This essay provides comprehensive information on works by three artists known for their influence in the period known as Impressionism. Highlights of the following topics will be discussed: Overview of Impressionism; The Salon; Outdoor; Color; Patrons; Women; Japan; Crisis; Culture, Times and Trends; Inventions; Biographies of the three artists, and finally descriptions and comments of the three works – Manet's Luncheon on the Grass (Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe), Monet's Luncheon on the Grass, and Luncheon of the Boating Party by Renoir. These artists and specific works were selected due to the strong similarity of style and sameness of subject matter.
Overview of Impressionism
The word Impressionism was neither invented nor approved of by those who participated in the movement, and conveyed little of their real artistic ambitions. It defies any easy definition. The name was first used in an 1875 article written by Louis Leroy, titled, Exhibition of the Impressionists. (The Thames & Hudson Encyclopedia of Impressionism, 1990). It would refer to a group of artists who developed new ways of depicting the world and displayed works [that appeared unfinished] in exhibition between 1874 and 1886, in Paris.
[...] In 1902, Renoir and Aline moved to the South of France where the warm climate ease the severe arthritis he had, which made it difficult for him to paint. Despite his illnesses, he began a series of sculptures, echoing the nude figures in paintings.Aline died in 1915 of a heart attack; Renoir passed on December and was buried next to her. In 1990 he had been made a Knight of the Legion d' Honneur and in his last year became a Commander of the Legion, a great honor. [...]
[...] The next year instead of exhibiting in the 5th Show, to the disgust of others like Degas and Pissarro, Monet submitted his works to the Salon. (WebMuseum). In 1892, when Ernest Horschede died, Monet and Alice married and by the 1900s, his work was selling for substantial sums of money. Finally, he could afford his dream of creating a large flower and water garden. He then began a succession of waterscapes and landscapes that became an obsession and led to a series of 48 canvases exhibited in 1909. [...]
[...] Freeze-frame photographs of humans and animals in motion revolutionized the representation of movement in art. (Katz & Dars).Railroads and the newly built Gare Saint-Lazare station inspired writers and artists. The popularity and general impact of the railroads transformed society. Biographies of Three Artists of Chosen Works Edouard Manet (1832-1883) Born on January oldest son Edouard Manet's father was Head of Personnel at the French Ministry of Justice and mother a diplomat's daughter. Beginning at the age of 15, he received special drawing lesions at the exclusive Collége Rollin, challenging his father who wanted him to enter law school. [...]
[...] Shadow is reduced to a band-like outline and the simplification of the execution of curved surfaces play a part in the flatness of three-dimensional forms. (Sayre, 2005). The forms; however, are not produced simply of flat, blended color. Under even light, one can see the brush followed the roundness of the form. There are slight variations in color throughout. Unique characteristics of Manet's style were by using one single color and strokes of paint standing for reality that is more complex. [...]
[...] One critic wrote: It is a charming work, full of gaiety and spirit, its wild youth caught in the act, radiant and lively, frolicking at high noon in the sun, laughing at everything, seeing only today and mocking tomorrow. For them eternity is in their glass, in their boat and in their songs. (Sayre, 2005). The theme implies people can turn ordinary experiences and everyday life into something special and beautiful. It conveys a carefree, playful mood of the Maison and reflects the nature of the culture of the times. [...]
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