25 Permanent Revolution: The nineteenth century Flashcards
What characterises nineteenth century architecture overall?
Proliferation of different styles – Gothic for churches, Baroque for opera houses, etc. –rather than a unified style of the period.
Identify, date, describe
Houses of Parliament, Charles Barry and AWN Pugin, 1835
Old chamber burned down in 1834, Renaissance-style design by Sir Charles Barry was chosen.
However, was felt like achievements of Middle Ages were more significant in enshrining England’s civil liberties. Accordingly AWN Pugin brought in – expert on Gothic architecture –to look after facade and interior.
A gulf emerged in 19th century between official artists who pleased the public by following ____________ and non-conformists who were often appreciated only after ______.
A gulf emerged in 19th century between official artists who pleased the public by following convention and non-conformists who were often appreciated only after death.
Two factors that brought about the decline in public taste in the 19th century?
The emergence of a middle class who lacked tradition of taste
Industrial production of shoddy goods masquerading as art
What was the situation of the artist in early 19th century?
Wide choice of styles to specialise in
No distinct taste of the day to dictate choices
Disdain for popular taste among artists
Artists begin to view art as a means of expressing individuality
Artists begin to see themselves as a race apart
Before 19th century, artists expressed personality ____________, as part of individual variation between practitioners of same __________. In 19th century century, art was supposed to be an expression of ___________.
Before 19th century, artists expressed personality incidentally, as part of individual variation between practitioners of same style. In 19th century, art was supposed to be an expression of personality.
Most of the famous art of 19th century is by ______________. ________ art largely represented today by monuments in town squares, murals in public buildings, etc.
Most of the famous art of 19th century is by non-conformists. Official art is largely represented today by monuments in town squares, murals in public buildings, etc.
History of art before 19th century vs after?
Before: history of most successful and best-paid masters
After: history of lonely men who had courage to think for themselves and shirk convention.
Jean-Auguste Ingres dates?
1780-1867
Ingres was a pupil and follower of?
Jacques-Louis David
Identify, date, describe
Valpinçon bather, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1808
Painted while the artist was studying at the French Academy in Rome
Ingres’ work characterised by smooth perfection.
Echoes figure in The Turkish Bath of 1863.
Eugène Delacroix dates
1798-1863
Delacroix had a ____________ temperament and could not accept the standards of the ____________.
Delacroix had a revolutionary temperament and could not accept the standards of the Academy.
Identify, date, describe
Eugène Delacroix, Arab cavalry practising a charge, 1832
Denial of teachings of David and Ingres –no clarity of outline, no subtly modelled grades of light.
Excitement of the moment and romance of the scene is most important.
Believed colour was more important than draughtsmanship.
Preferred the Venetians and Rubens over Poussin and Raphael –who were the standards at the time.
Akin to Turner in choice of romantic subjects.
Identify, date, describe
Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, 1843, Tivoli, the gardens of the Villa d’Este
Focus less on details than general form and tone –to convey heat and stillness of summer in South.
Palette restricted to silvery grey tones that maintains harmony without compromising visual truth.
Jean-Francois Millet dates?
1814-75
What was the Barbizon school of painting?
Group of artists influenced by Constable (whose landscapes were shown at the Salon de Paris in 1824).
Movement toward Realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time.
Artists associated with the school are Théodore Rousseau, Charles-François Daubigny, Jules Dupré, Constant Troyon, Charles Jacque, Narcisse Virgilio Díaz and Jean-François Millet.
Barbizon painters influenced next generation – impressionists.
Identify, date, describe
The Gleaners, 1857, Jean-Francois Millet
Part of realist revolution in mid-19th century.
Peasants previously seen either as comic yokels (Brueghel) or part of idyllic stage set.
No idyll or dramatic incident here –anti-Romantic and academic.
Yet poses and distribution of figures is all calculated for harmonious effect.
Soft brush –no hard lines.
Gleaners are basically beggars, yet are in foreground of painting and endowed with dignity. Harvesting seems like a solemn task.
When exhibited in 1857, Parisian audiences found confronting image of rural poor –shadows of Revolution of 1848.
Gustav Courbet dates?
1819-1877
Generation of Jean-Francois Millet
What was the hierarchy of genres in visual art according to the French Académie de peinture et de sculpture (1648-1793)?
1 History painting, including historically important, religious, mythological, or allegorical subjects
2 Portrait painting
3 Genre painting or scenes of everyday life
4 Landscape and cityscape art (landscapists were called “common footmen in the Army of Art” by the Dutch theorist Samuel van Hoogstraten)
5 Animal painting
6 Still life
What was the name of Gustav Courbet’s one-man show in Paris in 1855?
