Impressionism - a movement as a result of different scientific discoveries

An essay by Bushra Azeem

Impressionism was a 19^th century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s in spite of harsh opposition from the art community in France.  Characteristics of Impressionist paintings include relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes; open composition; emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities; common, ordinary subject matter; the inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience; and unusual visual angles. Impressionism also describes art created in this style, but outside of the late 19^th century.

There is no doubt that the Impressionism movement grew and rose as a result of different scientific discoveries. It was a time when lots of discoveries and inventions were being made, while a lot had been already discovered.

In particular, the invention of the light and the camera gave rise to new and different techniques in art. Among the preceding art movements, Baroque art in particular, saw artists like Sir Peter Paul Reubens of Belgium and Rembrandt of Holland making use of both light and the camera-like compositions. Both artists were greatly impressed with these two discoveries and it helped to shape the art and paintings they created.

The discovery of the camera and light – being made of 7 different colours when passed through a prism was revolutionary for both science and art. The artists in the Impressionism movement formed the basis of the 20^th century art and related movements – these movements in turn gave way to later movie making ad animation, caricatures and cartoons.

Naturally, an artist is influenced by the discoveries made in his/her time and it is reflective in their art. The major artists in the Impressionist movement were certainly no exception and in fact, gave rise to further scientific discoveries. These artists, namely Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Gustave Caillebotte and George Seurat (Pointillism) paved the way for modern art by combining the influence of the modern scientific discoveries at that time, with their artistic expressions.

It is important to note that the Impressionist art was moving and was largely focused on the artist’s impressions, quick glances, where details of the paintings were gradually withering away and strokes by the brush were becoming more popular, i.e. the dots, dabs and dashes.

George Seurat’s ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’ was a masterwork which gave rise to Pointillism. In it, Seurat used a mixture of blue and yellow dots to give the impression of greens, instead of using solid colours. This entire painting was made by the application of dots whose colour combined in this way to make the eye perceive it as a mixture of the different colours. In replacement of solid colours, now a combination of different colours were used to make shades and hues.

This painting in particular gave rise to the modern colour theory and colour photography. Another noteworthy fact about the Impressionism movement is that it helped to formulate much of modern art, and video and animation as we know them today.

The Impressionism movement wasn’t entirely about the application of colour under the influence of scientific discoveries, as quite a lot of work was done for the artist’s own pleasure along with the commissioned work.

The term ‘Impressionism’ was coined during the movement’s tenure, unlike the other art movements. It was first used by a critic, Louis Leroy, who coined the term in a satiric review about Claude Monet’s work,’ Impression, Sunrise’. This review was published in the Parisian newspaper ‘Le Charivari’, in which Leroy stated: ‘this is not a painting, this is an impression’. And it was true in a way. It was Monet’s own personal impression of the rising sun. And the term, therefore, stuck and gave way to the movement. The artists exclaimed that yes, they were impressions, very personal expressions.

Claude Monet was an artist who closely observed the light and used to sit and watch as the shadows changed and the sun threw different shades on everything around him. Often, he used to change his canvas after every 20 to 3 minutes to observe and capture how the light changed and the shadows lengthened.

Of particular importance, are his:

1. Haystack series
2.  The Roven Cathedral series
3.   Water lily  series

...as he painted all three series during different times of day and studied them closely. He was in a way, photographing these, although he was not imitating photography.

The water lily series, of the garden in which he often painted, made a lot of use of dabs and dashes. This was a period in Monet’s life, when he had retired to this house near the garden, spent a lot of time there and grew his favourite plants.

Edgar Degas, on the other hand is famous for his:

1.       Ballet series

2.       Keyhole series

Degas was an artist who was very inspired by the camera and he painted a lot of ballet scenes in his paintings. This new form of art, however, did not enjoy any patronage from the traditional ‘Royal Society of Arts’ – people were not ready to accept this new style and technique. However, Degas, had unknowingly, set the groundwork for modern camera composition and dramatic compositions in unlikely and unusual angles and scenes – such as the backstage of a ballet room, showing young dancers in preparation for the performance – not the performance itself. These dramatic composition, making use of the subjects seen in a new pose and angles, seen in a visual movement, and captured in a dramatic light, are arguable, just like modern film compositions or photography. His paintings seemed a lot like camera compositions – moments captured in a split second – as if the fleeting glance was all it took for him to capture the image in his brain and then paint it.

Moreover, the paintings in this series show a spontaneous movement in action, by ordinary subjects –such as the ballet dancers. This is important to note, because ballet paintings, before, were painted with a lot of grandeur and were shown in a glamorous light. But Degas, introduced the element of everyday reality, by showing ordinary scenes related to the ballet – the backstage etc. They had no approval from the Royal Society of Arts – unlike the other commissioned artists.

Degas combined two mediums together – pastels and paints to give the illusion of fabric. Since he was not committed to one technique only, he was open to experimenting with a mixture and combination of different mediums to get the desired results.

His painting ‘Jockeys before the start, with flag-pole’ in particular, has an asymmetrical composition and looks just like a photograph would if captured at that moment. The flag pole in the painting is towards the right side of the painting and so is the subject. It is important to note that Degas was not trying to imitate photography.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir was an artist who believed in traditionalist art but had a natural inclination towards impressionist art; therefore he combined both beautifully. He often used subtraction in his paintings. In his painting ‘Le Moulin de la Gelette’ , Renoir combined the use of light and composition both. Lights and shadows can both be seen and the subjects are painted as if caught in a split second of action. He was also very fond of stripes and contemporary fashion for both women and men can be seen in his painting ‘La Roge’, which is a scene from the opera house.

The Impressionist artists formed the basis of the 20^th century art and related movements – these movements in turn gave way to later movie making and animation, caricatures and cartoons. No other art movement, in my opinion, gave so much to the modern art or inspired in us to create more and expand and explore our human capabilities in expression and technique as the Impressionism movement.

The Impressionism movement both grew out of and rose as result of different scientific discoveries, such as light and camera, but also gave birth and set the groundwork for future scientific discoveries, such as colour printing, colour theory, camera and photography composition and the study of light. It was a symbiotic relationship; both needed the other in order to survive and could not exist without the other. Needless, to say, the Impressionism movement was a highly important movement that paved the way for modern art and helped to shape it into what it is today and how it is viewed and critiqued today.

The Impressionists ignited a revolution with an explosion of colour and movement. Their vibrant canvases confounded critics, defied conventions and sparked scandal. A century and a half later, they are among the most revered and influentional artists of all time.