Impressionism Art
77IMPRESSIONIST PAINTERS
The Impressionists were painters in Paris who changed the way art was created, as well as the appreciation of art by the viewing public. The name appears to have been derived from a painting by Claude Monet titled Impression: Sunrise. The birth of Impressionism is generally considered to be 1874. This was the year that a group of thirty artists, whose work had been rejected by the official French Academy of Fine Arts for inclusion in the annual Salons (government sponsored art exhibitions), organized their own exhibition. The movement ended in 1886 with the last collective exhibition.
I am going to present 12 works of art created by 8 painters, not bound by the official timeline above. Instead, the paintings I will exhibit will range from 1862 to 1892. These are some of my personal favorites from these three decades.
MANET
Edouard Manet was the greatest French painter of the 1860s and 1870s. He was well educated, from a prominent family, and fascinated by modern Parisian life. His work The Old Musician is dear to me, since it reminds me of myself! This is also a view of the urban underclass. His painting Olympia features a nude courtesan. In both paintings the subject looks directly at us. His final masterpiece before his death A Bar at the Folies Bergere deals with unrequited desire across class lines; and loneliness while surrounded by people.
MONET
Claude Monet is
the most famous of the Impressionists today.
He came to Paris in his twenties from La Havre. Many of his paintings display the contrast
between the traditional and the modern, or the fleeting atmosphere of the
seacoast. His creation Terrace
at St. Adresse shows us the personal nature of Monet's work. He is showing us what he sees. His Impression.
Berthe Morisot was the first woman artist to have a career that was as successful as male artists. She was a good friend, and student, of Manet. Her work was praised by critics for its refinement, beauty, charm, and delicacy. I am presenting The Harbor at Lorient.
RENOIR
Pierre-Auguste Renoir may have been the most naturally gifted of these painters. He is known as one of the greatest painters of flowers in art history. His idol was Delacroix. We will view Odalisque and Madame Charpentier and her Children. The former presents us with a female slave in a Turkish Sultan's harem who served the wives and concubines. The latter shows us a world of power and prestige among the upper classes in Paris; and it was a sensation when first exhibited because of its brilliance.
DEGAS
Edgar Degas was born into a wealthy and important family. He was educated deeply about art; and was the master of representing the psychological conditions of modernity. He depicted down and out, low-life people in his painting L'Absinthe.
CAILLEBOTTE
Gustave Caillebotte has not received the recognition of these others, but his painting On The Europe Bridge is a powerful representation of modernity. He was the wealthiest of all the Impressionists; was an art collector and patron; and a trained engineer. We will also take a peek at Paris Street, Rainy Day; a startlingly composed view of the urban landscape of Paris.
VINCENT VAN GOGH
Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter who came to Paris to see the final exhibition of the Impressionists. He became friends with many of the artists and found a mentor in Paul Gauguin. Two years later Van Gogh moved to Arles, in the south of France, to work in sunny landscapes, far from the hustle and bustle of Paris. One of his most interesting paintings is of the place he hung out at night drinking, The Night Cafe.
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TOULOUSE LATREC
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was the richest and most nobly born painter in the history of France. More than likely because his parents were first cousins, he suffered from a hereditary bone disease and was in poor health his entire 37 years on this earth. He loved to paint the underbelly of Paris, gathered in gaity. Our last painting is his At the Moulin Rouge.
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I absolutely love Renoir. I was lucky enough to see some of his paintings in the Musee D'Orsay. Very impressive.
my heart has belonged to Vincent since i was 8 and saw "Crows Over a Wheatfield." i'm a fan of the airy strokes in Degas ballet series. Monet's flowers, i can stand silently for quite some time. i've always like Renoir's "Portrait of Bazille." i love impressionism. my stuff is oils with a wash, sort of impressionism but with a soft reality. i don't have Vincent's strength in my brushstrokes, more Monet's suggestion. step close and the whole thing could be a collection of butterflies that fooled you into thinking it was a painting.
thank you for this beautiful art and the artist's behind the movement. next up? the Bohemians? i can only imagine what you would show us from that untraditional lifestyle.
msorensson— You are most welcome. Believe me, it is my pleasure. :D
Renoir and Manet are my favorites among these artists. And for brevity I left out Cezanne, Pissaro, Cassatt, Courbet, Gauguin, and Fantin Latour. They all deserved mention for their art as well.
