Impressionism
Impressionism took place in the 19th century, highly concentrated in France. There was a group of artists in France called Anonymous Corporation of Artists- Painters Sculptures Engravers etc. that were rebelling against the state funded salons, and trying to separate themselves from the academy. This group of artists included many styles, but mostly impressionists, including Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, and Claude Monet.(footnote) Critic Louis Leroy gave them their name, but it wasn’t meant to be a compliment , the impressionists just liked the name. Their paintings are supposed to be about the fleeting moment, nothing was permanent and everything was changing constantly. The loose brush strokes gave a sense of blur, like everything was moving so quickly. They used complimentary colors and were exploring color theory. During this time, metal paint tubes were invented so artists could paint anywhere, they were not stuck to their confines of the studio. (984)
The impressionist sunrise-Monet
The 19th century in France there was the Franco- Prussian War, when installed fear in many of the French and inspired art. Also the working class made their own commune and led to many deaths and imprisoned. This changed subjects to be more of leisure time and urban work. (989) Edgar Degas was very intrigued by leisure times and painted everything from the racetrack to the ballet. Although the ballet was on a decline, Degas became the painter of the Paris Ballet. Also during this time was when the Communist manifesto was written by Marx. This was after the industrial revolution where many, many people were in working class, in terrible conditions in factories. People were angry my these circumstances and Communism was appealing to a vast majority of people.
The rehearsal- Edgar Degas
Another important work in the impressionist era was Monet’s Bouevard des Capuchines. It depicts Haussmanization in Paris when Napolean the third wanted Paris to look like a palace, grander. At this time, paint tubes were introduced and so artists could go outside and paint from life. The birds eye view was an idea played off of with photography.the painting was a comment on how Paris is a city of strangers, where everyone is just passing by each other, the single stroke of paint starts to represent a person in the vaguest form in the fleeting moment.
Photography was announced in 1839 which changed the painters’ world completely. There was no longer a need to paint realistically, photography could do that. No one painted a still life because photography was mostly still lives in the beginning. The shutter speed was so long that only still objects could be photographed, so this was the first picture of a person that happened to sit still while getting his/her shoe shined. Also the idea of a Birds Eye view came with photography and influenced many painters.
Source: Fourth edition Pearsons Art histoy, written by Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren
The Impressionists 