Starting from Impressionism, European painters tried to get rid of the influence of literature and pay more attention to the painting language itself. There are two kinds of impressionists. First, represented by Degas; One is represented by Monet. Of course, there are also painters between the two types.
As early as the 1960s, a group of young people with the spirit of exploration and innovation were deeply dissatisfied with the conservative official salon's suppression of young people's creative spirit. Following the example of Courbet's fighting spirit against official art, they rallied around Manet, who was ridiculed by the official salon and dared to explore new ideas, and formed a group opposed to the official salon. These painters met in Basil and Renoir's common studio and went directly to the Seine River to sketch. Artists who often attend parties include Monet, Renoir, pissarro, Basil, Cezanne, etc. Critics include Du Rui and Rivera, and the painter Du Lang Runje sponsored the party. 1874 In April, this group of young painters held an exhibition in the studio of photographer Nadal in Kaposin Street, Paris. They call themselves the Association of Unknown Painters, Sculptors and Printmakers. Attending the exhibition are Monet, Renoir, pissarro, Sisley, Degas, Cezanne, Mo Lisuo, Qingye and others. In the exhibition, the title of Monet's oil painting Impression Sunrise was ridiculed by a conservative journalist Louis leroy, who called the exhibition "an exhibition of impressionist painters", hence the name "Impressionism". The Impressionist Art Exhibition was held eight times from 1874 to 1886. Located at 1874 respectively. 1876, 1877, 1879, 1880,188, 1882 and 1886. Except for the first, fourth and eighth exhibitions, the word "Impressionism" is used as the name of the exhibition.
Impressionism is a loose art society. This club has no clear plan. Artists get together just because their painting styles are the same, so it is convenient to hold exhibitions together. Some artists who participated in the exhibition were obsessed with Impressionism for a while, but later they pursued something else. Some also repeatedly change the style of painting. In addition, the level of participating painters is not consistent.
Impressionism in painting is equivalent to naturalism in French literature. Impressionism and naturalism are both influenced by philosophical positivism.
Although Edouard Manet (1832-1883) is closely related to impressionist painting, he has never participated in any impressionist painting exhibition. The young man was born in an artistic family and was interested in painting since he was a child. He was dissatisfied with the teachings of the academic Thomas Coudre, and was infatuated with Titian, Gregory, Ribeira, Velazquez and Goya. At the age of 27, hals and Rubens created a painting "Lover of Absinthe" (1859), which reflected the dark side of life and expressed his rebellion against academic tradition. This painting emphasizes the contrast between light and shadow, and uses less intermediate tones. It is drawn by direct sketch, with outstanding instantaneous effect, exquisite and rich colors, and pays special attention to the role of black. Later, Lunch on the Grass (1863) and another oil painting, Olympia (1863), which depicts naked women, were both works with secular spirit drawn by rigorous and realistic traditional methods, but they were rejected by the official salon because of their bold ideas and novel techniques. But his outstanding artistic talent was warmly praised by Baudelaire and Zola. His oil paintings in the early 1960s included The Old Musician, Guitarist and Victor Lena Milan in Spanish costume. Laura from Valencia is a work of transition from realism to impressionism. Manet's interest in light was first manifested in his painting "Concert in Tillery Palace Garden" (1862). Manet's political stance is close to that of radical Republicans. 1867 created the oil painting "Emperor maximilian was shot", which reflected the political events in June of the same year in a tortuous way. During the Paris Commune, Manet was elected to the Art Management Committee led by Courbet in the absence.
Manet was the first painter to break the traditional tan tone and make the picture bright and fresh with the help of external light. In the 1970s, he completed a series of oil paintings, such as On the Boat, Monet's Painting on the Boat, Bed Sheets and so on. At that time, influenced by Mo Lisuo and others, he adopted impressionist techniques and colors and gave up black, which made his painting more free. But Manet, who has always been influenced by classical art, has always maintained a grand and solemn charm in his works. His Portrait of Bella at 1872 and Follis-Berger Bar Room at1-0/882 are quite representative in this respect.
The most typical impressionist painter is claude monet (1840 1-926). He was one of the founders of early impressionism, and insisted on impressionism painting style all his life. He and Renoir. Both Sisley and Basil studied in the Greer Studio, but they left the studio because they were dissatisfied with the academic teaching, and went to the Fontainebleau forest near barbizon to sketch the scenery in Charlene Marilynn Dangelo Bull. His early painting style was influenced by barbizon school painters, Courbet and Manet. He visited London on 1870 and was very interested in Turner's landscape paintings. Japanese ukiyo-e prints have been collected since 187 1 /kloc-in 0/872, he painted the landscape painting Impression Sunrise in le havre Harbor, and soon he and a group of painters set up a mobile studio in Tey, Argente, Seine River, to observe the ever-changing natural scene and capture the beauty of colors in the sunshine and air atmosphere. His landscape paintings break through the shackles of traditional themes and composition, and take the perception of the visual experience of the motif as the main starting point. 1883 Monet settled in giverny, a suburb of Paris. 189 1 After his second visit to London in, he made a group painting of haystacks and Rouen Church. These landscape paintings focus on the ever-changing appearance of the same scene in different light atmospheres. They ignore the realism of the outline of the object, mainly express the instant impression with light and color, and pursue the beauty of independent color relationship in painting. This artistic pursuit is particularly prominent in the group paintings of Water Lily that he created in his later years. According to the scene of water lilies in the pond of giverny Villa Garden, his group paintings were completed under the condition of old age, infirmity and poor eyesight. These paintings are magnificent and charming in artistic expression. He donated 12 works to the French government, which were placed in the reconstructed orange orchard. He paints with primary colors, and the effect is very strong. His brushwork and color are also very free and full of freehand brushwork. In addition to the frankness unique to Impressionism, his works also have some mysterious colors related to nature. The obscurity of the picture (especially in his later works) and the grand decorative effect are also the remarkable characteristics of his creation. His exploration undoubtedly inspired later abstract painters.
