Paris and its impressionist painters
Jan 11th, 2010 by apartmentblogger
As with almost all art movements, Impressionism was born out of something through force. It came about during the Second French Empire during the reign of Louis Napoleon III, along with the traditional code of the Fine Arts. What drove the impressionist painters such as Manet, Monet and Renoir to paint masterpieces known internationally was a breaking in attitude with the canons of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Tired of historical scenes, the traditional practice of drawing and visual rigidity, they rushed outside in search of new insights. Among many things, the invention of photography, the arrival of the gouache tube and influence of the Japanese were the major changes in the brilliance of Impressionism.
The French painters wanted to break away from the academicism and they went into the modern art (painting naked outdoors). Impression Sunrise (1872) by Claude Monet (see photo above) is the port landscape that gave its name to this movement, thanks to the critic and humorist Louis Leroy who defined it in an article in the Le Charivari newspaper. Before Monet painted this wonderful painting, the public was very disappointed with the art and the paintings at that time. At about the same time, the technique and the theme of the Luncheon on the Grass painting (by Eduard Manet – 1863), representing a naked woman sitting next to two dressed men in the countryside, aroused controversy at the Salon des Refuses. It was an event organized by Napoleon, where he exhibited the works rejected by the Academy.
Gradually, people’s eyes were accustomed to these new brush strokes, to the strong contrasts, to the bright hues, to the scenes of everyday life, to the photo frames, to water lilies, to the bridges and to the naked women, etc. Thus art was becoming more subjective and daring.
It is often said that 1874 was the year that the Impressionism movement was born because the artists gathered to exhibit their paintings under this name: The Anonymous Corporation of Painters, Sculptors and Engravers. It looks like an underground movement! The end of Impressionist art came about in 1886 with the arrival of yet another movement, the Neo-Impressionism.
The Impressionism is noted for its study of light and atmosphere. Claude Monet made a series of several paintings in which he analyzed how a landscape changes its appearance at different times of the day. A good example is the series of the Rouen Cathedral in the Orsay Museum, which holds the largest collection of impressionist art. The Monet Marmottan Museum is another landmark because there is the most important picture of the Impressionist movement, the Impression Sunrise.
Paris, home of the avant-garde artists of the twentieth century, is waiting for you. Come and visit its incredible museums. Rent Paris Apartments – they are cheap and comfortable; just what you need to relax in after a day out looking at the beautiful Impressionist art in Paris.
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