Art History Friday

The Impressionists
Art before the Impressionists
All artists learned at the Academy, which was
very strict. No women were allowed and
artists had to follow many rules about what
they could paint.
Academic art was very polished and perfect
looking.
Most paintings were of Greek and Roman
myths, Bible scenes, and scenes from history.
Art made at the Academy was revealed at a
show called the Salon. The Salon was the
ONLY place to show your art if you were an
artist in 1800s Europe!
The Impressionists
In 1863, a group of rebellious artists
started their own show called the
Salon des Refuss - The Exhibition of
Rejects.
This show became a yearly tradition.
In 1874, the first Impressionists
revealed their work in one of these
shows.
Most visitors mocked the paintings.
One critic called them mere Claude Monet, Impression - Sunrise
impressions because it looked like the
artists had not finished their work
before showing it.
The Impressionists
The Impressionist painters wanted to
show a moment in time, not a full
scene.
They used bright dabs of colors and
short, heavy strokes of paint
They were most concerned with light,
and how light changed as it moved and
reflected off surfaces.

Claude Monet, Woman with a Parasol

What Led to Impressionism?
The Industrial Revolution
New forms of faster transportation
(trains) meant people could travel
quickly from city to countryside
New kinds of tube paints that could be
easily transported
New, beautiful city streets with wide
sidewalks and lots of shops - people
spent more time outside
Gustave Caillebotte, Paris Street - Rainy Day
The invention of photography
Claude Monet
The main founder of Impressionism
Born in 1840, died in 1926
Lived in poverty for most of his life
In 1883, moved to Giverny, where he began to
make more money and was able to buy a
house and land
Painted his famous waterlily paintings in his
garden in Giverny

Self Portrait with a Beret

Claude Monet
Was the first artist to paint
totally en plein air -
outdoors
Often painted the same
scene over and over to
show the changing light
In 1914, began to develop
cataracts. The surgery to fix
them changed how he saw
color - it appeared more
vivid and bright.

Haystacks (Sunset)
Waterlilies
Auguste Renoir
Born 1841, died 1918
Began his career as a porcelain painter,
taught himself to paint by copying
artwork in museums
One of the founders of Impressionism
Was close friends with Monet and
often worked with him
Painted mostly portraits and scenes of
city life

Self Portrait
Ball at the Moulin de la
Galette
Edgar Degas
Born 1834, died 1917
One of the founders of Impressionism
Wanted his art to show movement and
human emotion
Famous for painting dancers
Trained in the Academy but rejected
their methods
Worked in oil paint and pastel
Very argumentative, isolated most of
his friends
Developed eye problems late in life and
went almost completely blind
Self Portrait
Ballet Rehearsal
Mary Cassatt
Born 1844, died 1926
Born in America (Pennsylvania) but
moved to France to study and work as
an artist
Interested in showing the bond
between mother and child
Struggled to find professionals who
would teach a woman - ended up
teaching herself by copying master
works

Self Portrait
Mary Cassatt
Was invited by Degas to join the
Impressionists after being snubbed by
the Salons jury
Degas acted as her teacher - taught her
to use pastels and how to improve her
work
Was able to sell her work in Paris along
with the other Impressionists
Considered herself a feminist and
fought against being stereotyped as a
woman artist

The Loge
The Tea