Art History Impressionism to Early Modernism AHIS 206

Art History: Impressionism to Early Modernism (AHIS 206 Winter) Tuesdays, 6: 30 -9: 30 Instructor, Danielle Hogan Email: hogan_danielle @shaw. ca

Fresh Eyes

Impressionism (1860’s-1886) Realism (1850 -1900) Romanticism (1800 -1850) Neoclassicism (1780 – 1820) Rococo era (1723 -72) Baroque art (1600 -1750) Pre Baroque? Yup, lots more great art. But we aren’t covering that… Impressionism. . . how did we get here?

‘Realism and the Birth of Impressionism ’

Realism In a sense, Realism had always been a part of Western art. During the Renaissance, artists overcame all technical limitations and represented nature with photographic accuracy. From van Eyck to Vermeer to Velazquez, artist approximated visual reality with consummate skill. But before Realism, artist in the 19 th century modified their subjects by idealizing or sensationalizing them. The ‘new’ Realism insisted on precise imitation of visual perceptions without alteration. Realism’s subject matter was totally different. Artists limited themselves to facts of the modern world as they personally experienced them: only what they could see or touch ws considered real. Gods, goddesses, and heros of antiquity were out. Peasants and the urban working class were in. In everything from colour to subject matter, Realism brought a sense of muted sobriety to art. -The Annotated Mona Lisa

French Realism Literary Art

Honoré de Balzac 1842

French Realism Visual Art ‘Show me an angel and I’ll paint one. ’ - Courbet

Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet, 1854 Gustave Courbet

“I am fifty years old and I have always lived in freedom; let me end my life free; when I am dead let this be said of me: 'He belonged to no school, to no church, to no institution, to no academy, least of all to any régime except the régime of liberty. ' [1]

Gustave Courbet, The Artist's Studio; A real allegory summing up seven years of my artistic and moral life, oil on canvas, 1854 -55 (Musée d’Orsay, Paris) Gustave Courbet

A Burial at Ornans, 1849 -1850, oil on canvas, 314 x 663 cm Gustave Courbet

The Oak at Flagey (The Oak of Vercingetorix) 1864 Oil on canvas, 35 x 43 3/8 in (89 x 110 cm) Gustave Courbet

The Stormy Sea (or The Wave) 1869 Oil on canvas 3' 10" x 5' 3 1/2" (117 x 160. 5 cm) Gustave Courbet

The Cliff at Etretat after the Storm 1869 Oil on canvas 52 3/8 x 63 3/4 in (133 x 162 cm) Gustave Courbet

Sleep 1866 Oil on canvas Gustave Courbet

Omnia vincit Amor, 1599 Agostino Carracci (Italian, Bolognese, 1557– 1602) Engraving

The Origin of the World 1866 Oil on canvas Gustave Courbet

Early Impressionism

Edouard Manet 1832 -1883

Edouard Manet -arguably referred to as the Father of Modern Art -Manet’s work is difficult to classify, not quite a realist yet also not fully an impressionist. -He never exhibited with the Impressionists -Classically trained -Often borrowed from great master’s works (as we will see tonight) -What outraged the public and made him a hero to young rebels was his translating to Great Tradition into modern terms. Manet stripped away idealizing mythology to portray modern life candidly. -He alos eliminated the subtle glazing and detailed polish of academic technique. -many felt at the time that his sketchy brushwork gave his paintings and unfinished look. -History credits Manet with launching “the revolution of the color patch. ” With this new technique, Manet suggested form through broad, flat, areas of colour. -The public was forced to look anew at the painted picture surface. Notes from, The Annotated Mona Lisa

French Fashion Plate 1864

Olympia 1865 Oil on canvas Edouard Manet

Venus of Urbino 1538 Oil on canvas Titian

A Bar at the Folies-Bergere 1882 Oil on canvas Edouard Manet

A Bar at the Folies-Bergere 1882 Oil on canvas Edouard Manet

Las Meninas 1656 by Spanish Baroque artist Diego Velázquez

Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe 1863 Oil on canvas Edouard Manet

Pastoral Concert C 1510 By Italian Renaissance artist, Titian or Giorgione

The Balcony 1868– 1869 Edouard Manet