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Impressionism
in Europe (1860-1880)
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During this extremely short period in the history
of art some of the most widely popular and enduringly
admired paintings were created by a diverse group
of European artists centered mainly in France, and
particularly in Paris, during the second half of
the 19th Century.
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The French art scene in the mid 19th Century was
firmly under the influence and control of the Academie
des Beau Arts with its annual Salon
de Paris competitions. The older established
painters, the Salon juries, and the art critics
maintained a tight hold on traditional styles and
methods of painting as well as on subject matter.
Realistic portraits rather than landscapes, and
lofty religious and historical subjects were the
norm, all rendered in subdued and conservative colors.
Careful attention to exact detail was highly prized.
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The Driving Forces
The younger progressive painters who deviated from
the Salon's standards were passed over repeatedly
until 1863 in spite of their increasing popularity
with the general public, when Napolean III granted
them a separate salon of their own, the Salon
des Refuses. Art critics were critical but
the new Salon drew larger crowds than the regular
Salon. When the Salon des Refuses
was not renewed in following years a group of artists
which included Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley,
Cézanne, Berthe Morisot, and Edgar Degas held their
own independent exhibitions, beginning in 1874.
Eight exhibitions were held between 1974 and 1886.
Critics panned the new styles as 'impressionist',
picking up the term from Claude Monet's work,Impression,
Sunrise, implying that they were unfinished
or a mere impression of reality.
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Monet, Sisley, Morisot, and Pissarro could be considered
the "purest" Impressionists, in their consistent
emphasis on spontaneity, natural sunlight, and color,
other painters such as Degas, Renoir, Manet, and
Cezanne, though differing in style and temperament
from the pure impressionists (and from each other)
alligned themselves with the movement in a unified
spirit of rebellion and independence.
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Techniques and Materials
Some of the characteristics of paintings that came
to be known as Impressionist are:
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a)
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works created in the open air in natural light in
an effort to portray the visual sensation, or impression,
or a subject rather than recreate the subject literally;
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b)
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an open composition, meaning the subjects may run
off the canvas or be bisected by the edge of the
picture;
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c)
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evident brushstrokes to evoke emotion or movement;
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d)
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color applied side-by-side with a minimum of mixing
and paint applied wet on wet without waiting for
each to dry, resulting in an opaque finish (a departure
from earlier classic techniques of applying thin
layers on top of layers for a transparent effect);
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e)
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an emphasis on varying light to portray time and
mood;
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f)
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everyday subject matter in natural poses, a departure
from the lofty formal themes of the early 1800's;
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g)
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the recognition that movement is a crucial element
of human perception and the use of widely varied
techniques to capture an impression of movement;
and
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h)
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unconventional visual angles, an influence of Japanese
art prints and a reaction against the rigid posing
and formality of earlier painting.
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The increasingly wide availability of pre-mixed
oil paints encouraged the new generation of artists
to experiment with color and methods of application.
Paints could be purchased ready made in tubes which
made outdoor painting more practical.
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The Artist as Revolutionary
Although many of the early Impressionists did not
become financial successes they did gain fame, public
admiration and support. By the 1880s and 1890s some
even gained financial security and a few even enjoyed
great critical successes with impressionistic works
entered in the Salon de Paris, notably Renoir
in 1879. Whatever their personal gains at the time,
they have surely earned their places in history
as the great art revolutionaries.
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