1. Realism
And
Impressionism
The Artist as Himself

2. Industrial Revolution spread to the US and throughout Europe-plastics, machinery, chemicals, and oil- URBANIZATION-improving health and living conditions in the cities
Increased emphasis on science- Darwinism- the theory of natural selection-highly controversial- contributed to secularism
Became a social issue to justify racism, imperialism, nationalism, and militarism-by this time, most of the world was sectioned off and colonized
Marx and Engels-goal was to create a socialist state- seizure of power by working class and the destruction of capitalism- emphasized class conflict and was instrumental in the rise of Labor Unions
Technological change and exposure to other cultures brought about modernism-western culture’s lack of permanence
Modernist artists seek to capture the images and sensibility of their age, critical examination of the idea of art itself
Realism- reevaluation of reality- sights and experiences of everyday contemporary life- from the idea of empiricism- subject matter was expanded-peasants and working class
Realism-departed from illusionism- paintings were defined by the paint’s application as well as the subject matter

3. Courbet, The Stone Breakers, 1849 (destroyed 1945)
Courbet- proud of his rural background, socialist- believed that Romanticism was too much of an escape from reality “I cannot paint an angel because I have never seen one.” - strong link with Caravaggio
Stone Breakers- used real workmen as models
Dignity rather than sympathy

4. Courbet, Studio of a Painter: A Real Allegory Summarizing My Seven Years of Life as an Artist,
Allegory must not conflict with the real identity of the figures
Scene much like Velazquez and Goya- people were invited to view his painting-the artist’s hometown people on the left, and intellectuals on the right- a social environment rather than an audience

5. Manet, Luncheon on the Grass, 1863
Extremely controversial subject matter- an unidealized nude model posing with everyday people- her face is at ease and comfortable
Tribute to older artists- classical subject matter- nether real life or an allegory
Visual manifesto of artistic freedom-painter’s freedom to combine whatever elements he chooses for aesthetic affect alone
Manet was the first to grasp Courbet’s mission

6. Manet, Olympia, 1863
Even more scandalous- shameless prostitute, defiant look
Saw the inclusion of a black woman and a prostitute as an image of depravity
Rough brushstrokes and rapid shifts in tonality - very defiant of the academy

7. The World of painting has “natural laws” that are distinct from reality-painter’s first loyalty is to his canvas-beginning of “Art for Art’s Sake”
Brushstrokes and color patches alone are most important, not what they stand for
Courbet thought that Manet’s paintings were too flat
The Fifer has almost no depth, almost no value- reality of the figure is caused by foreshortening
Canvas is no longer a window, but flat patches of color
Very revolutionary way of painting
Manet, The Fifer, 1866

8. Not just pretty pictures!! An Art Revolution of Epic Proportions!!
Impressionism-
Not just pretty pictures!!
An Art Revolution of Epic Proportions!!
Reaction against the invention of the camera
the Renaissance idea of the canvas being a window is dead
Canvas is now a surface covered with pigments-Manet first decided this but he refused to call his artwork Impressionist
New technology brought need for change- the camera, the railroad system, the all-important paint tube!!

9. Monet, Bathing, 1869
Critics said that it hurt their eyes to look at this painting
Monet adapted Manet’s color patch idea and applied it to outside scenes painted outside!

10. Monet, Impression:Sunrise, 1872
Hostile critic applied the term “Impressionism” after viewing this painting
First show of this work was in 1872
Incorporated the quality of sketches-abbreviation, speed, spontaneity-no polish or reworking
Monet made no attempt to blend pigments- acknowledged the paint and the canvas

11. Renoir, Le Moulin de la Galette, 1876
Leisure activities of Paris were common subject matter- Parisian dance hal
Dappled light, full of sensual experience
Viewers are participants in the fun
Sought to capture the moment- passing, momentary events- the opposite of Neo-Classicism and Romanticism

12. Manet, A Bar at the Folies-Bergeres, 1881-82
Lost in thought- separated from viewers and from patrons
Brushstrokes are blurred and roughly applied, modeling and perspective are minimal
Causes viewer to search the picture- there are discrepancies-reflection doesn’t make sense- proves that he really is the first modernist artist

13. Design seems as unstudied as a snapshot but is really very ordered and organized-sets Degas apart from other Impressionists
Distance from the viewer emphasizes the loneliness of the viewers
Degas, The Glass of Absinthe, 1876

