Impressionism

The Impressionism movement was introduced through an exhibition in Paris by a number of artists known as the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers, etc. in 1874. Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Camille Pissarro, along with other artists were impressionist’s establishment associates.

A panel of artists from the Academie des Beaux-Arts nominated artworks and awarded medals, where the group was integrated only by its liberation from the official annual Salon. Traditional opponents criticized the Impressionism work as to be uncompleted and sketchy but liberal critics acclaimed it for its portrayal of modern life.

In 1876, Edmond Duranty had wrote ‘La Nouvelle Peinture’ which meant ‘The New Painting’. As a rebellion painting, he wrote of their representation of modern subject matter in an appropriately advanced style. Impressionism artwork today is being recognized for its modernism, personified in its denial of conventional styles, its integration of new technology and ideas, and its interpretation of modern life.

The Impressionist movement got its name from the opponent Louis Leroy after criticizing Claude Monet’s Impression, Sunrise as being a sketch or “impression” in 1874. 

Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet in 1874.

This painting is the straightforward example of how Impressionists artists work. They use short broken brushstrokes that hardly express forms, pure unblended colors, and prominence on the effects of light. Impressionism doesn’t pay attention to detail, they extract shadows and highlights in color instead of impartial white, grays, and blacks. The loose brushstrokes that impressionists use gives a sense of freedom and naturalness that covers their often prudently created compositions. 

 'Allee of Chestnut Trees' is an oil painting by Alfred Sisley in 1878

The Impressionist movement is difficult to define because of its many features and diverse members. Indeed, its life seems as momentary as the light effects it required to apprehension. Even so, Impressionism was a movement of continuing value, as its embrace of modernism made it the foundation for later avant-garde art in Europe. 

Harvard Referencing System: Impressionism: Art and Modernity | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2013. Impressionism: Art and Modernity | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd_imml.htm [Accessed 27 March 2013]

Fashion Designer - Christian Dior

Christian Dior is a legend for the fashion industry all over the world. When he was ten he moved to Paris with his parents, but born and raised in Normandy, France. He assisted in the military after studying political science. His approach towards fashion after going to war was giving a ‘New Look’, a ‘New Outlook’. He announced the ‘new Look’, the most important couturiers of the twentieth century in 1947 which was his very first collection. The ‘New Look’ distinguished ultra-femininity and magnificence in women’s fashion introducing rounded shoulders, a cinched waist, and very full skirt. Dior’s career began by selling his sketches right after he returned to Paris in 1935. In 1938, he worked with designer Robert Piguet and then, at a much larger design house, Dior worked with Lucien Lelong in 1941. He opened his own house in 1946 by textile industrialist Marcel Boussac. Dior facilitated to renovate a struggling postwar Paris as the capital of fashion.

He had particular themes for all his collections

Dinner dress from Spring 1947 collection "Carolle" or "figure 8".

A label that advocated the silhouette of the new look with its bulging shoulders, emphasized hips, and small waist. 

From Spring 1955's Collection "A-line". 

With its undecided waist and smooth silhouette that widened over the hips and legs, similar to a capital "A." 

Ball Gown from "Venus" Collection in 1949.

Gray silk net embroidered with feather–shaped opalescent sequins, rhinestones, simulated pearls, and paillettes. 

Jacques Rouet, Dior’s partner founded license arrangements in the fashion business. Deals for fur, stockings, and perfumes, had been decided with well-paid licensing in 1948. This income made Dior a household name. Christian Dior died in 1957, leaving his legendary style behind. Although Dior is no longer with us, the House of Dior is still a successful business today and surely Dior’s fashion will keep on inspiring today’s designers.

Harvard System Referencing: Charleston, Beth Duncuff. "Christian Dior (1905–1957)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–2013. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dior/hd_dior.htm [Accessed in 27 March 2014]

Realism

Without analysis and elaboration, existing only in a third person’s neutral reality, Realism in literature and visual arts states to the effort of classifying subjects according to practical and materialistic rules.

