What is Impressionism ?
France gave birth to the influential art movement known as Impressionism in the late 19th century, especially in the 1860s and 1870s. It was a significant shift from the era’s conventional academic painting techniques.
To compare to academic artwork’s disciplinary, neoclassical wording; Impressionist art style lacks the order, solid pattern also the shape. Darker colors are replaced with lighter & bright palette. In order to catch the fleeting aspects of light and environment, they frequently painted outside (also known as “en plein air”).
Since the Renaissance, the scientific perspective that has been used has begun to be replaced by aerial perspective, and distances as well as proximities have started to be expressed with colors. To transfer an impression onto the canvas with the same impact, the swiftness required has forsaken the meticulousness seen in academic paintings, instead necessitating a focus on the holistic effect of the painting.
What is crucial in Impressionist style is not to depict the “ideal” but to provide "seeing with one’s own eyes is essential”. With respect to that, impressionism is a nominative form of art that highlights the relationship between object and subject.
With the presence of photography, Impressionist artist have tried to provide depiction of movement; Impressionist paintings often convey a sense of movement and spontaneity, with subjects appearing dynamic and alive. Another affect of photogrpahy might be interpreted as the unconventional compositions and viewpoints, such as cropping subjects or focusing on unusual angles have frequently experimented by the Impressionists.
Edouard Manet
Combination of bodies, realistic event that could happen in that time period. There is a sense of perspective created with the woman in the river showering. Middle of the painting depicted as ordinary people are sitted we accompany the moment. Bottom of the painting the “Still Life” is visible with the fruits and bread. Same color palette is used as Courbet, light is not coming from directly outside, it is created inside. Creating kind of “chiaroscuro”.
Contemporary subjects
Academic to modern
We can also see an inspiration from the artwork that belongs to Titian,
Manet transformed the painting “ Pastoral concert” in daily life & in nature with inspiration.
Manet reworked the traditional women nudity and elevated the look with a confidence of “this is my body” moment. The strong and uncompromising nudity of the figure in the picture is a metaphor for highly symbolic figure in art. Manet’s Olympia is not “holy nudity” rather with the use of jewelry and the dirty shoes it is visible that she is a prostitute. Right hand side of the picture we see a black cat figure, it symbolizes the superstition and the subject depicted in the painting is represented as a taboo. Black female maid is holding a bouquet of flowers which is the symbol of feminine sexuality and sexual connotations are seen.
For an artistic view, the black contour is frames the figure which is another inspiration form Japanese art style. Solid colors are seen not mixed with other colors.
Like we saw with the previous painting from Manet, this painting is also a reattribute to a previous Rennaisance painting.
The strong presence and eroticism is visible, with a difference of dog in the frame which symbolizes the loyalty.
