The Romanticism Era lasted from around the late 18th century through the mid-19th century. It originated in Europe before spreading to other parts of the world, some styles that came out of this were Realism, Impressionism, and Post Impressionism. They wanted to express emotions being able to feel what you see in the paintings when looking at them. I will be presenting four paintings comparing Impressionism and Realism.
Impressionism
Impressionism in simple terms is practicing painting our doors at random or spontaneously rather than being in a studio or making out your own sketches. This style is my favorite, It feels natural and more personal than most of the other styles. When I have to choose an art pieces my eyes always gravitate to Impressionism. When I look at any artwork that is in this style it feels alive to me and natural. This style is where artists realized they did not have to be in studios and that they could capture everyday life. Even though paintings of everyday life were common, they got to explore outside the studios and actually capture real life.
Pierre Auguste Renoir Painted The Swing in 1876 the painting measures 92 x 73cm. He rented a cottage in the gardens so that he could be close to Moulin De La Galette. This artist gives us who he is painting the woman standing behind the swing is a model named Jeanne Samary one of Renoir's models that he paints often, the two men standing in the painting are Renoir's brothers and a painter's friend. When looking at this painting it feels very casual and natural it doesn't feel like a forced painting where you have to be doing a certain pose to capture a moment it feels genuine and I think that's what Renoir is trying to present. You can notice a lot of line work with each brush stroke especially in the background and on the trees is what caught my attention. The shadow of the people also makes it feel more real, with tree coverage coming down there would be shadows. Patterns and blotches of the blossoms on the ground also capture my attention even though I feel like its a little out of place with the feelings of this painting. I would own this in my own home.
Berthe Morisot, The Cradle, 1872, oil on canvas, 56 x 46 cm (Musée d’Orsay, Paris)
Berthe Morisot painted The Cradle in 1872 it is 56x46 cm It was painted in Paris presenting one of the artist's sisters Edma looking over her sleeping daughter. I think the artist was trying to capture a raw moment of motherhood. Looking at this it feels a little emotional and special time that is being captured. This is a good example of emotion in art even though it is painted, The colors that are used make it feel light and happy mostly using whites the mother's clothing uses a navy blue so she stands out as almost a main focus. This does not feel staged or sketched out beforehand this feels like an actual raw moment. I would own something like this just don't know where I would put it. This is one of my favorites from this style between the two pictures.
Art Nouveau
Art nouveau is one of my least favorite styles, to me this feels very cartoony. But this is a decorative style of art with a lot of line-based shapes. When I look at this style of artwork it feels very messy and disorganized. This was the style from 1890 until the world was one. While the detail is amazing and on-line work, I feel like I cannot get any depiction of the feelings. This style is trying to represent lines and objects. The natural world has inspired this type of art known as organic art. It is an ornamental style that flourished from 1890-1910 throughout Europe and the United States, used for architecture, interior design, jewelry, and glass. It was a new style of freedom for many artists.
James Ensor painted Christ's Entry Into Brussels in 1899 it is 99 1/2 x 169 1/2 inches tall. This is showing of a large parade. Looking at this painting I do not understand what the artist is trying to portray. This painting uses up a lot of space with all of the people. Shapes are a very clear indicator of this painting as each person and object is physically a different shape. The value of the people is very clear with so many different shade ranges. Personally, when I look at this painting it's a lot going on that I cannot focus and really understand what is happening. I would not own any style of this.
Gustav Klimt, The Kiss, 1907-8, oil and gold leaf on canvas, 180 x 180 cm (Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna)
Gustav Klimt painted The Kiss from 1907-1908 Its 180cm x180cm. The painting is of two people embracing each other. This still uses all shapes and lines just like the style of Art Nouveau. His style though is romantic intimacy. Looking at this style really does not attract me, the scene of them is beautiful but its chaos to me looking at it to really get the big picture of it. The lines and shapes are really present in this era. I would not own anything like this. I think that the artist is trying to capture a romantic moment. The colors he uses is mostly gold with a spread of different colors to make it pop out and really understand what the scene is.
Summary
Impressionism and Art Nouveau are two very different styles that went on during the Romantic Era, Impressionism is more of realistic daily life things, You can tell what objects are and what is happening making it feel more meaningful and personal. Art Nouveau focuses on symbolism and shapes that make it a little difficult to understand the meaning and what is trying to be depicted by the artist. overall I would pick impressionism as it speaks more to me.
Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris, et al. “Gustav Klimt, the Kiss.” Smarthistory, smarthistory.org/gustav-klimt-the-kiss/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.
Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, et al. “Berthe Morisot, the Cradle.” Smarthistory, smarthistory.org/morisot-cradle/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.
“Home.” Berthe Morisot | Musée d’Orsay, www.musee-orsay.fr/en/artworks/le-berceau-1132. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.
“The Swing (Renoir).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Dec. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Swing_(Renoir).
Dr. Charles Cramer and Dr. Kim Grant, et al. “James Ensor, Christ’s Entry into Brussels in 1889.” Smarthistory, smarthistory.org/ensor-christs-entry/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.
“Art Nouveau.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 8 Mar. 2024, www.britannica.com/art/Art-Nouveau.
“The Kiss (Klimt).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Mar. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kiss_(Klimt).
Hello Janae! For my blog I compared Realism and Art Nouveau, and I see a lot of my arguments paralleled here, but in reverse. I agree with your conclusion based off the Art Nouveau pieces you show here, but many of the pieces I found were a lot smoother. Less of the clutter and confusing lines like you mean, but still fills the background. I think the novelty of painting in gold leaf is the only thing that made "The Kiss" worth anyone's time really, as it would've been a huge expense.
ReplyDeleteGenerally, I'm not as much a fan of impressionism, but it does do a good job at telling a story with a snapshot. Admittedly, I'm a bit bored by "The Cradle," but I can understand that the specific emotional impact doesn't apply to me. I like your use of the word natural to describe the impressionist style, as it seems to be similar to realism but allowing for some more romanticism to be added in. Maybe that's why it was such an attractive choice for artists?
Hello! Between these two styles I think I must agree with you that impressionism is my favorite! I really find it interesting how they are improvised in real settings rather than a curated studio. I still really like how patterns and shapes are used in Art Nouveau. The intentions of impressionism also appeal to me on how they try reflect daily life making the paintings almost feel alive. Despite Art Nouveau not being one of my favorites as well, I still find it very interesting on what it accomplished in a short time in this era. Great blog post as well, thank you!
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