Thank you for being the first person to read and comment!
Another impressive hub James! You never fail to amaze me with the range and depth of your knowledge about many things. Hats off to you!
I love the impressionists too.
KatieE39— Renoir is my favorite, too! I wanted to use the two paintings I love by him the most: "Luncheon of the Boating Party" (another Hubber had used it two months ago); and "Le Moulin de la Galette" (I used it already in another Hub about the art I have).
I too have been blessed to visit the Musee D'Orsay. Unbelievable! Thank you for looking in and commenting.
I love all forms of art. But, i especially love the Impressionists. Monet's lilies are the most incredible. I rented the BBC Series (3 part)"The Impressionists", and couldn't return it. I ended up buying it. As usual, one awesome hub James!
Hi James,
Great art. No question. Were are you getting these wonderful photos to display in your hubs? I personally love the impressionists.
womanNshadows— "Crows over a Wheatfield" is van Gogh's most haunting work—as he plunged into madness.
I want to see more of your original art. May I?
Thank you for the compliment. I never know where I am going next. I just get inspired one day to produce a Hub and I do. I am thinking about Dali, and Surrealism.
You are precious to me.
jill of alltrades— I humbly accept your compliments. :)
"You can keep your hat on" Joe Cocker
IslandVoice— I have not seen that series! I didn't know it was extant. Thank you for calling my attention to it. I will put it in my queue in Netflix right now! And thank you for reading and commenting.
Peggy,
I search for them on the net. I have learned to pay careful attention to the size of the file (bigger the better in general) and the source. Regarding these paintings, in particular, most of them are available from the museums where they are currently on exhibit.
Thanks for sharing this a rare work of art
jolinarodriguez— You are welcome. Thank you for letting me know you viewed my work.
i love Dali. have always wanted to go see his museum in St. Petersburg, FL. i also love the Russian Vladimir Kush. dreamy and spellbinding where Dali gets fantastically nightmarish. have you seen "Final Frontier Voyager?" such a dark, mysterious work out of the Flat Earth Society. odd little group but the print has fascinating layers to it.
if you decide to write on Surrealism, i will most definitely be there to read and see who and what work you choose.
Fantastic choices. Degas would be my favorite of the group. We have the ballerina sculpture at the St. Louis Art Museum, encased in glass. She is magnificent. I can't leave the museum without spending some time with her. For my birthday two or three years ago my son gave me a statue of her from the shop there. I always smile when I see her.
While he is most known for that bronze ballerina statue as well as for his ballerina painings, I go for his other subject matter much more. I think l'absinth (I'm assuming that's what they're drinking ;) is one of my top favorites. He looked at the truth I think. That's my take anyway. Beautiful show here. Oh, and by the way, did you know that Van Goh painted the way he did because that's how he saw things? He had some sort of eye trouble. Fascinating, isn't it? Thanks so much. Wonderful hub.
I'm a huge fan of the impressionists. Renoir, Degas and Monet are among my favorites.
My comment vanished so here I go again. I like Renoir but I am not familiar with Caillebotte. Thanks for the introduction. I like his style
Thank you for good hub, James.
James, you did it again! Awesome hub!
womanNshadows— Thank you for turning me on to Kush. I had never heard of him, but I have just now been viewing his beautiful work and I love it! I had not seen "Final Frontier Voyager" until this very minute. It is incredible!
I think you should write a Hub on Surrealism because you know a lot more about it than I do, obviously. I am a Renaissance Man. :D
I am always pleased when you stop in to visit. Thanks for these fine tips, too.
Frieda,
I did not know about Vincent's eye problems. I appreciate that insight. That's interesting. He, and many of these others, deserves his own Hub as he has so much wonderful work. But,this is a sampler platter. :)
I didn't know the ballerina sculpture was in St. Louis. I will go see that the next time I am up that way. It sounds like you have a fine son to give you such a thoughtful gift.
Thank you for visiting and leaving your commentary.
Iðunn That is an interesting spelling of your name. What does it mean?
Thanks for coming by and leaving word that you did.
Ethel,
Not a lot of people are familiar with Caillebotte, but the incredible precision of his painting style intrigues me. So, he's in! :-)
Thanks for dropping by. You know you are always welcome.
Vladimir,
Always nice to see you, brother. Thanks for the compliment.
advisor4qb— Will miracles never cease?! :-) I love your avatar. Where does that come from? Thank you for your laudatory comment.
