Chicago Art Institute

McCormick Hall

Barnes Foundation

Barnes Collection

• Renoir 181• Cezanne 59• Matisse 46• Picasso 21• Modigliani 16• Degas 11• Van Gogh 7

Lecture Topics

• 1. Intro and Camille Pissarro• 2. Sisley, Cassatt, and Morisot• 3. Pierre Auguste Renoir• 4. Caillebotte, Seurat, Toulouse Latrec• 5. Vincent Van Gogh• 6. Auguste Rodin

Hue

Tints and Shades

chroma

French Government 1800 - 1940

• 1800 – 1815 Napoleonic Empire• 1815 – 1830 Monarchy Restored

– Louis XVIII– Charles X

• 1830 – 1848 July Monarchy - Louis Philippe• 1848 – 1852 Second Republic – Louis Napoleon• 1852 – 1870 Second Empire – Louis Napoleon• 1870 – 1940 Third Republic

French Society Changing

• End of Napoleonic era brings one hundred years of peace

• Global empires on the rise• Industrial and scientific revolution in full swing• Growing middle class with disposable income• Paris rebuilt – Haussmann 1850’s• Beaux Arts thriving

French Art World

• Academie des Beaux Arts in command• Inclusion in annual salon vital to sales• Most artwork commissioned traditionally • Art dealers become important late 1800s• Alternative exhibitions provide needed exposure• Sales will depend on keeping client happy

French Salon

• Sponsored yearly by Academie des Beaux Arts• Juried by entrenched bureaucracy• Orthodoxy a given

– Noble themes!– Invisible brush strokes– Natural colors carefully blended– Textures finely rendered– Laws of perspective – Studio bound

4 Catalysts

• Science of color and how it is perceived • Oil paints in tubes

– Uniformity– Portability

• Photography– Changed how artist looked at their craft

• Unauthorized salons – Salon des Refuses 1863– Impressionist exhibits 8 times 1874-1888

Paris Life

• Haussman rebuilds Paris in massive public works project 1850’s for Louis Napoleon

• Batignolles and Montmartre focal points• Rural areas become popular Giverny, etc.• Cafes and concert cafes - flaneurs• Opera – see and be seen • Ballet – young women available for patrons • Masked Ball• Prostitution rampant

Impressionism and Post Impressionism

•What Was So Different??

Rococo

Romanticism ~ 1800

Realism

Impressionism• New subject matter – artist’s choice

– Everyday people and occurrences– Landscapes, cityscapes, still life – Caught in the moment

• En plein air much of the time• Attention to color juxtaposition • Short brush strokes• Thick paint