The early 1850s was the time where Realism movement had begun in France. The Realists where controlling on their French artwork and literature by the early 19^th century. They were people who were against romanticism, their emotions and there point of view. Realists knew well what was realistic and fought hard to convince the people. They were true and honest in their work, they showed what was really there even though some wasn’t pleasing to feel or to remember.  The Realism Movement consisted of paintings showing people who were at work, since that time was also the Industrial Revolution period. Photography was just introduced therefore this new visual source of capturing a realistic moment was very popular.

Realism Art is impersonation of nature by using a paintbrush in an artistic attempt. Realists look deep through nature and life and take whatever it may give them. The new idea for modern art style was being encouraged and everyday events were revolving also with ordinary people who are worthy matters of the Realists artists.

The prime objectives that Realists artists wanted to tackle were regular people, living their lives, delivering their background story in a painting. They wanted to bring out the reality of the environment, its complications, people as a community and society itself. They also wanted to depict political issues. Realists used material surroundings, physical sceneries, and mental approaches for them to communicate.

One can really understand any art movement by the masterpieces created by the artists. Realism is the expression of ideas and values held by the individuals who remained true to their belief. 

Burial in Ornans is an oil painting by Gustave Courbet (1849) 

  A Morning Dance of the Nymphs is an oil painting by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (c. 1850) 

Realism artists had to have a lot of patients because of the very detailed paintings that they had done. They use a lot of light and shadows to make the painting more exceptional. Depth perspective and perspective is a very important element when it comes to Realism. I would imagine that a realist artist would have to plot carefully how everything is supposed to be positioned and have everything planned. They depict what they are seeing right in front of them, no changes in colour, light, or any detail that might take the painting to another state. Realists used to use warm palette colors, soft browns, and warm reds, black and ivory tones. Realist artists now a days add a little cooler colours to create surprising effects. 

I personally wouldn't contribute in making a Realism style painting. I usually go into detail when painting but I don't like to limit myself for only what I see in front of me.

Harvard System Referencing: The Realism Art Movement. 2014. The Realism Art Movement. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.artsmypassion.com/articles.asp?ID=306. [Accessed 06 March 2014].

Harvard System Referencing: Early 19th Century Realism. 2014. Early 19th Century Realism. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.kingsacademy.com/mhodges/11_Western-Art/21_Early-19th-Century-Realism/21_Early-19th-Century-Realism.htm. [Accessed 06 March 2014].  

The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution is from the 18^th to the 19^th century. It is a time in which mainly agricultural, rural citizens in Europe and America became industrial and urban. The difference before the Industrial Revolution was that people used hand tools and basic machines for trade. When this time began, there was a huge change in employment, mass-production, living standards and working classes. Either way, the Industrial Revolution effected everyone. It also upgraded the systems of transportation, communication and banking.

Englishman James Hargreaves designed the spinning jenny in 1764. Jenny was the word used instead of “engine” back in that time. After Hargreaves death, the spinning jenny was upgraded by British inventor Samuel Compton. Another machine was designed, the power loom, made in the 1780s by English inventor Edmund Cartwright.

The quality of living during the Industrial Revolution had improved for the middle and upper classes but the poor still had to work very hard to live. Since the machineries had taking jobs from the craftsmen, there were young people, younger than 15 years old that needed few working skills and that could be replaceable.

Citizens from rural areas, where overcrowding the cities because of how many people come looking for jobs. They started to have pollution, unhygienic living conditions.

The Industry grow very fast and out of Britain. From Britain it banquet to other European countries like, Belgium, France and Germany, and then even to the United States. It was settled throughout the western part of Europe and America’s northeastern region by the mid-19^th century. The U.S had then become the world’s leading industrial nation by the early 20^th century.

Britain is still known to be the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. 

 Because of the Industrial Revolution, Artists began to change there point of view. They used tools and paints that were cheaper because of the mass-production.Other artists reconsidered their outlook on reality as they watched swelling difficulties for resources and the settlement of less developed countries. They used their paintings to show and influence the society around them.

Vincent Van Gogh
The Potato Eaters (1885)

The above painting is a different style from how we know Van Gogh's work today. Van Gogh used to paint like this before he started to paint vibrant and colourful paintings. After some time, he began to paint post-impressionism. I wouldn't say that the people are very realistic. I kind of compare them to animals mixed with humanity rather than just humans. The gas light in the middle of the room is giving light to all corners of the painting but thinking about perspective, I'm not quite sure it is used properly. I do find painting interesting because of the sense of family it gives and also because of the bond there seems to be.

