Impressionism is a movement mainly in French painting, characterized by the desire to convey fleeting impressions, richness of colors, psychological nuances, mobility and variability of the atmosphere of the surrounding world through the means of art.
Fat strokes, bright colors, everyday scenes life, candid poses and, most importantly, an accurate description of the light... Just a small fraction of the characteristics of one of the most popular artistic movements. in France in mid-19th century
century. Before its emergence, authors usually created still lifes, portraits and even landscapes in their studios. For the first time in the history of art, artists made it a rule for themselves to paint not from the studio, but under open air : on the river bank, in a field, in a forest. Trying to express their immediate impressions of things as accurately as possible, the impressionists created new method
painting.
PARKETERS, GUSTAVE CAIBOTT One of the first paintings depicting the urban working class. Caillebotte illustrates the abiding interest in Everyday life . Notice how accurately the artist captured the light coming through the window and the shadows. The painting is as realistic as a photograph, but nevertheless was rejected by the most prestigious art exhibitions
and salons: depictions of half-naked working-class men were considered "vulgar subject matter". Impressionism (impressionnisme) is a style of painting that appeared in late XIX century in France and then spread throughout the world. The very idea of impressionism lies in its name: impression - impression . Artists who are tired of traditional techniques Academic paintings, which, in their opinion, did not convey all the beauty and liveliness of the world, began to use completely new techniques and methods of depiction, which were supposed to express in the most accessible form not a “photographic” appearance, but rather the impression of what was seen. In his painting, the impressionist artist uses the character of strokes and tries to convey atmosphere, warmth or cold, strong wind or peaceful silence, foggy rainy morning or bright sunny afternoon, as well as their personal experiences from what they saw.
Impressionism is a world of feelings, emotions and fleeting impressions. What is valued here is not external realism or naturalness, but rather the realism of the expressed sensations, the internal state of the picture, its atmosphere, and depth. Initially, this style was subject to strong criticism. The first Impressionist paintings were exhibited at the Parisian “Salon of Les Misérables,” where works by artists rejected by the official Paris Salon of Arts were exhibited. The term “impressionism” was first used by critic Louis Leroy, who wrote a disparaging review in the magazine “Le Charivari” about an exhibition of artists. As the basis for the term, he took Claude Monet’s painting “Impression. Rising Sun" He called all the artists impressionists, which can be roughly translated as “impressionists.” At first, the paintings were indeed criticized, but soon more and more fans of the new art direction began to come to the salon, and the genre itself turned from a rejected one to a recognized one.
It is worth noting that artists of the late 19th century in France did not come up with a new style empty space. They took as a basis the techniques of painters of the past, including artists of the Renaissance. Such painters as El Greco, Velazquez, Goya, Rubens, Turner and others, long before the emergence of impressionism, tried to convey the mood of the picture, the liveliness of nature, special expressiveness weather with the help of various intermediate tones, bright or, on the contrary, dull strokes that looked like abstract things. They used it quite sparingly in their paintings, so unusual technique did not catch the viewer's eye. The Impressionists decided to take these image methods as the basis for their works.
One more specific feature The works of the impressionists are a kind of superficial everydayness, which, however, contains incredible depth. They do not try to express any deep philosophical themes, mythological or religious problems, historical and important events. The paintings of artists of this movement are essentially simple and everyday - landscapes, still lifes, people walking down the street or doing their own thing. business as usual and so on. It is precisely such moments, where there is no excessive thematic content that distracts a person, that feelings and emotions from what they see come to the fore. Also, the impressionists, at least at the beginning of their existence, did not depict “heavy” themes - poverty, wars, tragedies, suffering, and so on. Impressionist paintings are most often the most positive and joyful works, where there is a lot of light, bright colors, smoothed light and shade, smooth contrasts. Impressionism is a pleasant impression, joy from life, the beauty of every moment, pleasure, purity, sincerity.
The most famous impressionists became such great artists as Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro and many others.
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Alfred Sisley - Lawns in Spring
Camille Pissarro - Boulevard Montmartre. Afternoon, sunny.
Impressionist exhibition
First of all, I visited the exhibition for the third time in the wonderful Kiev Art Mall. I have already written about the miraculous technologies for displaying exhibitions on this site. I won’t repeat myself, I’ll just say that this time everything was great, there was no disappointment :). This latest exhibition featured paintings by all the leading masters of this artistic direction. If anyone doesn’t know, just in case, I’ll give a list of these same Impressionist masters:
- Edouard Manet. Although the artist himself constantly strived for official recognition, it was his scandalous famous picture“Breakfast on the Grass” has become a real symbol of the Salon of Rejects.
- Berthe Morisot. One of the few (I'm afraid to say that the only) female impressionist. In 2013, the painting “After Dinner” was sold at Sotheby’s for $10.9 million. This event made Morisot the most expensive artist.
