The period of Industrial Revolution was exceptional. It was a period when all things seemed possible and nothing appeared beyond the reach of man. With new technological inventions and abundant energy, the world experienced the most accelerated rate of change in human history. The role of man in the universal order was redefined by the often migrating industrial society. Thousands of workers moved into cities to operate the machinery in the factories. Despite the widespread poverty, life for the middle and the lower class became much easier and more promising. Travelling, not only for necessity, but also for pleasure, was possible for the first time. Fluidity and access to information and ideas was enhanced by new methods of communication. This period was filled with a growing sense of optimism. The ranks with the past were broken. A new era of imagination and experimentation emerged.
The world of art was not left behind in all these changes. Many artists began to free themselves from the traditional academic methods of expression. They, instead, turned for inspiration from the world at their doorstep. New pieces of art depicted experiences of daily life such as new streets, working places and leisure activities. Art realism emerged during this period. The paintings portrayed the day to day activities of the common man. The movement was driven by the desire to break away from classicism and romanticism. Noteworthy, most artists came from the middle class and their paintings were preoccupied with outdoor activities. For example, the painting, Young Ladies of the Village, by Gustave Courbet, shows his three sisters on a walk in the Communal. Art impressionism emerged from a group of independent artists who adopted short formless brushstrokes with unblended colors and emphasized on light effect. For example, Impression: Sunrise by Claude Monet.
Realism and Impressionism were inspired by the modern life of the 19th century. They promoted the concern for the ordinary people and preferred to depict the activities of day to day life. Most of the artists were from the middle class who painted their own lifestyles and environment. For examples, paintings of streets, workers, and landscapes. These paintings were, however, not supported by the powerful French art establishment who sponsored exhibitions. These establishments preferred the depiction of history, religion, mythology and romance. The growing number of independent artists made radicle changes in the technique and style of painting. Setting out of outdoor canvases to paint interesting views became common-plane air painting. Light colored surfaces were used create the luminous images seen in the full light of mid-day sun. Short quick brush strokes were used. The artist applied unmixed colors on the canvas-broken color. This allowed the viewers’ eyes to combine the separate colors to create a shimmering effect on surface.
Post Impressionalists and symbolists went against the Impressionisms’ limitation. Their art focused on symbolic, emotional, structural and spiritual elements that were missing in from Impressionism. Artists like Cezanne, emphasized on particular landscape or still life. Gauguin expressed symbolism and expressiveness in his paintings. The paintings had a strong connection with the inspiration of the work, whether from mythology, religion or literature. Another characteristic of the Post-Impressionalism was the emphasis on surface design harmony. Color was applied in dense fields of tiny dots so as to bring out the clear appearance of natural light.
Works Cited
Cars, Laurence Des, Henry Loyrette and Sebastien Allard. Nineteenth century French art: from Romanticism to Impressionism, post-Impressionism and Art Nouveau. Paris: Flammarion, 2007.
