Thoughts on Impressionism
I personally am fond of the Impressionist style, and particularly the paintings of nature. I appreciate the vibrant colors and loose brush strokes characteristic of the Impressionist style and their almost-optical-illusion effect. I’m always impressed with painters who can portray water and glass effectively, though in this case water is the main focus. Claude Monet was brilliant at painting water and his Water lilies at Giverny collection is an absolutely stunning example of this. The paintings (they are numerous) were done at his private garden in Giverny, France, and depict various sense of the lily pond there. When you look at the paintings up close they appear simply as smudges of color; however, when you step back you see a beautiful pond. By using such loose brush strokes and abundant color Monet captures the life and spirit of water so profoundly. And while it doesn’t appear as a photographic representation of water it feels like water.
Monet: Water Lilies (1914)
Monet: Water Lilies (The Clouds) (1903)
I also enjoy the pleasant subject matter of Impressionism. Its focus on moments and enjoyable activities makes it easier to understand and relaxing. One of my favorite pieces of Impressionist art that exemplifies this is Renoir’s Dance at Bougival (1883 presumably in Bougival, France). This is such a contrast to previous art styles which tended to focus on more serious and dramatic subject matter such as religious doctrine and classical history, and utilized symbolisms frequently, as for example in Botticelli’s Primavera (1480/82 Florence).
Renoir: Dance at Bougival (1883)
Botticelli: Primavera (1480/82)
I tend to link Romanticism and Impressionism in my mind because of the expression of light in the nature paintings and the moment captured within in them as well. For example, look at Thomas Cole’s View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm (1836 USA) and Monet’s Sunset at Lavacourt (1880, France) side by side. Although the techniques used in the two are very different, both emphasize a moment in natural phenomena and use light variation to emphasize it.
Thomas Cole: View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm (1836)
Monet: Sunset at Lavacourt (1880)
Ultimately I like Impressionism, although I don’t necessarily favor it above other artistic styles.
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I agree with you about the way the light is captured and expressed in Impressionistic art resembles that of the Romantic era. I tended to be drawn towards the Impressionistic art that had a sense of the Romantic style to it, (at least in my eyes). I have always loved Monet’s Waterliliies, they seem so dreamlike. Another beautiful piece by Monet that you might like is Woman with a Parasol. It shows a different side of Impressionism, it is not a landscape. Landscapes were the favored subject so it was nice to see the pieces depicting people. Overall a fantastic job. Thank you for sharing these marvelous works with us.
I like your selections of art chosen and i also like the impressionism era. i like how you linked Romanticism and Impressionism because they are very similar in some aspects. The use of light and reflection is used well in many of the landscape paintings such as the waterlilies. thanks for the blog! well done
Although I agree that Impressionism is similar to Romanticism in it’s fondness in depicting nature, the two art forms are just more different then similar for me. I have to say that it is nice to be able to see a different point of view despite my differing opinion. Impressionism just gives me a very different impression so to speak when comparing it to romanticism or any other art form. If I had to compare Impressionism with anything else when it comes to concept and perception I would have to compare it to Rococo art. Maybe I’m off the mark but Rococo is frivolous, fun, focused on the well to do and their habits. And when Impressionism isn’t expressed in the form of landscapes or depictions of nature it depicts the lifestyle of the well to do similar to that of Rococo. But I suppose if one is looks hard enough one could see the the ties and link to all art forms, and follow the change in ideology throughout the centuries.
I really enjoyed reading your blog! I love how many pictures you included. The way that you related impressionism to romanticism cool because had not seen that connect before. Its a really interesting way to look at it! You did a great job showing what you liked and explaining why you like it. One thing I might suggest is seeing if you could get the pictures a little smaller? My computer took a while loading them. Otherwise I would say your blog was really awesome and you included everything that you needed to include. Thanks for sharing
I enjoyed reading your blog and especially liked how you described the impressionist style. How water is painted not necessarily to look realistic but so it “feels like water”. It seems like the impressionists were tapping into part of the human experience that was not yet expressed. Most of the earlier styles of painting tried to mimic the visual reality or alternate reality as closely as possible . The impressionists were showing that there is movement and textures that are not always static but dynamic and ambiguous. The ambiguity is represented in the “loose brush strokes” you described. Overall I think you have done a good job articulating your reaction and displaying your knowledge of the Impressionist style. The only thing is that I would have liked to hear a little bit more about how the impressionist style differs from post-impressionist styles.
Beautiful Blog, the work you chose to post here is beautiful I especially like the piece Renoir: Dance at Bougival (1883)those two look very happy. I like the era because of what it represents, the change in the artistic style of the times.
Interesting selections, very well thought out. You bring up good points about Impressionism’s merits without gushing, which I appreciate. It really does have a distinct style gonig for it that you illustrate well with both comparing specific pieces of Impressionistic art as well as bringing in other styles. I especially appreciate the comparison to the Thomas Cole work, identifying their similar goals through different means. All in all, very thorough and informative, thank you for the post.