Le Réalisme, G. Courbet
Identify, date, describe
The Meeting, Gustave Courbet, 1854
Depicts casual encounter between the artist and his patron, Alfred Bruyas, during Courbet’s visit to Montpellier in France.
Was mocked when exhibited at the Exhibition Universelle. Idea of painter presenting himself as tramp was anathema to those who had tried to elevate painting.
Unconventional in several ways –informal setting, non-idealised figures, loose brushstrokes.
Courbet’s program echoed that of Constable and Caravaggio –wanted not prettiness, but truth.
“I hope to not paint even as much as can be covered by a ______ only to please anyone or to sell more easily.” Gustave Courbet
“I hope to not paint even as much as can be covered by a hand only to please anyone or to sell more easily.” Gustave Courbet
Gustave Courbet’s commitment to his _________ inspired many others to flout ___________ and follow nothing but their own artistic _________.
Gustave Courbet’s commitment to his principles inspired many others to flout convention and follow nothing but their own artistic conscience.
What was the rationale for the foundation of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood?
The academies represented tradition of Raphael and the Grand Manner.
So art had taken a wrong turn with Raphael, in striving for beauty at the expense of truth.
Must return to the Age of Faith, before Raphael, when artists were craftsmen who did their best to copy nature, for the glory of God.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti dates?
1828-82
Identify, date, describe
Ecce Ancilla Domini!, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1849-50
Not desire to copy medieval masters, but to emulate their attitude of simple devotion.
The predominance of white, symbolic of virginity, is complemented by vibrant blue (a colour associated with Mary) and red, for Christ’s blood.
Edouard Manet dates
1832-83
What was the misconception of traditional art, according to the impressionists?
Misconception of representing nature faithfully.
In studio, light is artificial.
Shading is always used to create impression of roundness.
In open air, lit areas are brighter than in studio, and shadows are not uniformly grey or black, because affected by reflections of surrounding objects.
What was the conviction about object colour that was challenged by Manet and followers?
That each object in nature has a definite fixed colour that must be easily recognised in a painting.
Identify, date, describe
The balcony, Édouard Manet, 1869.
Based on Majas on Balcony by Goya.
Seated figure is Berthe Morisot.
Realism: no rounding of forms –figure on right has no nose. But this is how forms look in full light.
Bright green of railing forces figures into background, creating depth. Colours seen as poor taste when exhibited at Salon.
The first salon des refusés of the French academy was in _____
The first salon des refusés of the French academy was in 1863
Identify, date, describe
Races at Longchamp, Édouard Manet, 1865
Lithograph
Gives only bare hint of forms –none of horses has four legs.
Aims to give impression of light, speed and movement.
Representation of form uninfluenced by knowledge.
Monet urged his friends to abandon the _______ and not paint a single stroke except in front of the _____
Monet urged his friends to abandon the studio and not paint a single stroke except in front of the ‘motif’
Identify, date, describe
Monet on his boat, Édouard Manet, 1874
Responds to demand of new art that painting of nature be finished on the spot –in the attempt to capture an ever-changing reality.
No time to apply colours in layers on a brown foundation as old masters had done.
Solution was to use rapid strokes, caring less for details than general effect of the whole.
Date of the first ‘impressionist’ exhibition?
1874
Rationale of the first ‘impressionist’ exhibition?
Younger landscape painters around Monet found it hard to have their unorthodox paintings accepted for the salon.
Where did the name Impressionism come from?
First exhibition in 1874 contained a painting by Monet entitled “Impression: sunrise”.
A critic found the title ridiculous, and labeled entire group as “The Impressionists”.
Influence of Turner on Monet?
He had seen Turner’s work in London, where he stayed during the Franco-Prussian war.
Confirmed his conviction that magic effects of light and air counted for more than the subject of a painting.
But was already producing works more radical than those of Turner.
Identify, date, describe
Gare St-Lazare, Claude Monet, 1877
Monet not interested in railway station as a place, but in the effects of light and colour.
Focus on the clouds of steam and forms of engine.
Painting not casual –balancing tones and colours as carefully as any landscape painter of the past.
New artform depicting new steam age.
Identify, date, describe
Impression: sunrise, Claude Monet, 1872
Name of this work inspired hostile critic to label Monet and colleagues ‘impressionists’.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir dates?
1841-1919
Identify, date, describe
Dance at the Moulin de la Galette, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1876
Like Jan Steen (humorous types) or Watteau (carefree existence).
But main interest is conjuring up medley of bright colours and sunlight on crowd.
Identify, date, describe
Boulevard des Italiens, morning sunlight, Camille Pissarro, 1897
Represents new approach to subject –wherever in the world there was interesting combination of colours and forms, this could be quickly painted.
What was the effect of impressionism on criticism?
Proved the fallibility of critics, and criticism suffered loss of prestige.