- Camille Pissarro. I love his images of Parisian boulevards. The Montmartre Boulevard series is considered one of the generally accepted symbols of impressionism.
- Claude Monet. Probably the most famous representative currents. In any case, it was his painting “Impression. Sunrise” at one time gave its name to the entire artistic movement.
- Edgar Degas. Here I would like to voice a slightly funny and exaggerated saying of the modern bohemian party: if there are a lot of little people, this is Bosch, if obese ballerinas are Degas :)
- Pierre Renoir. My favorite impressionist. And no more comments.
- Toulouse de Lautrec. Singer of entertainment and life Parisian bohemia and “bottom”. Cabaret, brothels- his topic.
- Henri Cross. I was surprised to discover that I heard this name for the first time at the exhibition!
- Paul Signac. His lovely landscapes of bright, pure colors gave birth to a new movement of neo-impressionism - pointillism.
- Paul Cezanne. My main association is with him: still lifes and dislike for human models, and this is connected with my favorite funny situation.
- Paul Gauguin. One of the titans of post-impressionism. Almost complete lack of recognition during life and records for the sale of paintings after death.
- Vincent Van Gogh. Another star with an incredibly difficult creative and life destiny. And deafening glory after death...
These are all titans. You can look at their paintings (reproductions) for hours, which is what I did at the Kyiv exhibition. My photos don't represent anything artistic value, you will be able to find much better samples. But I’ll still post a couple of fragments from the exhibition:
Impressionist museums
As I already said, impressionism accompanies my entire adult life. Even on some resources, I impudently assign myself the nickname impressionism, thereby hinting not at my involvement, but at my special reverent attitude. That’s why I was wondering where you can see non-reproductions. and the originals? Mine personal experience quite small: while still a student I visited the glorious city of St. Petersburg and Hermitage. In the Hermitage I didn’t even try to grasp the immensity, but immediately found in which halls you can look at impressionist paintings. Quite a big meeting! I’ll just mention a few of my favorite paintings:
Camille Pissarro. “Boulevard Montmartre in Paris” 1897
Paul Signac “Harbor in Marseille”. 1906-1907
Painting by Claude Monet “Waterloo Bridge. (Fog effect)"
Paul Gauguin. “Woman holding a fruit.” 1893
Auguste Renoir. “Girl with a fan.” 1881
Auguste Renoir. “Portrait of the actress Jeanne Samary.” 1878
But in addition to my own information, I also have the impressions of my friends. They, infected with feelings for the Impressionists no less than I, visited Paris twice. And twice a mandatory part of their program was visits to museums that have collections of paintings from this direction. The key points of this Parisian cultural expedition are:
- Orangerie Museum– the richest collection of impressionists and post-impressionists. The most famous painting– C. Monet “Water lilies.” It was only from friends that I learned that this painting, it turns out, was painted by the artist right on the wall of the museum and completely occupies a separate room of the gallery.
- Orsay Museum is not considered specialized only in the works of the Impressionists, presented here various directions European painting and sculptures. But almost all of the masters who were included in the list that I posted above are exhibited in Orsay. What is worth at least one famous “Olympia” by Edouard Manet!
- Marmottan-Monet Museum has in its collection more than 300 impressionist paintings. Highlight: the iconic painting by Claude Monet “Impression. Sunrise". Yes, yes, exactly that one. Friends say that seeing her live is an enchanting feeling. I really envy them...
Claude Monet. Impression. Rising Sun
It is believed that art has no boundaries. Nevertheless, people have decided to divide the works of artists into genres, which can be quite easy to get confused, because the boundaries of styles are arbitrary. Today we will talk about one of the main trends in painting - impressionism.
The emergence of impressionism
Impressionism as an art genre originated in France in the 1870s. The origin of this style was the creation of the painting by C. Monet “Impression. Sunrise” (1872). One journalist called the artist an impressionist, but with a negative meaning. But this was soon forgotten, and the picture gave birth to a new genre.
In 1874, impressionist artists held their first separate exhibition. The paintings exhibited there were criticized for their lack of meaning, looseness and poor depiction. However, the artists did not stop and continued to organize such events, declaring their art.
Impressionism was a purely French phenomenon. Artists from other countries were able to adopt some features, but not to the fullest extent.
It was the impressionists who were the first to move away from generally accepted standards and templates of academic writing, thereby giving a huge impetus to the development artistic arts. They deeply researched colors and new writing techniques, which ultimately led us to the diversity we have today.
It should be noted that impressionism had a serious influence and inspired with its novelty representatives of other fields of art: sculpture, music and literature.
What do impressionist paintings tell us?
