Light in Shadows
July 6, 2009
Impressionism as a whole is a conglomerate of many styles, sentiments, subjects and scenes. Each artist has his or her own perspective and interpretation and there is little that binds them together aside from the fact that they are all, to some degree or another, outside of what was conventionally considered ‘art’ during the 19th century.
The artists themselves were experimenters as can be seen from piece to piece.
Whistler’s pieces Nocturne in Black and Gold (1874, Detroit) and Arrangement in Black and Grey: The Artist’s Mother (1871, Paris), for example, portray two very different styles.
While the curtains on the left are reminiscent of the scene below, Whistler’s techniques are vastly different depending on his subject matter and how he approaches it.
Other styles are not so easy to look at.
Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Grande Jatte(1884/1886) is blinding due to his use of pointilism which I cannot particularly say I like. 
To actually be able to see a scene done in pointilism one must stand very far away, otherwise it looks like a tv pixilation which is impossibly hard on the eyes.
And still more from Van Gogh with Pair of Boots (1887)
Or Mary Cassatt’s Breakfast in Bed (1897)
Any number of other artists might be brought up in order to display the diversity of the Impressionistic period. I cannot say that I dislike the Impressionists because there are pieces that are gorgeous and there are pieces which are difficult to even look at. But this taps into the definition of art and what should appeal versus what is beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. I cannot say that I dislike what I do not understand or cannot see the value of because it is simply beyond me. However, I can say that there are elements of Impressionism that appeal. Monet’s pieces are all noteworthy and obviously worthy of the term ‘art’ while also being aesthetically pleasing. Other’s like Seurat are difficult because the style does not appeal to me personally but it is apparent that Seurat understand light and the complexity of color.
It is not my favorite era of art, certainly, but I cannot ignore it’s value. Nor can I ignore it’s obvious wealth of talent and the breadth of experimentation which opened the doors to many later styles. Some artists appeal more than others and even some pieces appeal over others. I’m not a fan of Cassatt but her piece shown above is gorgeous and the emotion she portrays is beautiful. Whistler’s work is gorgeous no matter what his subject and Van Gogh I like depending on my mood. In the end it’s more a matter of which piece and which style appeals at the moment.
I am surprised that if you didn’t like Impressionism that you also didn’t care for James Abbott McNeill Whistler! I am with you on pointilism- sure it is kind of neat that they spent hours doing it, but especially with tiny dots, it gives you a headache to see it! I’m also not really feeling the “We are French and we love sitting in the grass with umbrellas!” vibe that many of the earlier paintings express, but Whilster’s work is so moody and genuine by contrast, I lovelovelove it! His series of Nocturnes as so simple and exquisite at the same time- maybe you just need to stare at one of them for a few years? :)
Oh, no. I absolutely adore Whistler’s work. His Nocturnes are stunning but as a whole I dislike Impressionism as a ‘style’ partially because it lends itself to a degree of abstractness which can detract. Cezanne, Renoir, and even some of Monet’s works exemplify what I dislike about impressionism. Harsh colors, strange angulations, or clusters of people compacted together. I think they’re just too busy with too many ideas.
Ack! Nobody likes pointillism? I can definitely see where you’re coming from, in that it could be likened to TV pixilation. But I think the specks of color add to the painting in a way brushstrokes, long and short, can’t. It gives us a glimpse of a scene without the movement that brushstrokes often make. I’ve always liked those pictures that were quite popular a few years back that were made up of thousands of smaller photos. Kind of like photo-pointillism. Anyhow, you chose a great selection of paintings (I LOVE Nocturne in Black and Gold by Whistler)! I really enjoyed the examples of impressionism, post-impressionism and each artist’s experimentation with the various forms of the two-styles. Great work!
I completely agree with you! There are some works during this era I really, really like and then again, some I don’t even like to look at. I think it is weird how lots of these works were even in the same topic of Impressionism because of their differences. Like when you mentioned Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Grande Jatte and also Mary Cassatt’s Breakfast in Bed I look at both of them and think they shouldn’t even be in the same category. Look at how Seurat’s Garden piece is all pixilated and not detailed that well and Cassatt’s piece is gorgeous showing the love of a mother and child. I like that you mentioned some pieces appeal to you and some you only like depending on your mood. It is not my favorite era either but then again some pieces are absolutely amazing. I’m wondering if you like Post-Impressionism better or what your favorite era actually is?
ALASKANGIRAFFE– I like pointillism because it is one of few works that probably takes FOREVER to do and actually make look like a scene or person or whatever they were painting.
I appreciate how open minded you are to the art world and I think most people need to be when viewing Impressionism. I like exactly the opposite of you in that I find that my favorite pieces of Impressionism are those of the highly pointillist kind. I find that the force the viewer to really “understand” the piece and in the same since the cause the audience to add a bit of their own interpretation to the art. I find that the pointillism in the art makes the viewer think more than just presenting them with the facts of “this is a person, standing in a field..with a cow” which is obviously presented in Realism.
I like your writing here. It obvious that you don’t favor Impressionism more than Post-Impressionism, and that you are open minded by all art, and because of that, you can see further into a picture and enjoy it. In my blog, I preferred Post-Impressionism a little more than Impressionism, but after reading your work here, I do agree with you that it’s all art work and that the artist’s art work varies depending on on how they feel when they start another project. I found this section somewhat confusing, because a lot of this art is similar in nature. Overall, most of this art, no matter what side your on is beatiful. I wish I could do art like all this. Must be very relaxing!
I have to agree with djmartolano – this section is a bit confusing. All of the styles sort of meld together yet they are completely separate. I really enjoyed your selection of paintings – especially the Whistler. I was beginning to think there was not a single impressionist painting with the color black in it! It is also neat to see the same artist use a different style. I too feel that the appeal of a painting is really up to the viewer and can vary day to day. Nicely done!