Harvard Referencing System:  History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts. 2014.Industrial Revolution — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution. [Accessed 05 March 2014]

Harvard Refencing System: History, Trade and Art.2014. Art and Artistic Reactions to the Industrial Revolution. [ONLINE] Available at: http://historytradeart.blogspot.com/2010/05/art-and-artistic-reactions-to.html. [Accessed 06 March 2014] 

Pre Raphaelite

The Pre-Raphaelites were a group of nineteenth-century individuals, painters, poets, and critics from Britain. They got together in the autumn of 1848, and they responded against the present Victorian development in relation to materialism, and against the neo-classical resolutions of academic art.

Thomas Woolner
Bust of Thomas Combe (1863)

Rossetti, his brother William, James Collinson, the sculptor Thomas Woolner were originally included in the Pre-Raphaelites Brother-hood. Afterwards the group had to increase to take in Ford Maddox Brown and James Abbot McNeil Whistler. The Pre-Raphaelites specified in detailed studies of medieval scenes solid on extravagant symbolism and moral subjects.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Español: La viuda romana (Dîs Manibus) (1874)

The group intended to re-experience the painting styles of artists working before the time of Raphael that is when the name was absolute. The group then separated just after John Millais’ Ophelia was presented to great commendation at the Academy Exhibition.

John Everett Millias
Ophelia (1851)

William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones and Rossetti grouped together as another Brotherhood in Oxford, studying in the interpretation of pastel, fragile magnificence. Millais and Hunt where the only two that persisted on working according to the innovative concepts of the movement, even though they divided.

Throughout the Victorian era and into the early 20^th century, Pre-Raphaelitism was extremely popular recognitions to artists such as Maxwell Armfield and Frank Cadogan Cowper before being forgotten in the 1920s. 

The Harvard System: toffsworld.com. Pre Raphaelite Art Movement- Art-Information. [ONLINE] Available at: http://toffsworld.com/lifestyle/art-information/pre-raphaelites/ [Accessed at 5 March 2014] 

Romanticism

Romanticism is representing a way of feeling and an intellect of elevation. It originated in the late eighteenth century and advanced through the nineteenth century. The Romantic Movement had a different way of understanding and interpreting. They had deep thoughts about liberty, existence, standards, hope, respect, heroism, misery, and other perceptions that human being feels. Romanticism fought for social equality, constitution, spiritualism and for the nature surrounding them. Visual Art as well as literary and music were provoked by the Romanticism Movement.Terrifying scenes painted by visual artists where inspired by the GermanSturm und Drang movement in the late 1760s to the early 1780s. 

Henry Fuseli’s 

The Nightmare (1781)

During the romantic era, the artists had to show a lot of emotion. Every person had to have a communication and a landscape had to have a setting of character. The portraits weren't direct, honest emotions, the artist would have depict the emotion depending on the surrounding.

Nature is one dominant theme in Romantic Art. Since there inspiration came from current events, they also got motivation from natural disasters like thunderstorms, lightning strikes, floods, earthquakes, fires and blizzards.

J. M. W. Turner

Shipwreck of the Minotaur (1810)

 Any mood there is, one of the Romantic artists would have carried it on canvas. Romanticism Art gave complete freedom to the Artist. The visual artist could use any technique, smooth or rough brushstrokes.

The Romantic Artists were different from others because of the way they judged and felt about any given subject. Romanticism individual artists where even different from each other but still had common elements. Francisco de Goya’s work interpreted madness and oppression, while Caspar David Friedrich was fascinated by the moonlight and fog.  

I personally really like the way that the Romanticism Artist pass their message through their paintings in a breaking tradition rules kind of way. They give us a sense of freedom and Interdependency. 

Harvard Referencing System: Romanticism - About.com. 2014 - Romanticism - Art History 101 basics. [ONLINE] Available at: http://arthistory.about.com/od/renaissancearthistory/a/Romanticism-101.htm [Accessed 5 March 2014].