Impressionism focuses on the image and the impression it gives to the viewer. Impressionist paintings most often depict ordinary scenes from life: city bustle or landscapes. Their works give viewers those fleeting impressions that the painters themselves experienced. Impressionism does not notice problems or negativity, it shows exclusively positive sides life.
Basically in the paintings you can see such subjects as picnics, boating, dancing, tea parties, fun on outdoors and other joys of life. Impressionists most often depicted people in paintings not frozen, but moving, playing, laughing. The paintings allow us to plunge into living reality past centuries, to see what kind of environment surrounded people XIX century.
Features of impressionist paintings
The talent of reflecting an instant first impression on a canvas is main feature all artists. They always created from life, without any sketches, capturing and conveying the general mood. Impressionist paintings do not carry deep meaning or hidden content, they depict everyday life, but they do it not simply, but masterfully. When looking at such paintings, the viewer immediately appears certain thought or an emotion that remains for some time after viewing.
The impressionists developed a special style of writing. The paintings they painted are most often distinguished by fuzzy lines and individual strokes. The fact is that they conveyed all the colors with a standard set of paints, skillfully placing strokes. Much attention in their works they paid attention to the play of light and shadows, trying to create contrast. Indicative in this regard is the painting by O. Renoir “The Ball at the Moulin de la Galette” (1876).
Great Impressionists of the Past
Since the creation of the movement, there have been many artists who have worked in the style of impressionism, but very few can be called truly great. Thus, the most famous impressionist artists are C. Monet, O. Renoir, A. Sisley and C. Pissarro. In general, impressionism as a movement was especially popular at the end of the 19th century, it was then that true masters created.
This served as a beginning, an inspiration for others no less famous artists- W. van Gogh, P. Cezanne, P. Gauguin. These artists became the founders of post-impressionism, which made its goal the rejection of image real life, transition to the image of its basics.
Modern Impressionists
Do not think that the direction ceased to exist after its heyday. There are still artists who choose impressionism for their work.
The paintings of modern impressionists evoke no less admiration than the paintings of the past. Today, many masters create in this genre, but time will tell which of them is most worthy of this title. However, there are several artists whose paintings are positioned as impressionist paintings. Photos of their work are presented below.
Take, for example, an artist named Kent R. Wallis. His canvases are distinguished by bright, rich colors, with which he creates magnificent landscapes.
Also fascinating are the paintings of artist I.J. Paprocki (E.J. Paprocki).
In his paintings, flowers, leaves and other small elements are done very realistically, while the rest of the background is done with brush strokes. This allows him to convey the beauty of detail and at the same time the general first impressions characteristic of impressionism.
Just a year ago, the phrase “Russian Impressionism” grated on the ears of the average citizen of our vast country. Every educated person knows about light, bright and swift french impressionism, can distinguish Monet from Manet and recognize Van Gogh's sunflowers from all still lifes. Someone heard something about the American branch of the development of this direction of painting - more urban landscapes of Hassam and portrait images of Chase compared to the French ones. But researchers still argue about the existence of Russian impressionism.
Konstantin Korovin
The history of Russian impressionism began with the painting “Portrait of a Chorus Girl” by Konstantin Korovin, as well as with misunderstanding and condemnation of the public. Seeing this work for the first time, I. E. Repin did not immediately believe that the work was executed by a Russian painter: “Spaniard! I see. He writes boldly and juicily. Wonderful. But this is just painting for painting's sake. A Spaniard, however, with a temperament...” Konstantin Alekseevich himself began to paint his canvases in an impressionistic manner back in student years, being unfamiliar with the paintings of Cezanne, Monet and Renoir, long before his trip to France. Only thanks to the experienced eye of Polenov, Korovin learned that he was using the French technique of that time, which he came to intuitively. At the same time, the Russian artist is given away by the subjects that he uses for his paintings - the recognized masterpiece “Northern Idyll”, painted in 1892 and stored in Tretyakov Gallery, demonstrates to us Korovin’s love for Russian traditions and folklore. This love was instilled in the artist by the “Mammoth circle” - the community creative intelligentsia, which included Repin, Polenov, Vasnetsov, Vrubel and many other friends famous philanthropist Savva Mamontov. In Abramtsevo, where Mamontov’s estate was located and where members gathered art club Korovin was lucky enough to meet and work with Valentin Serov. Thanks to this acquaintance, the work of the already accomplished artist Serov acquired the features of light, bright and swift impressionism, which we see in one of his early works – « Open window. Lilac".
