Romantic Era Blog

 IMPRESSIONISM VS ROMANTICISM

Impressionism

“Impressionism is perhaps the most important movement in the whole of modern painting. At some point in the 1860s, a group of young artists decided to paint, very simply, what they saw, thought, and felt. They weren’t interested in painting history, mythology, or the lives of great men, and they didn’t seek perfection in visual appearances.” This was a great time for artists as they were able to paint freely without the pressure of having to create a painting that coincides with history or mythology. I feel like this enabled artists to express themselves freely without constraints. 

Romanticism

“At the end of the 18th century and well into the 19th, Romanticism quickly spread throughout Europe and the United States to challenge the rational ideal held so tightly during the Enlightenment. The artists emphasized that sense and emotions - not simply reason and order - were equally important means of understanding and experiencing the world.” This type of art is particularly interesting to me because the artists focused on feelings throughout this period of time to stray away from the belief that reason and order was the most important factor in understanding the world. “Imagination, emotion, and freedom are certainly the focal points of romanticism. Any list of particular characteristics of the literature of romanticism includes subjectivity and an emphasis on individualism; spontaneity; freedom from rules; solitary life rather than life in society; the beliefs that imagination is superior to reason and devotion to beauty”. Romanticism allowed artists a chance to express themselves freely and create art that had emotional value.

Woman with a Parasol

This painting was created by Oscar-Claude Monet in 1875, the location in which this was created is unknown. This is an oil painting of a woman and her son on a field during a windy summer day. This painting consists of short rapid brush strokes which give texture to this painting. The woman's position and the flow of the clothing enable the look of windiness. This painting has qualities that illicit an impressionist style, such as the small brush strokes. “The Impressionist art style started in the 1860s in France. The style is characterized by small, but visible brush strokes.” This painting also has some light and shadow which contributes to the impressionism style as well. Lastly, the many different shades of colors and vibrancy also play into the impression style of art. "Monet’s brushwork creates splashes of color to capture a moment during a stroll on a windy summer’s day. Madame Monet and her son are viewed from below the horizon line, with an upward perspective, against the white clouds in an azure sky." I would want to own an art piece like this because it is refreshing and it gives me a sense of summer. 

Portrait of Mademoiselle Legrand

This painting was created in 1875 by Pierre-Auguste Renoir in France. This painting was also an oil on canvas. “This is a portrait of 6-year-old Aldephine Legrand, the daughter of a friend and art dealer, and shows the artist’s skill in capturing the hesitant personality of a young child, full of natural vivacity but determined to behave.” In this painting, you can see that the artist used very small but rapid brush strokes. This painting portrays an innocent young girl posing for the artist. The direction of her eyes plays to her innocence as she seems to be shy and looking for support. The way that her eyebrows are positioned also plays to her innocence because they make her look timid. The choice of color for her scarf is a vibrant and playful blue. "The portrait of the Dolphins is made with clarity of details, saturated bright colors prevail: a black apron is painted with wet brush strokes, a blue scarf is tied around the neck with a blue scarf behind it, and a blue curtain tinted with greenish paint." I would not want to own a piece like this because it honestly seems a little creepy. Although this painting portrays innocence I would not want a painting of a random little girl in my home.

Color

The colors in Woman with a Parasol are rather bright and vibrant. It makes me feel happy and refreshed. It does this through the vibrant green grass and blue cloudy skies. The wind adds a feeling of freshness to the bright summer picture. The colors in this picture are not blended, which contributes to the justification that this is impressionist art. In looking at the art piece I can see each small stroke of every color. In The Portrait of Madame Moiselle, there aren't as many vibrant colors and the colors used are primarily black and white. The pop of blue in her scarf invokes a feeling of youth and timidness in me. This is because it portrays her innocence and allows me to see that she is young. In this painting, I am also able to see the tiny brush strokes, mainly in the blue scarf and her hair. In both these paintings, there are shadows which allow there to be some contrast with the lighting. 

Texture

 As I have said impressionist art contains short and rapid brush strokes. This is apparent in both of the art pieces I have chosen to speak about. These short and rapid brush strokes often portray a rough texture in the painting. This can be seen in the hair in Portrait of Mademoiselle Legrand and the field in Woman with a Parasol. These brush strokes are so fine and short but when they come together they begin to look rough. There are also areas in the painting where it has a smooth texture. For example, in Portrait of Mademoiselle Legrand, her black dress looks rather smooth because of the consistency in color. 

