History of Impressionism
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Le Moulin de la Galette
1876
Oil on canvas
51 5/8 x 68 7/8 in. (131 x 175 cm)
Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Impressionism began in the 20th century, and was influenced by other art movements and paintings from different cultures. Various theories of paintings were also coming to light with regards to theories of perception and pictorial devices, especially those seen in Japanese projection systems. The rise of impressionism can also be correlated with the advent of photography. Photography played an important part in the direction of painting because it could achieve certain effects that painting techniques just could not capture. Thus, this resulted in a greater effort on part of the artists to concentrate on areas that photography was less successful. In this manner, the realistic portrayal of objects was shunned in light of capturing certain emotions or sensations.
The aims of impressionism were not to capture the perfect shape of the object, but rather to capture the effects of light falling on objects. Impressionists wanted to paint their direct sensations, and stay true to nature. The subject of painting moved out of the studio out into the natural world. Nature became a subject matter, as opposed to being in the backdrop of paintings. Thus, the brilliance of natural light could be experienced through the use of vibrant colours and the new style and techniques involved with impressionistic painting.
With impressionism also came a flattening of form, and the dissolution of linear form. Artists would avoid using linear perspective in their paintings, as to avoid the deep spatial illusions that were more evident in Renaissance paintings. Artists were moving away from the creation of an illusion towards increasing the viewer’s awareness of the picture surface. The influence from Japanese paintings also resulted in the reduction of tonal modeling, which is normally associated with academic painting. If one were to look closely at an impressionism painting, one wouldn’t be able to distinguish anything but simply marks, blobs of colour. Hence, this also exemplifies an increased use of pure colour in painting. Colours used were more vibrant and light, in contrast to the dark palettes of traditional art.
The quick, spontaneous brushstrokes in impressionism helped to capture the feelings of a momentary, ephemeral presence. The impressionists were not concerned with a meticulous finish to their paintings. The composition of the artwork also did not follow traditional rules, and the main action was not necessarily focused in the centre of the painting. They avoided the idealization of objects, and painted everyday scenes from the world they knew. Hence, the impressionists had a much more naturalistic approach to their artwork. They were making a record of the real world, not their imaginations.
Some of the most important impressionist artists are Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Paul Cezanne, and Alfred Sisley. Their Parisian background is also a pivotal part to understanding their ideals of painting. During the time that impressionism emerged, Europe was going through a series of changes, exemplified by the revolutionary fervor felt in the revolutions of 1848, and the Paris Commune of 1873. New ideas and ideologies came to light because of these radical political and social movements. Increasing liberties and a firmer assertion of individual rights helped lead the impressionists away from traditional art forms. A more subjective account of realism was the result, paving the way to new artistic representations.