James...Wonderful Hub evoking my memories of Sunnylands, the Annenberg Estate in Rancho Mirage...I was a protocol officer for the Annenbergs in the late 90's and as such had free run of the estate during the summers when they were staying cool back east...His collection was absolutely stunning; Monet's " Path through the lilies, Picasso's extremely interesting " Au Lapin Agile ", Cezanne's " Mont Sainte Victoir ", Van Gogh's " Olive trees "...many, many more..My favorite was a self portrait by Toulouse-Lautrec, a tiny thing, about 8" by 6" done in charcoal...Larry
I have always admired painters that can capture character in a face. I truly enjoyed the pieces by Caillebotte. Nice article.
my favorite art works here Jey
maven101— How fortunate you were to see those masterpieces up close in a home setting. Wow! I appreciate this interesting story you have added to this thread. Thanks for reading.
puppascott— Thank you, brother. Caillebotte was a master technician with the brush. I love those two pieces, too. I appreciate you stopping in.
milavrab— I am so glad! Thank you for letting me know.
You're welcome! Pls let me know what you think of the film. More power!
IslandVoice— I sure will. Thanks again. :-)
it's the norse goddess of eternal youth... I have a hub on it somewhere in there. :)
I have always loved the impressionist movement, so that you very much for sharing these with the hubpages commmunity. And another thing, I really adore Renoir but in "MADAME CHARPENTIER AND HER CHILDREN" he has one of the children sitting on the family dog, it seems a bit mean to have made him sit like that with a kid on his back for the hours it surely took to paint that.
MONET,DEGAS,VAN GOGH, as we say FATHER SON AND HOLLY SPIRIT
James -
Utterly lovely !!(visual chocolate for the eyes)
I especially love the Van Gogh and Renoir pieces!
Thanks ever so for taking the time to publish this Hub!
Iðunn — That's cool! I guess I only remember Oden, Thor and Loki. Thanks for the info. That second letter is an odd character. What is that?
hienergybrain— hmmm . . . I hadn't thought about that. Good thing the Humane Society wasn't around back then or we wouldn't have this painting! :-)
Thank you for visiting. I am glad you enjoyed it. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community!
gusripper— I like that! That's funny, and apropo, too. Thanks for that.
Catlyn— You are very welcome. I enjoyed your Hub about Plein Air Art, too. Thank you for your warm words! I do appreciate it.
James - this hub reminds me why I love art!
Great hub thanks! A really good read - especially nice to see a mention of a woman impressionist - Berthe Morisot as they are not often celebrated through history. I love the fact that you can really see the influences of photography coming through in the art of this era. Fabulous :)
samanthagardner— Why, thank you! And Welcome to the lovely Hub Pages Community!
SCL— You are welcome! It was my pleasure to select my favorite works and display them here. Thank you so much for your kind words.
(I passed through Bristol once.)
Did you like Bristol? Or was passing through enough for you? LOL
You might be interested to read this: http://bit.ly/18zUXB
I look forward to more of your hubs :)
cheers (said in true Bristol)
SCL— It seemed like a very nice place. I was on my way leisurely from Wales to London, driving a rental car, and got off the path a bit to drive downtown Bristol just to check it out.
Thank you!
"MADAME CHARPENTIER AND HER CHILDREN" BY RENOIR, is undoubtedly my favorite! I love the art Hubs you have been writing! It has peaked my interest in art! I am really enjoying this. Thank you. Keep Hubbing! Don't Quit!
Kebennett1— Renoir is my favorite of the Impressionists. That is a brilliant painting. You can see it, now that you decided to give New York another try! :D I have seen it in person. The photo does it no justice, really.
Thank you so much for the affirmation.
Good presentation. Impressionism is far and above my favorite style.
Hxprof— Thank you. These are surely among the masterworks of Impressionism, which are manifold. I'm glad you enjoyed the journey. Thanks for coming.
Wonderful paintings James. Enjoyed this very much.
James
LifeOnCanvas— Welcome to HubPages! Thank you for coming to visit. I am glad you enjoyed it. :)
msorensson Level 3 Commenter 2 years ago
Thank you for this, James. A great reminder. I must admit I am partial to Monet and Renoir, but it has been so long since I have been to a museum I can not even remember anymore, so I appreciate your posting this.