Carlen Dimichele
Period 2
2-18-03
"By 1900 the artist had either to be a critic of the times or to develop art for its own sake."
Discuss.
(AP question #5, 1978)
By the year 1900 many new at1istic movements had emerged. People were looking at the
world around them differently and artists represented these new views. Works of art could now
be classified under one of two basic categories: art as a criticism ofthe times, or art for its own
sake. Many things were happening around the turn of the century that affected the common
people. Consequently, painters portrayed the things they saw around them in their art, using it as
a form of self-expression to voice their opinions about the time in which they lived. However, a
new form of art was rising: art for its own sake. Painters began to rebel against traditional styles
such as Neo-classicism and solely religious subjects. One ofthe most famous and daring
movements was Impressionism, partially brought on by the invention of the camera. This
newfound freedom led to later movements like Expressionism, Cubism, Fauvism, and abstract
modernism.
I.
--
Art as a Criticism of the Times
A. The Parisian "Underworld"
1. Edouard Manet
a. Le Dejeuner sur I 'Herbe (Luncheon on the Grass) 1863
i. one ofManet's most famous works, this painting was rejected
by the Paris Salon
ii. people of the time deemed nudity in art to be acceptable, even
beautiful, but only in reference to religious or mythological
subjects
iii. however, Manet was not alone; so many pieces had been
rejected that year by the Salon that the artists created an alternate
show called the "Salon des Refuses," which actually received
enormous public attention
iv. ironically, the painting was based on a sixteenth century print
of a classical myth; nevertheless, Manet had taken brave and
important step of rebellion
b. Olympia 1863
i. This work was admitted to the Salon, but caused a scandal
because, though it was directly based on Venus of Urbino by
Titian, the figure represented was actually a prostitute
ii. Though there were estimated to be about 905,000 prostitutes in
Paris between 1871 and 1903, the subject was considered sinful
even to discuss by some.
2. Henri-Marie-Raymond de Toulouse Lautrec Monfa
a. At the Moulin Rouge 1892
i. Toulouse Lautrec frequented many "underworld" establishments
sw;;h as brothels and bars
ii. observed the moods and actions of people firsthand and then
painted his observations
I
Ill.
paintings seem spontaneous and have been compared to
photographs
3. Edgar Degas
a. L 'AbsintheJ876
i. Degas' usual subjects were the wealthy
ii. painting shows a lower middle class couple sharing a drink
iii. artist's way of reminding the viewer of the side of society that
the well-to-do do not usually think about
B. City Life
1. Georges Seurat
a. a second generation avant-garde "neo-impressionist"
i. best known for pointillism
b. Sunday Afternnon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
i. shows how impersonal city life was- people are not interacting
with one another
ii. used balance and brought calm to impressionist style
iii. may represent the calmness of the wealthy bathers
2. Pierre-August Renoir
a. Dance in the Town 1882-1883
i. depicts fine clothing and extravagant surroundings of wealthy
people living in the city
C. Rural Life
1. Renoir
a. Dance in the Country 1882-1883
i. shows contrast between life in the city and rural life
ii. has more feeling, less formal than city painting
2. Vincent van Gogh
a. The Potato Eaters 1885
i. makes people aware of extreme poverty and sadness not
apparent at many levels of society
ii. dark colors show depression and invoke pity
b. The Return ofthe Miners1881
i. pen, pencil, and brush drawing
ii. has been called "an expression of compassion and revolt"
D. Society's Negative Effect on Artists
1. van Gogh
a. felt unaccepted, social outcast
b. became suicidal and was admitted to a mental institution
2. Paul Gauguin
a. had a distaste for the modem industrial life that everyone else raved
about
b. fled to Tahiti to experiment with "primitive" colors and styles and to
break: with tradition
E. Picasso's Social Comments
1. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
a. painting of five girls from a brothel, which Picasso would only show to
people whose opinion he valued
b. beauty and sexuality are represented, but the actual figures are skewed
and out of proportion
c. considered to be the beginning of cubism
I
2. Tragedy
a. painted during Picasso's Blue Period, it is very depressing and
melancholy
b. depicts a poor family who have suffered a great loss
c. at this time, Picasso himself was sad and unhappy with the state of life
around him
II. Art for Its Own Sake
A. The Advent of Impressionism
1. a new style in which the artist was less interested in reality and instead depicted the
world as he saw it
a. large focus on light and shadow, and especially reflection
b. interested in representation of such elements as wind, fog, heat, water, and
smoke
c. became widespread 1867-1869, but throughout its relatively short-lived
popularity was centered almost exclusively in Paris
d. World's Fair was held in Paris in 1900 and provided an opportunity to exhibit
works of the new style
2. artists were of many different schools and had varying personalities
a. though a sort of rebellion against realism and the old methods, it was not a
unified movement
b. Monet's Impression, Sunrise is considered by some the first real impressionist
painting
c. other famous impressionists include ReniOf, Manet, Degas, Cassat, and
Pissarro
3. though now considered beautiful and important, impressionism was not universally
accepted at the time
a. Parisian public was generally conservative in the artistic sense
i. thought the introduction of "vulgar" common life to fine art was ruining
traditional values
ii. consequently, the term "impressionist" was rather derisive
b. people could not see definite symbols or messages in the paintings, a rather
new concept to them
i. critics reported the painting to look sketchy and half-finished
4. Examples of impressionism
a. Claude Monet
i. Rue Montorguei/1878: At first glance, the painting depicts a street in
Paris lined with French flags; however, Monet was really more interested
in the wind and its effect on the cloth than the actual scene, which is
shown by his broad brush strokes and lack of detail
ii. Rouen Cathedral series: This consisted of over thirty paintings of one
structure, all in different types of weather or at different times of day. The
subject matter becomes less important than the magnificent variety and
use of color to create, in Monet's term, "harmony."
