditching realism and making the switch to Impressionism in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . paint!" That did not happen.
A caveat about dates. These dates are a rough estimate of "movements" in art. When we study history, we like to cut everything up into easy bites: Renaissance art, Rococo, Realism, Impressionism, but each of these bleeds into the other. There is no hard line, as if somebody said: "Okay, it's December 31st 1875 and we've been doing Realism since 1840, but at midnight tonight, it will be 1876, so we'll all be ditching realism and making the switch to Impressionism in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . paint!" That did not happen.
A lot changed and developed in the 19th century: electricity, industry and photography for example.
Changes were to be seen in arts as well, namely in France. Painters who wanted to be taken seriously had to attend the Academie des Beaux Arts in Paris, and paint according to rules that were taught there.
We've touched on this before, so tell me: what effect did photography have on art? What effect does it still have?
Artists who wanted to establish their name had to participate in the Salon, an exposition by members of the Academie. The jury had the final say in who could participate, and had the power to make - or break - any participant.
CHARACTERISTICS OF SALON PAINTINGS
- Fine and detailed (but not necessarily a lot of expression)
- Based upon knowledge (theory, literature)
- Subjects derived from history, mythology, and religion
- Classic poses and perfect anatomy
In 1863, more than half of the paintings were being refused. Artists got angry, and Emperor Napoleon III had to come in between to mediate. Result: Le Salon des Refusees. Not everybody wanted to expose their work their, because being turned down wasn't really a recommendation.
Edouard Manet did participate, and caused an instant riot by showcasing a naked lady, flanked by gentleman dressed in suits. Unheard of as well was his technique: tiny spots of paint, instead of being very precise.
Manet did not like to layer paint, but he would put intense colors side by side to create an overall effect. Before, oils were preferred to create misty, atmospheric effects and deep colors with many many layers. Paintings could take months or years to complete (think Mona Lisa, who perhaps, was never finished). Manet preferred a quick painting with intense color and a shimmering effect, especially of the light. His is a "painting of the moment." Light changes swiftly, and if you wish to capture the nature of light, you must paint quickly.
In 1874, a group of 31 painters came together for an exposition outside of the official Salon. Among them: Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cezanne, Alfred Sisley, George Seurat, and Berthe Morrisot. Their goal: "A wake-up call!"
The exposition did attract attention - but mainly negative.
CLAUDE MONET
IMPRESSION, SOLEIL LEVANT
CLAUDE MONET
IMPRESSION, SOLEIL LEVANT
Monet's painting was being criticized as 'unfinished wallpaper'. Visitors were shocked by what they saw; the group of painters altogether were named 'Impressionists' because their paintings didn't show reality, but gave an impression of an image.
There was no perfect technique, more short strokes of paint in bright colors.
CHARACTERISTICS OF IMPRESSIONISM
- Outdoor painting (plein-air)
- Spontaneous and loose brushstrokes, thick with paint
- Colors applied side by side, with as little mixing as possible
- Avoidance of black
- Play of natural light is emphasized
It became easier to paint outdoors since canvasses were made ready-to-go, and paint came in small portions. A lot of impressionist paintings therefore show landscapes and ordinary, everyday situations.
Photo by iantmcfarland
CAMILLE PISSARRO
1830-1903
HYDE PARK, LONDON
GEORGE SEURAT
1859-1891
ALFRED SISLEY
1839-1899
RIVER STEAMBOAT AND BRIDGE
1840-1917
AUGUSTE RODIN
THE THINKER
Throughout the years, Impressionism developed itself. Some painters stayed true to their style, others moved to pointillism or even cubism. At the time, impressionistic paintings weren't valued or understood. Nowadays, it's one of the most appreciated forms of art.
POINTILISM
PAUL SIGNAC
CUBISM
PABLO PICASSO
