1. Case study 2: The Body We have already seen artists representing the world in different ways over time. Case Study 2 focuses on the body in art. We will observe how various movements in art described the body through the 20 th century, and into contemporary practice. Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (French, 1780 – 1867 ) The Valpincon Bather, 1808, Oil on canvas, 146 cm × 97 cm Jaques-Louis David (French,1748 – 1825) The oath of the Horatii, 1784, oil on canvas, 326 x 420cm

2. The middle of the 19 th century saw the rise of Realism as a way of describing the world. The figures are less idealised, more honestly described, and roughened brushwork is also now being seen. Gustave Courbet (French 1819-1877), The Stonebreakers, 1849, oil on canvas, 165 x 257 cm A Burial at Ornans, 1849-50, oil on canvas, 315 x 668 cm Nothing is ever purely one thing. Courbet’s image, here, is Realist but it’s referring back to Neoclassical ideas as well. The figures are somewhat similar to those on a Classical frieze.

3. Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917), Little dancer of 14 years, originally wax with clothes, 1865 -1881, approx. 108cm,cast in bronze in about 1921 after his death. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-hhIVqOtMY A more contemporary and realistic approach, and a Concern with real people can also be seen in sculpture from this period. Antonio Canova (Italy, 1757-1852) The Three Graces, marble, c. 1815, 173 X 97 X 57 cm.

4. The work of Eduard Manet (French, 1832 – 1883) was a development of Realism. He also started to mess around with perspective (which critics and the Academy didn’t like at all.) This effects the way we look at an artwork, and what we notice. Our attention is drawn more to the surface of a work, and to the areas of colour and tonal variation. These are the formal aspects of a work. The ‘window on the world’ style illusion of earlier years has started to crumble. Eduard Manet (French 1832-1883), Luncheon on the Grass, 1862-3, oil on canvas, 208 cm × 266 cm Execution of Maximilian, 1868-9, oil on canvas, 252 x 302cm.

5. Manet’s work was hugely influential. The Impressionist group who followed him also treated the body in a new way – (or rather, various new ways: they were not all the same.) Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926) Woman with a parasol, 1875, oil on canvas, 100 x 81cm Auguste Renoir (French,1841-1919) Luncheon of the boating party, 1880-81, oil on canvas, 130 x 176cm

6. Berthe Morisot (French, 1841-1895) Young woman knitting, c. 1883, oil on canvas, 50 x 60cm. From here on we start to see some women artists, however they were still often expected to paint either indoors or in protected places, rather than outdoors doing landscapes. (Morisot was quite unusual.) How could we describe this treatment of the figure in this work? What kind of world is being described here? Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926) Woman Bathing, 1890–91, drypoint and aquatint ( a printing process) 36 x 27 cm. Cassatt’s work shows the influence of Japonisme, that is, the influence that Japanese art objects had on Europe and the USA during the second half of 19 th century. These two images are strongly contrasting in terms of style of the figure. What can we say about Cassatt’s image?

7. Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926) Maternal Caress, 1891, Drypoint and soft-ground etching, 37 x 27cm. Utamaro, (Japanese) Midnight, Hours of the Rat, mother and sleepy child, woodblock print 1791

8. Uh-oh. Just when we thought we were starting to understand how things changed in the 19 th century, we find an artist who harked back to Neoclassical art in terms of use of perspective and the artificial posing of the figures. This kind of ‘looking back’ goes on all the time. Also, no one art movement describes all the art at any given time. Seurat’s treatment of the figure though, is very modern. Seurat was interested in the science of colour (as were many Impressionists) and his works used a technique called ‘pointillism.’ This involved putting complementary colours side by side in little dots, or points, rather than mixing a colour you want before putting it on the painting. Seurat called his work ‘Neo-Impressionist’. It is a far cry from the quick, daubing brushstrokes of some Impressionists, Painting plein air. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNB9Vm6MoDQ How could we describe his treatment of the figure? Georges Seurat (French 1859- 1891) Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884-6, oil on canvas, 208 x 310 cm