L’impressionisme français

La Révolution Impressionniste In the 1870s, a group of artists in France called the “Impressionists” introduced their way of painting to the world Before them, painting was traditional- artists tried to imitate reality in a very exact manner with lots of detail –These traditional artists learned their painting in “académies” which were schools where the artists learned to meticulously copy paintings without using much imagination

Impressionists on the other hand, were interested in COLOR and the effects of LIGHT on the objects they were painting Impressionists painted: -scenes from everyday life -portraits of friends -nature -the human body

Impressionists often painted “en plein air” (outdoors) They were not at first successful and were mocked Had to organize their own expositions (could not participate in government “salons”) Little by little, the public and collectors began to understand the movement

Today Impressionist paintings are worth a fortune and can be seen in the most famous museums in the world (New York, Paris, London, etc) Many Impressionists were French, but the movement spread to America, with painters such as Mary Cassatt.

IMPRESSIONIST PAINTERS

La vie d’Edouard Manet Manet was born in Paris in 1832, to an upper- middle class family He didn’t do well at school, and decided to become a painter after failing the naval college exam twice He was the first major painter of the Impressionist movement. Many people rejected his non-traditional paintings

Characteristics of Manet’s Painting Bold Contrasts Free Brushwork

Edouard Manet: “Sur la plage”

Questions: Sur la Plage 1.How does this beach scene from the past look different from something you would see at the beach today? 2. What emotions does this painting convey? –Respond in English

La vie d’Edgar Degas Degas ( ), like Manet, was born into an upper-middle class family Led the rebellion against the Salon (which judged the artistic merit of paintings in France) Had some Italian relatives and spent a lot of time studying in Italy independently

Characteristics of Degas’ works His paintings had the perspective of a “detached observer” Became well-known for painting ballet dancers, used light effectively

Edgar Degas: “Toilette matinale”

Questions: “Toilette Matinale” 1. Do you think that Degas did a good job of depicting the natural movement of this subject? What poses/movements are natural? 2. What is the focal point of this painting? Where is it located? What other items are included in the painting?

La vie de Pierre-Auguste Renoir Renoir was born to a working-class family in His father was a tailor and his mother was a seamstress. He was born in Limoges and his family later moved to Paris He started painting on plates and pots in the Limoges porcelain shops as a teenager

Characteristics of Renoir’s Work Renoir used lots of light, texture and color Renoir tried to create a joyful mood with his paintings and often painted scenes of people enjoying themselves at leisure.

Bal du Moulin de la Galette

Questions sur la peinture Do you think the cabaret where this painting took place had an outside section? Why or why not? Are the subjects enjoying themselves? Describe some of their activities or facial expressions

La vie de Claude Monet Claude Monet became the premier landscape painter of the impressionist movement Monet was born in 1840 in Le Havre, which is a coastal town near the end of the river Seine in Normandy Monet loved his coastal upbringing and would return there to paint many coastal land

Characteristics of Monet’s work Used blobs of pure color to capture the impression of a specific place or time of day. Monet loved to paint outdoor, open-air scenes

Le Bassin aux Nymphéas

Questions: Le Bassin aux Nymphéas Monet loved painting and gardening. His home in Giverny (outside Paris) was surrounded by gardens and water lilies. What is the French word for water lilies? What colors did Monet use in this painting? What mood do they convey? Does this painting make the viewer want to stand on the bridge there? What would they want to do?

La vie de Paul Cézanne Cézanne was born in 1839 in Aix-en- Provence, where he was childhood friends with the writer Emile Zola Cézanne had a lot of setbacks, but received positive feedback on his work at the Académie Suisse by Camille Pissarro, another Impressionist

Characteristics of Cézanne’s work Early works: nature landscapes raw forms and emotions, thick layers of dark paint that reflected a volatile personality Later works: still-life painting; emphasized underlying structure of a scene, became a part of the post- Impressionist movement

Nature morte au panier

Questions: Nature Morte au Panier What inanimate objects do you see in this still-life painting? Would an artist who paints still life works be very interested in detail? What is a “panier”?

La vie de Vincent Van Gogh Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853, and his father was a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church He started his artistic career as an art dealer, but decided to become an artist in 1880 and taught himself how to paint.

Characteristics of Van Gogh’s work Van Gogh’s started painting with sober colors Later, he began to use very bright colors, related to the bright landscape of his home in Arles, in the South of France. His style related more closely to the post-impressionist era

Terrasse du café le soir

Questions: Terrasse du café le soir Van Gogh uses brushstrokes like those of other post-impressionist painters. Describe the style of brushstrokes he uses. How did Van Gogh use intense colors to show that it was nighttime in this painting?