b. Edgar Degas
i. Singer with a Black Glove c. 1878: The viewer's attention is drawn to
the glove instead of being focused on the singer. Degas sacrifices beauty
for representation of emotion and personality.
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B. The Societe des Artistes Independants
1. Formed in Paris 1884
2. Was a reaction to the official Salons and had a motto of"No jury no prizes"
a. Allowed people to submit work for public exhibition and scrutiny
b. Showed the work of such then-unknown artists as Henri Rousseau and Edvard
Munch
C. Invention ofthe Camera
1. Invented in 1839 by Louis Jacques Mande Daugerre
a. called the "refuge of all failed painters" even though many painters were the
first to use photography
b. one of more recognized was Degas
2. Advancement of art
a. could now capture still pictures of objects in motion
i. this allowed painters to examine more closely the way things looked in
real life
ii. English photographer Eadweard Muybridge shot The Horse in Motion,
a series of pictures that helped painters and sculptors see their former
errors
3. Effect on painting
a. the invention of the camera may have encouraged the movement toward
abstract styles
i. there was no longer a good reason for artists to paint realistically
ii. people started to become more interested in the representation of
emotions
iii. beginning of expressionism: art used more as an outlet for creative
energy and comments on life than a way of documenting events or people
D. Fin de Siecle Art
1. period in France during the 1890s (means "end of the century" in French)
a. high point of post-impressionism, called the second generation avant-garde
2. the state of art at the time
a. realism and salon styles had still not disappeared
b. impressionist period short-lived
E. Post-impressionism, expressionism, and fauvism
1. Post-impressionism
a. fueled by breaking up of impressionist painters
b. Cezanne
i. wanted to bring objects away from their pure visual state and restore
solidity
ii. sought to "investigate what lay at the heart of reality"
c. vanGogh
i. painted portraits that were not as seen through the eyes and light, but
expressed the feelings of the subject
ii. Self-portrait with Shaven Head 1888 has green in background and in
face
2. Expressionism
a. rejected impressionism for its superficial relationship with the world
b. artists include Munch, Matisse, Kirchner
3.
Fau~sm
a. means "wild beasts," so named because of bright colors and distorted lines that,
to the public, appeared savage
b. artists include Roualut, Modigliani, Kokoschka
'~
During the time from the last quarter of the nineteenth century to the end of World War I,
art underwent major reforms in its subject matter, style, and public appreciation. Artists could
send their personal feelings about the times out into the world. They were no longer confined to
traditional values, and the viewing public was more open to the idea of art as self-expression
rather than as a way of recording history or decorating cathedrals. The sort of "artistic rebellion"
which had begun in Paris with Impressionism continued to flourish and open paths to what is
now referred to as modem art.
Works Cited
Bonafoux, Pascal.
van Gogh. New York: Konecky & Konecky, 1989.
"Camera," Encyclpredia Brittanica. 1991.
Hobbs, Jack A., and Robert L. Duncan. Arts. Ideas, and Civilization. Englewood
Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1989.
Janson, H.W. and Dora Jane. History of Art: A Survey of the Major Visual Arts
from the Dawn of the Century to the Present Day. New York: Harry N. Abrams,
Incorporated, 1966.:.
Marceau, Jo, and Candlish, eds. Art: AWorld History. New York: OK Publishing,
Inc., 1998.
McKay, John P., Hill, Bennet D., and Buckler, John. A History of Modem
Society. Fifth Edtion, Volume II, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995.
Palmer, R.R., and Joel Colton. A History of the Modem World. Seventh Edition,
Volume II, New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1992.