Early 20th Century Collage

Impressionism and Post Impressionism Art

Impressionism Art

Impressionism began people going outside and painting what they saw in front of them, rather than what they wanted to see like a posed model, or an idea in their head. These paintings were made quickly because of the sifting objects. Many paintings were made about a particular view, to show the differences in perception with light, angles, seasons, and weather. The industrial revolution had created an urban middle class with a taste for relaxing and fashion, and the Impressionist artists documented their lives.

Impressionism artists liked to show social activities. “The Monet Family in Their Garden at Argenteuil,” is by an Impressionism from France named Edouard Manet. The subject of this painting is a family sitting in their garden, surrounded by nature. There are birds and chickens running around, providing implied movement. A man in the background in working on the land, also implying movement. The woman seems to have her back against a tree, while her child lays on her. This painting looks like and everyday event. It also looks like it was done fast because of the layout of the brush strokes, colors and because it looks blurry.

Post Impressionism Art

Post Impressionism believed in a free interpretation of nature. Post Impressionism artists were heavily influenced by other cultures. Cultures included Japanese, other Asian countries, Native Americans, and German. Meaning to look deeper into their view. Artists from this period have been named visionaries, thinkers, and fantastic.  Post impressionists were using paint, the way previous artists sketched. Colors were used to express artist’s emotions rather than to be realistic. 

“A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” was made by a French Post-Impressionist named Georges Seurat. There is a personal use of color in this painting to portray all the different subjects. The artist used quick and patchy brushstrokes. Seurat also used dabs of paint like dots to unify this painting. This technique of using dots of different color is used from animals, clothing, nature, waters, and faces. This painting is representing a leisure day near the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois.

Baroque and Renaissances Art

Baroque 

This piece of art is, “Ester before Ahasuerus,” by and Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi. The medium is oil on canvas. This is Baroque art. Main characterizes from Baroque art is exaggerated facial features, a large focus on light and shadows, detailed backgrounds, and the piece is normally large. This piece is 82 x 107 ¾, it is large and almost life size. In this painting the woman is fainting while two girls hold her up, and a man get up from his chair to help her. This painting is asymmetrical. There is something on both sides of the painting, but the woman immediately takes our attention. She is wearing warm colors, and looks distressed. Baroque art showed humans life like, unlike the Renaissances which showed humans god like. Baroque art also focused on light and shadows. Shadows are formed from dresses to background pieces. The background is dark and the tiles become smaller from the end of the painting towards the middle, creating a perspective. Lines from the wall in the background give this piece structure. The artist is famous for perspective paintings. She put many details in small areas, and gave the faces distinct characterizes.

Renaissances

This piece of art is, “Venus and Cupid,” by an Italian artist named Lorenzo Lotto. The medium is oil on canvas. This is Renaissances art. Main characterizes from Renaissance art is that humans were portrayed god like. The biggest characteristic in Renaissance art is that biblical figures or Greek gods were portrayed in it. The woman is Venus the Greek Goddess of love. The boy next to her is her son Cupid, who is known for making people fall in love. He is also known to be foolish since he is a child, and that's why he is peeing through the circle. There is nature in this piece with the tree holding up the curtain, and Venus is laying on a blanket covering grass. Renaissance artist found the human body to be extremely interesting to paint and many famous Renaissance pieces of art are of the nude. The obvious thing that shows this is Renaissances art is that the figure painted is a goddess.