Among the impressionist painters, Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) mainly painted female portraits and nudes. The son of a poor tailor first made a living by painting pottery utensils, then studied in Greer's studio and joined the impressionist society. His paintings are full of joyful atmosphere and emotional color. He tried to use Impressionism in portraits and nude paintings and achieved ideal results. The images of children in his works are also artistic.
Renoir was influenced by Diaz, Delacroix, Manet and Courbet in his early days. Di Anna, written in 1867, deals with classical themes with a soft atmosphere, which attracts people's attention. Since 1970s, his painting style has become more gentle and poetic. The box created by 1874 shows the maturity of his style. However, the composition of many characters, such as the pancake shop (1876) and the lunch on the boat (188 1), obviously weakens the outline, and the color processing is softer and intoxicating. Renoir's painting style has changed since 1883. He also pays attention to sketch modeling, the outline turns to concrete affirmation, and the color is smooth and meticulous, which seems to be inspired by the angel style. This stage is called the "classical style" period. In his later years, he suffered from severe joint inflammation and was inconvenient to move. He tied the brush to his arm and insisted on drawing in a wheelchair. He began to create sculptures from 19 13, and most of his works were designed by him and completed by another young Italian sculptor.
Edgar Degas (1834- 19 17) was born in a wealthy bourgeois family, received a strict classical education, inherited Engel's painting style in the early days, and later had close contacts with Manet, Basil and Mo Lisuo. He is also a good friend of Fontainebleau, Cezanne and pissarro, and his painting style has changed. Because of his rich family, he doesn't care about the way out of his works, and his painting style doesn't cater to secular tastes. He also does various experiments and explorations in techniques, and is an artist who uses a variety of techniques and materials. He is good at historical painting, portrait painting and genre painting, especially at painting female workers, models dressed in bathing and ballerinas. He calmly observed the background and the objects in the box, and recorded the actions of the actors when they danced for a moment. His painting "Absinthe" (1878) and "The Woman Ironing Clothes" vividly show the movements, demeanor and feelings of the object in a specific environment. His oil paintings and pastels are warm, light and bright. Degas is also an excellent sculptor, leaving more than 70 sculptures for later generations, mainly ballerinas and some dynamic human bodies.
Sisley (1839— 1899), a British-born landscape painter, was one of the key figures in the French impressionist movement. He was influenced by Courbet and admired Connor even more. In the early 1970s, Tai Caliso's sketched landscapes, The Seine of Argente Tai Caliso and Viale raglan Bridge (both 1872), showed his interest in color innovation. He is good at arranging details and dealing with pictures, seemingly casual, but full of lyrical poetry. Sisley's painting style changes gently, unlike Monet and Renoir. He didn't get the attention he deserved when he was alive. In his later years, the scenery he created with heavy paintings and cool colors was also wonderful.
Pissarro (1830-1903) was also one of the key figures in the impressionist movement. He is the only one who has participated in eight Impressionist exhibitions, and he is also the older one in this group of painters, and he has participated in many official salons before the Impressionist exhibition. His thought is radical and full of utopian socialism. He linked innovation in painting with freedom of thought. He sympathizes with farmers and pays attention to describing farmers and rural scenery. He helped Cezanne paint a brighter picture and was also influenced by Cezanne's structural approach. So is his relationship with Gauguin. In his later years, he was infatuated with Sinek and Seurat's stippling.
Bert Murphy (1841-1895) is a talented and tender-hearted impressionist female painter. She was encouraged by Connor and learned a lot from Connor's paintings. 1868 met MANET and married his brother Eugene. She played a role in MANET's painting style transformation (giving up the usual black and using impressionist colors). After the mid-1980s, she was influenced by Renoir. Mo Lisuo's paintings are based on scenes close to life around him, with elegant and exquisite style, bright and green colors and subtle changes.
Cassatt, an American female painter, is also an active participant in the French Impressionist Art Exhibition.
Impressionist painters who oppose the academic model and romantic illusory passion focus on depicting the reality they feel and the life around them. In this respect, they are similar to the realist school. The difference is that most of them don't have the ambition to transform society with art, and don't pay attention to and reproduce the ugly and vulgar side of society like realistic artists. Most of their works record instant impressions. In order to capture fleeting life scenes and natural scenes, they deliberately pursue accidental and frank effects, not seeking the integrity of composition. Most of them ignore the shape of the object, but pay attention to the visual impression and light and color effect, so the contour line is weakened and the shape is hazy and fuzzy. So they ruled out black, used pure color and pursued bright hue, thus paving the way for the new impressionist pointillism.
Impressionism denies the role of imagination in artistic creation, rejects narrative literary content, gives full play to the language of painting, and meets the aesthetic needs of emerging citizens, which has its innovative side; But at the same time, it also weakens other means of expression of painting and reduces the social and historical content of painting. In addition, impressionism ignores the eternal shape of objects and is obsessed with color and light, which will inevitably lead to formalism and abstraction in painting.