History of art: Impressionism

Hellow my dear neighbours, since I do not know how to cook, neither how to do any kind of manual activity, I decided to invite you to my place to listen to a talk about the art history. Welcome on board everyone, we are about to start.

The term 'Impressionist' was first used as an insult in response to an exhibition of new paintings in Paris in 1874. A diverse group of painters, rejected by the art establishment, defiantly set up their own exhibition. They included Monet, Renoir, Pissarro and Degas.

What characterises Impressionism for most people nowadays, is both the subject matter and the technique. Landscapes, and scenes from modern urban and suburban life painted in bright, pure colours are typical. Impressionists often began (and sometimes completed) their paintings outdoors rather in a studio. Their rapidly applied brushstrokes are often visible.

The scientific discoveries and inventions of the 19th century had an important influence on the way painters worked. New research encouraged artists to experiment with complementary colours. For instance, in Renoir's The Skiff (La Yole), he places an orange boat against cobalt blue water. Orange and blue were understood to be opposite one another in the color spectrum, and by placing them next to each other, each looked deeper and brighter. Even more significant to the Impressionists was an interest in the way in which the human mind processes what it sees. When we look at a landscape, or a crowd of people, we do not instantly see every face, or leaf in detailed focus, but as a mass of colour and light. Impressionist painters tried to express this experience. According to Gombrich, "They discovered that if we look at nature in the open, we do not see individual objects each with its own colour but rather a bright medley of cones which blend in our eye or really in our mind."

Another factor which changed how artists painted was the innovation of ready-made paint in tubes. Grinding pigments in order to make up oil paint had been a laborious and untidy process. The availability of a wide range of ready-made colors meant that artists could work outdoors, rather than in a studio. They could also work at much greater speed, at moments applying the paint straight from the tube without even using a brush.

Absorbing japonism techniques from the Japanese allowed the Impressionists to expand and divert away from the classical painters. Japanese wood block prints were imitated and the stringent French art scene was able to enjoy its first taste of globalization via the magnificent works some of the world's most renowned artists were able to produce thanks to the inspiration of the Japanese culture.

Their main aim was substituting the dominant idea of "Beauty" for the new one of "Freedom". To understand this concept is important to pay attention to the historic and social frame of the time which included the apparition of the brain, the solo photograph and individual clocks.

That's all folks, hope you enjoyed the chat, you are welcome to comment about it or ask questions if you have doubts.