History of Art Exam II Romanticism - Post-Impressionism

Dixon's favorite painting

Example of Intellectual realism

"The Scream"
Edvard Munch
Post-Impressionism

Example of symbolism - there is a deeper meaning behind what is literally depicted

"The Great Wave"
Hokusai
Post-Impressionism

Japonism - took after the style of Japanese woodcuts, Japan finally ended it's period of isolation and started gaining relevance in the world of art

Art nouveau - undulating style

"Monk by the Sea"
Freidrich
Romanticism

Themes:
Sublime: Nature as an overwhelming and unstoppable force, against which man and his efforts remain impossibly small.

"The Third of May 1808"
Francisco de Goya
Romanticism

Themes:

Rebellion
Controversial Subject Matter
Current Events: when French troops marched on a Spanish village, one of the villagers threw a rock that killed one of the French soldiers. At which point the troops massacred the village.
Meant to Provoke Emotion

"The Raft of the Medusa"
Gerricault
Romanticism

THE FIRST ROMANTIC PAINTING

Displayed at the Salon to the outrage of Gerricault's peers.

Displayed the horrific events aboard the ship Medusa, during which the crew were abandoned when their ship began to sink, the wealthy escaping onto the available life boats, while those left on board had to construct a raft from the slowly sinking vessle. After which they survived a slow, cannabalistic journey to North Aftica where few of the original party survived. Thus it was inspired by current events and controversial subject matter, meant to provoke strong emotion.

He uses complimentary colors, vestiges of the Neoclassical style (triangles and angular figures), yet distinguishes itself with the use of dynamic figures instead of poised composed images.

Themes:
Sensationalism
Emotion
Rebellion
Art doesn't have to be intellectual, it can explore our dark places.

A school of painters living on the old palace hunting grounds of Versailles, they were essentially wildmen who valued the untouched beauty of nature

Paints the scene as it is, not as an idealized image of a landscape

"Olympia"
Manet
Realism

Raw and Real - she is a prostitute depicted as she is, without any kind of judgement or softening.

Sargent was a society portrait artist

Madame X was a society woman of dubious virtue who had many lovers and husbands in her day, almost too risqué for Madame X and her lover (the strap on her right shoulder was originally dropping off of her shoulder, however, it was painted back on her shoulder b/c it was a little too sexy).

Very first impressionist painting

Impressionism: not about identifying an object or painting something, about perception and sensation, optical realism, the physics of light, and the very latest discoveries of time.

Monet is credited with giving the name “impressionism” to the movement, if you have to pick “the Impressionist painting” it is this painting, blurred rapid brushstrokes, kind of unfinished appearance (art critics hated that), impressionists didn’t care what they represented, b/c photography could perfectly capture the real world, they emphasized the components and experience of the moment.
The beauty of this painting lies in the materials of art: color, brushstroke, than any clear message.

Not about identifying an object or painting something, about perception and sensation, optical realism, the physics of light, and the very latest discoveries of time.

Style emerging in the early 19th Century as a rebellion against the Neoclassical style. Emphasized the need to inspire an emotional response.

Themes: EMOTION, REBELLION, ESCAPE, and MADNESS

France: in a state of upheaval after Napoleon and his successors were exiled and overthrown, they tried to re-enstate the monarchy, rebelled again, finally developed a Commune.

America: the Civil War was going on during this time, and the question of whether slaves were considered people became more relevant. - Society was in upheaval.

England: Just lost the American colonies, and under the reign of Queen Victoria turned its attention to conquering the rest of the world (India, etc.) - Exoticism and Escape

"Death of Sardanopolus"
Delacroix

THE ROMANTIC PAINTING

Inspired by Lord Byron's poem of the same name, in which a Turkish King has his entire harem killed b/c he believes he is going to die and doesn't want anyone else to have them if he can't - contemporary subject matter that was based in antiquity.

Delacroix uses complimentary color theory to set us on edge and provoke an emotional reaction.

Controversial subject matter - violence, exoticism, selfishness.

"Dante and Virgil in Hell"
Delacroix
Romanticism

Uses complimentary colors, contrasting the flesh tones and breaking them down into their components to create subconscious tension.
Vehemently hated by critics.

Subject: Dante's first sojourn into Hell.