Impressionism and Realism

Impressionism is a style of art developed in the mid 19th century that focused primarily on a fleeting moment. Impressionist artist tried to create the feeling of movement by using loose brush strokes, sketchy lines, and blotches of color that blend together to create the feeling of an impression. This style of art began when “a group of artists called the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers, etc. organized an exhibition in Paris that launched the movement called Impressionism” (Samu). Among the founders of this movement was French artist, Claude Monet, one of my favorite painters.

Monet’s art can be used to define Impressionism. His art displays all the characteristics that we associate with the style.

Claude Monet "Rue Montorgueil, Paris, Festival of June 30, 1878 (1878)"

As we see in Monet’s Rue Montorgueil, Paris, Festival of June 30, 1878 (1878), Impressionism uses blotchy colors and loose brush strokes to create movement. In this painting it feels like we are looking at the festival. The impression of what we are seeing is what defines the style. At first, the viewer needs to take a second to realize what they are looking at. With all the color and action it is difficult to separate individual people or flags. When we see something out of the corner of our eye, this is what we remember. It isn’t meant to be calm and collected. We are supposed to be overwhelmed. When comparing Impressionism with Realism it is very easy to differentiate between the two.

 

Realism “sought to convey a truthful and objective vision of contemporary life”(Finocchio: Nineteenth-Century French Realism | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art). This style of art uses very

Rosa Bonheur The Horse Fair (1853-55)

real images to portray the life of common people, instead of pastimes of the upper and middle classes which is the focus of Impressionism. Rosa Bonheur’s painting The Horse Fair (1853-55) is an example of the focus of the style. Instead of a romanticized image of these horses, we see almost exactly what we would see if we were standing there watching it in person. This is part of the reason for making the painting real to the point that they look like photographs. The artist doesn’t want to make anything more than what it really is. Realism is meant to portray life without romanticizing it. It is meant to show the ways people make a living. The focus of Realism revolves around livestock, farm workers, middle class, and other ordinary activities.

When comparing the two it is easy to see the difference between the exciting movement of Impressionism and the ordinary, intentionally dull, Realism. Personally, I prefer Impressionism because it is exciting. I appreciate Realism and its purpose, but I would much rather see a painting of a glimpse of a festival than one of farmers plowing a field or a person gathering horses.

Sources:

Finocchio, Ross. “Nineteenth-Century French Realism.” Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. <http://www.metmuseum.org/&gt;.

Samu, Margret. “Impressionism: Art and Modernity.” Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. <http://www.metmuseum.org/&gt;.