The origins of Impressionnism
Romantism, Classicism, Réalism and Academism constitute the main currents, In vogue in the first half of the XIXth century . Impressionnism will rise in reaction against them……….
Eugène Delacroix The massacre of Scio (1824) |
The Romantism This current paint heroic or dramatic subjects, sometimes taken in the contemporary history, but treated to the Antique manner. This painting, full of passion presents a great wealth of colors ( Eugène Delacroix 1798-1863) is certainly the one that illustrates the best this current |
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Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres The baigneuse of Valpinçon - 1808 |
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| The Classicism This tendency is the best represented by Ingres (1780-1867). Precise drawing, cared for portrait, color not very marked, this paint attaches itself to translate before all the beauty and the nobility of painted subjects. It comes back to an antique tradition. |
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The encounter or " Hello Mr Courbet " |
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| Réalism Incarned by Gustave Courbet (1819-1877), this movement believes in a social function of the paint; it wants to represent the reality of the era, even in a kind of sadness or ugliness. |
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 The allmighty Academy of Fine Arts creates a style which corresponds to the waitings of the public: synthesis of all the Currents of the era . It can represent themes taken in the antiquity or more recent ones , but often of minor interest . The drawing is precise but flat, the poses affected, indeed pompous. This style wil culminate with the "art pompier", worst enemy of Impressionnism. |
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The Académism Alexandre Cabanel - the birth of Vénus (1863) This picture will be bought by Napoléon the IIIrd, for his Personal collection, as early as his presentation in the "salon de Paris". |
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The forerunners |
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| If impressionists found their style in the
rejection of the most appreciated currents of their era,
they also found inspiration sources with some of their
predecessors. The most evident of these sources is situated, without doubts in the work of (William Turner 1775-1851 ) which, in his last period adopted some features prefigurating Impressionnism : use of the color, misting of forms, contemporary subjects. One can compare with some paintings of Monet, for example. |
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William Turner Rain, steam and speed - the great railway western (1844) |
Claude Monet The iron bridge way to Argenteuil (1873) |
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| But, the impressionnists do not ignore their greatest predecessors; one can also compare the "tres of Mayo", of Goya and the execution of Maximilien, emperor of Mexico, painted by Manet. | ||||||
Francisco Goya El tres of Mayo - 1814 |
Edouard Manet The execution of Maximilien emperor (1868) |
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| This works towards placing the Impressionnist movement in an European context | ||||||
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