Value

The values in both these art pieces play a significant role in the overall appearance. In Portrait of Mademoiselle Legrand, the value allows the painting to look a bit more realistic. Specifically, the light and dark contrast. In this painting, the girl's shirt seems to have some blackish/grayish areas on the arms. This allows the audience to see her loose-fitting top scrunching up giving it some dimension. The same thing happens in Woman with a Parasol, you can see that the value helps tremendously in this painting. The darker shades of color illicit the shadow of this mother and son, allowing the audience to understand that it was a sunny day. There are also darker colors on the clothes which shows us that she was actively moving.

Romanticism

The Soul of the Rose

The Soul of Rose was created by John William Waterhouse in 1908. The location in which it was created is unknown. This painting reflects romanticism through feminism and the sensuality of the painting. “Restrained sexuality and longing for an invisible love are key themes in The Soul of the Rose and the artist portrays the woman in the picture without any obvious sexuality, but her position against the wall and her delicate hand indicate subtle sensuality.” In this painting the woman has her eyes closed while she passionately smells a flower, this portrays her longing for sensuality. The position of her head as it is slightly tilted back further emphasizes her longing for invisible love. When tied together, these qualities illicit subtle sensuality. Both the background of the painting and her clothes are dark, her complexion sharply contrasts these dark colors. The blush on her face can be easily distinguished from her complexion as it is a bright red."The product is soft, with free strokes. Details the important details of the picture — the head of a woman, her hands, and the flowers themselves, which is a conceptual and compositional center of the work. Everything else loses its importance and the physical perceptibility due to the air impressionistic writing style." Although I like this painting, I would not want to own a copy of it simply because it is not my art style. I prefer landscapes and vibrant paintings. 

The Fifer

The Fifer was a painting that was created in 1866 by Edouard Manet. The location in which this art was painted is not stated online. This oil painting was inspired by a "Spanish regimental fifer or Flautist whom he had seen in 1865 when visiting the country." In this painting we can see that there are not many colors, the artist keeps the color the same throughout certain parts. For example, the pants are a consistent red color however, some parts are darker than others to create a shadow/lighting kind of illusion. This gives the painting depth and dimension. It is also darker under his shoes. This painting is a great example of impressionism because the artist was not trying to portray a moment in history through art, he was just painting what he saw. This is what this painting style is about, freedom and spontaneity. "Manet painted in both the Realist and Impressionistic style, and like many innovative artists, was not well-appreciated in his own time. The painting grew in popularity in the 20th century." Like Portrait of Mademoiselle Legrand, I would not want this painting in my home because it is a random little boy. I do not feel as creeped out about this one because the boy is playing the flute which gives it a sense of peacefulness. However, I would not want a painting of a random little boy in my home. 

Color

 In The Soul of the Rose the colors are not vibrant, they are more toned down to evoke a feeling of maturity and femininity. The pink flowers allow me to understand that it is summertime. This makes me feel refreshed as she smells the aroma of the flower. On her cheek, we can see that she is red which contributes to her sensuality. In The Fifer: Édouard Manet, the colors are also mature and neutral. Romanticist art generally portrays neutral and earthy tones to give a sense of naturalism. In this painting the colors are consistent but his pants provide a pop of color. The loud red pants make me feel like he is a kid. Under his shoes, you can see that it's dark which shows dimension in the art. 

Texture

The romanticist style of art usually looks heavily textured. However, these paintings look like they are more on the smooth side. in the Soul of the Rose, for example, her skin looks very smooth which adds to her sensuality. In The Fifer, his skin and clothes look smooth as well which contributes to his youth. 

Value

 In The Soul of the Rose, the value adds dimension to the painting as there are darker shades of colors on her clothes. The value further accentuates her posture and position. This expresses her sensuality by showing the audience how she is positioned. Her arm placement makes me feel like she is expressing femininity. Her touch looks light and delicate and her posture is upright. In The Fifer, we can see the value in his flute case. It is gold but it has much darker shades on it. In addition to this, there is a shadow under his foot which lets me know that the area is well-illuminated. This plays towards the young boy's innocence. 

References

“Impressionism Movement Overview.” The Art Story

“Romanticism Movement Overview.” The Art Story

“What Is Romanticism?” Introduction to Romanticism

“Category: Monet.” TripImprover

“Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son.” Joy of Museums Virtual Tours, 10 June 2020

“Portrait of Mademoiselle Legrand - Auguste Renoir.” USEUM

“Description of the Painting by Pierre Auguste Renoir ‘Mademoiselle Legrand.’”  - Renoir Auguste

“The Soul of the Rose.” Artble, 19 July 2017

“Buy Digital Version: My Sweet Rose (Soul of Rose) by John William Waterhouse.” Arthive

Art History Co. “The Fifer: Édouard Manet.” Art History Co, 28 Aug. 2022

“The Fifer.” The Fifer, 1866 by Edouard Manet