Became legend for innovators in art, who could always point to public and critical failure to recognise value in new movement.
How did the rise of the portable camera help the cause of the impressionists?
- Helped discover the charm of the fortuitous view and unexpected angle.
- Pushed to experiment and explore areas that camera could not follow –as no need for artist to perform task that camera could do better and more cheaply.
What did cameras change for portrait artists?
Before its invention, every self-respecting person had at least one portrait painting. After camera, few chose to undergo this lengthy, difficult process.
In the ______ century, Japanese artists abandoned _________ motifs and began to depict scenes from ___ life in colour woodcuts.
In the 18th century, Japanese artists abandoned traditional motifs and began to depict scenes from low life in colour woodcuts.
How did Japanese colour woodcuts find their way to Europe?
They were often used as wrappings and paddings for Japanese objects.
Manet’s circle was first to collect them and recognise their beauty.
What did Manet and his circle take from Japanese prints?
Japanese artists used everyday views as subjects.
Artists would cut off figures and objects with margin of prints –in contrast to European art where whole motif should be in scene.
Identify, date, describe
Rolling up blind for the plum-blossom view, Kitagawa Utamaro, late 1790s
Japanese artists did not fit entirety of object depicted into frame. Instead offered view of small corner of world.
Hokusai dates?
1760-1849
Edgar Degas dates?
1834-1917
Two years younger than Manet, six years older than Monet.
Degas was interested in _______ and ______________ and greatly admired Ingres.
Degas was interested in design and draughtsmanship and greatly admired Ingres.
Identify, date, describe
Henri Degas and his niece Lucie, 1876, Edgar Degas
Identify, date, describe
Waiting for the cue, 1879, Degas
Wanted to bring out impression of space and solid forms seen from unexpected angles.
Studies effects of foreshortening, lighting, etc.
Composition influenced by Japanese –not total scene, only legs showing in bkgd –yet harmonious
Showed that new art was posing problems that only a master of design could solve.
Identify, date, describe
Mount Fuji seen behind a cistern, Katsushika Hokusai, 1835
Demonstrates key features of Japanese woodcut art:
- Depiction of everyday scene
- Unusual angle, but harmonious composition
- Elements cut off by margin to focus on essential
Auguste Rodin dates?
1840-1917
Born same year as Monet
Died same year as Degas
Identify, date, describe
Jules Dalou, Rodin, 1883
Like impressionists, Rodin despised outward appearance of “finish”. Elicited same objections from public as Tintoretto.
Sometimes left part of stone standing as though sculpture is still taking shape –like Michelangelo.
Identify, date, describe
Hand of God, Rodin, 1898
Hand emerges from the earth holding clay from which male and female forms are sculpted.
Rodin modeled thousands of hands over career. Felt he had an “intense passion for the expression of the human hands.”
Reflects Rodin’s interest in partial figure – representation of entire body not necessary to convey meaning.
James Abbott McNeill Whistler dates
1834-1903
Born same year as Degas
Whistler exhibited with _________ in the Salon des Refusés in _____
Whistler exhibited with Manet in the Salon des Refusés in 1863
When was the first Salon des Refusés?
1863
Was Whistler an impressionist?
Not in strict sense. More interested in the composition of delicate patterns than in effects of light and colour.
But shared belief that what mattered in paintings was not the subject but how it is translated into colours and forms.
And carried new attitude of artist as rebel against prejudices and conventions of bourgeois world.
Identify, date, describe
Arrangement in grey and black: portrait of the artist’s mother, Whistler, 1871
Whistler claimed no sentimentality to work.
By calling portrait of mother ‘Arrangement in grey and black’ Whistler flaunted his conviction that to an artist any subject is but an opportunity for studying the balance of colour and design.
Exercise in composition, colour and form – restraint in each dimension give painting a restful quality.
Describe the conflict between Whistler and Ruskin?
Whistler painted series of Nocturnes in Japanese manner, asking 200 guineas each.
Ruskin wrote “I have never expected to hear a coxcomb ask 200 guineas for flinging a pot of paint in the public’s face”
Whistler sued for libel. Was cross-examined as to whether he asked this enormous sum for two days’ work, to which he replied –”No, I ask it for the knowledge of a lifetime”.
Despite trial, both men has much common ground –dissatisfaction with ugliness and squalor of surroundings. Ruskin appealed to moral sense in promoting beauty; Whistler as part of aesthetic movement proposed importance of aesthetic sensibility.
Identify, date, describe
Nocturne in blue and silver, old Battersea bridge, James Whistler, 1875
One of series of Nocturnes, influenced by Japanese art.
Whistler’s paint was so thin he needed to paint with canvas on floor.
When was the first Salon des Refusés and what was the most famous painting in it?
1863
Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’herbe