Portrait of a chorus girl, 1883
Northern idyll, 1886
Bird cherry, 1912
Gurzuf 2, 1915
Pier in Gurzuf, 1914
Paris, 1933
Valentin Serov
Serov’s painting is permeated with a feature inherent only in Russian impressionism - his paintings reflect not only the impression of what the artist saw, but also the state of his soul in this moment. For example, in the painting “St. Mark’s Square in Venice,” painted in Italy, where Serov went to in 1887 due to a serious illness, cold gray tones predominate, which gives us an idea of the artist’s condition. But, despite the rather gloomy palette, the painting is a standard impressionistic work, since Serov managed to capture real world in its mobility and variability, to convey your fleeting impressions. In a letter to his bride from Venice, Serov wrote: “In this century They write everything that is hard, nothing joyful. I want, I want, gratifying things, and I will write only gratifying things.”
Open window. Lilac, 1886
St. Mark's Square in Venice, 1887
Girl with peaches (Portrait of V. S. Mamontova)
Coronation. Confirmation of Nicholas II in the Assumption Cathedral, 1896
Girl illuminated by the sun, 1888
Bathing a horse, 1905
Alexander Gerasimov
One of the students of Korovin and Serov, who adopted their expressive brushwork, bright palette and sketch style of painting, was Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov. The artist’s creativity flourished during the revolution, which could not help but be reflected in the subjects of his paintings. Despite the fact that Gerasimov gave his brush to the service of the party and became famous thanks to his outstanding portraits of Lenin and Stalin, he continued to work on impressionistic landscapes that were close to his soul. Alexander Mikhailovich’s work “After the Rain” reveals to us the artist as a master of conveying air and light in a painting, which Gerasimov owes to the influence of his eminent mentors.
Artists at Stalin's dacha, 1951
Stalin and Voroshilov in the Kremlin, 1950s
After the rain. Wet terrace, 1935
Still life. Field bouquet, 1952
Igor Grabar
In a conversation about late Russian impressionism, one cannot help but turn to the work of the great artist Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar, who adopted many techniques French painters second half of the 19th century century thanks to his numerous trips to Europe. Using the techniques of classical impressionists, in his paintings Grabar depicts absolutely Russian landscape motifs and everyday stories. While Monet is painting blooming gardens Giverny, and Degas - beautiful ballerinas, Grabar depicts the harsh Russian winter with the same pastel colors and village life. Most of all, Grabar loved to depict frost on his canvases and dedicated an entire collection of works to him, consisting of more than a hundred small multi-colored sketches created in different time days and in different weather conditions. The difficulty of working on such drawings was that the paint froze in the cold, so we had to work quickly. But this is precisely what allowed the artist to recreate “that very moment” and convey his impression of it, which is the main idea of classical impressionism. Igor Emmanuilovich’s painting style is often called scientific impressionism, because it gave great importance light and air on canvases and created a lot of research on color transmission. Moreover, it is to him that we owe the chronological arrangement of paintings in the Tretyakov Gallery, of which he was director in 1920-1925.
Birch Alley, 1940
Winter landscape, 1954
Frost, 1905
Pears on a blue tablecloth, 1915
Corner of the estate (Ray of the sun), 1901
Yuri Pimenov
Completely non-classical, but still impressionism developed in Soviet time, a prominent representative which is Yuri Ivanovich Pimenov, who came to depict “a fleeting impression in bed colors” after working in the style of expressionism. One of the most famous works Pimenov becomes the painting “New Moscow” of the 1930s - light, warm, as if painted with the airy strokes of Renoir. But at the same time, the plot of this work is completely incompatible with one of the main ideas of impressionism - refusal to use social and political themes. Pimenov’s “New Moscow” perfectly reflects social change in the life of the city, which have always inspired the artist. “Pimenov loves Moscow, its new, its people. The painter generously gives this feeling to the viewer,” writes artist and researcher Igor Dolgopolov in 1973. And indeed, looking at the paintings of Yuri Ivanovich, we are imbued with love for Soviet life, new neighborhoods, lyrical housewarmings and urbanism, captured in the technique of impressionism.
Pimenov’s creativity once again proves that everything “Russian” brought from other countries has its own special and unique path of development. So is French impressionism in Russian Empire and the Soviet Union absorbed the features of the Russian worldview, national character and everyday life. Impressionism as a way of conveying only the perception of reality in pure form remained alien to Russian art, because every painting by Russian artists is filled with meaning, awareness, the state of the changeable Russian soul, and not just a fleeting impression. Therefore, next weekend, when the Museum of Russian Impressionism re-presents the main exhibition to Muscovites and guests of the capital, everyone will find something for themselves among Serov’s sensual portraits, Pimenov’s urbanism and landscapes atypical for Kustodiev.
New Moscow
Lyrical housewarming, 1965
Costume room Bolshoi Theater, 1972
Early morning in Moscow, 1961
Paris. Rue Saint-Dominique. 1958
Stewardess, 1964
Perhaps for most people the names Korovin, Serov, Gerasimov and Pimenov are still not associated with a specific style of art, but the Museum of Russian Impressionism, which opened in May 2016 in Moscow, nevertheless collected the works of these artists under one roof.