14. Degas, The Rehearsal, 1876
Large off-center empty space creates the illusion that the viewer is in the room
Arbitrarily cuts off figures- indicates the artist’s interest in reproducing single moments and show the artist’s interest in photography- used for preliminary studies for his paintings

15. Influenced by Manet (later married his brother) and he was influenced by her work as well
Paintings centered around her mother and her sister
Birth of her child changed her work entirely- omitted non-essential details, figure is fully integrated into scene
Morisot, Reading, 1888

16. Joined the Impressionists in 1877
Able to pursue her career as an artist in France because she was independently wealthy
Instrumental in bringing Impressionism to United States through social contacts
Maternity was her number one subject matter
Influenced by Degas and by Japanese woodblock prints
Flat forms and simplified colors, patterns
Cassatt, The Bath, 1891

17. Japonisme-
1853- Commodore Matthew Perry became 1st westerner to establish trade with Japan
Japanese aesthetic became in vogue
Japanese began export business, Japan became industrialized
Japanese art influenced Impressionists and Post-Impressionists
Suzuki Harunobi

18. Katsushika Hokusai
Artists were attracted to the simplicity, areas of flat color, two-dimensional quality, limited amount of gradation.

19. Monet, Waterlilies, 1907
Around 1890, began to paint in series- same subject under different conditions
Importance of brushstroke and rhythm
Created an estate (given to him by the government)- a self-contained world for his personal enjoyment
Reflections of both reality and his imagination

20. American Realism
Eakins studied both painting and anatomy
Melded well for the 19th century American ideal of the search for the truth
Very brutal realism- was rejected by the Philadelphia exhibition for the centennial
Reflects the public’s faith in scientific and medical technology
Viewers found it difficult to look at the painting in great detail
Thomas Eakins, The Gross Clinic, 1875

21. Desire to depict the lives of ordinary people
Son of an African American minister- quiet devotion and intimate look at everyday life
Influenced by Rembrandt and the Dutch way of observing everyday events with great sanctity
Henry Osawa Tanner, The Banjo Lesson, 1894

22. Winslow Homer, Dressing for the Carnival, c. 1870
Painted in Paris, but left before Impressionism made an impact
Reporter and magazine illustrator during the civil war
Made regular people look beautiful, one of the first artist to document the lives of newly-freed former slaves

23. Realism in England
Portrayed the heroism of everyday life in a more dramatic fashion than Courbet
Emigrants- subject taken from contemporary times
Theatrically treated
Medieval type style of painting-both photographic and unreal
Ford Maddox Brown, The Last of England,

24. This medieval model was used by the Pre-Raphaelites- inspiration from the Medieval primitives- to return to the freshness of art before Raphael
Fictional arrangements using realistic techniques
Urge to reform the ills of modern civilization through their art
Rosetti did not want to change social problems, but rather reform aesthetic sensibilities of the masters.
Repressed eroticism
Dante Rosetti, The Annunciation,

25. American ex-patriot who settled in England
Interesting mix of Impressionism and a personal style
Shared interest in contemporary life and sensations of color
Interested in creating harmonies of color like in music
Called his paintings nocturnes or arrangements
This painting represents an exploding rocket- color splatters represent fireworks
Interest in creating a harmonious arrangement of shapes and colors on his canvas
James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Nocturn in Black and Gold, 1875

26. Impressionism revitalized sculpture
Rodin- rejected because the finished bronzes look like sketches
Made unfinishedness an aesthetic principle
The Thinker was meant for the entrance of the E’cole des Arts in Paris- influenced by early christian pose and Michelangelo action in repose
Form and meaning are one
Rodin, The Thinker,

27. Artful unfinishedness- reminiscent of a Michelangelo sculpture
Becomes a symbol for earthbound, carnal love
Rodin, The Kiss,

28. Remained as a plaster cast for years because it was a rejected commission
Spiritually and physically larger than life
Genius of the man overpowers the surroundings
Cloak creates the sense of an inner agony
Rodin, Monument to Balzac,

29. Camille Claudel, Ripe Age, 1907
Was an assistant to Rodin and became his “collaborator” and mistres
Style is much more smooth and lyrical
Created when she was being replaced by another woman- a self-portrait of personal struggle

30. Henri Labrouste, Bibliotheque’ Ste- Genevieve, 1843-50
Gradual introduction of new materials and techniques in the field of architecture, most importantly iron
Cast iron columns and supports became standard for large spaces
Outside style is drawn from Renaissance libraries, inscribed the names of great writers to identify building as a library
Reading room recalls gothic interiors- reading takes us on journeys of the mind