American Expats, Foreign Painting, Impressionism Flashcards
James McNeil Whistler
Born in CT, raised overseas, does not consider himself American, most of career spent in England, Influenced many American artists
1856 works in Charles Hayden studio
Etching important to his career - looseness of lines, improvisational, quick
interested in design, aesthetics, composition, color, form
not concerned about subject matter and tension
art for art’s sake - radical
tonalism - narrow range of color, subtle gradations
precursor to American modernism
Whistler’s Etching
extremely important to his career
loose line, improvisational, quick, spontaneous
differs from engraving
cooper medium, soft, limits number of good impressions
James Abbott McNeil Whistler
Title page from “The French Set”
1859
engraving process with wax on copper plate
acid bath
varnish to block out areas
James Abbot McNeil Whistler
The Kitchen
Clancy favorite - remarkable shadow
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
In Full Sun
1858
wide range of tonality
works directly from nature
James Abbott McNeil Whistler
Mother Gerard
1858
woman from bourgeois background fallen on hard times
reduced to selling flowers at popular dance hall
final gives sense of how much he can re-work images
deeper tonal range
James Abbott McNeil Whistler
At the Piano
1858-59
first major oil painting, rejected by Paris Salon, 1860 accepted by London Academy
somber tonality
failure in Paris and positive reception in London encouraged his move
James Abbott McNeil Whistler
1859
“The Thames Set” Old Westminister Bridge
successful series established reputation
shows freedom of etching compared to engraving
James Abbott McNeil Whistler
Wapping
1860
Clancy favorit
model Joanna Heffernan who eventually became his mistress
color, atomospheric, cropped view - importance of Japanese prints
moving towards solidity and firmness
shown in NY in 1866, returned to Paris as part of Exposition 1867
James Abbott McNeil Whistler
Symphony in White No. 1, the White Girl
1862
mistress Joanna model, first of 4 symphonies in White
rejected initially, aesthetic exploration of white on white - about paint not the figure, gradations of white and color
influence of japanese prints, pressed against picture plan
doesnt function like a portrait, unnatural quality to white
James Abbott McNeil Whistler
Purple and Rose: The Lange Leizen of the Six Marks
1864
not about fidelity to culture, not really Asian
1863 onward starts introducing orientalism from his own collection into works
Eastern signs and signals into very Western image
change in structure due to wood block prints, cropping, flat blocks of color
James Abbott McNeil Whistler
Arrangement in Grey and Black, The Artist’s Mother
1871
influence of Japanese prints, patterned cloth framing
lacks a model, uses his mother, not about identity
study of color, tone, patterns, space conceived as artistic arrangements, flat areas of grey, balck, echoing picture frame on wall, voluminous black dress, study of black, portrait stripped to essentials, basic geometry
James Abbott McNeil Whistler
Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket
1875
Nocturne = dreamy, instrumental music
abstract, night scene, pensive, tonal harmony, mood generated by greys, blacks, gold
reduced to splashes of color, aesthetic investigation, mood generated
John Singer Sargent
Oyster Gatherers of Cancale
1878
combined formal painting arrangement with naturalism
abitious, plein air painting, inspired by Barbizon and impressionists
John Singer Sargent
American parents, born in Florence, cosmopolitan, 4 languages, high society
did not visit US until 21
leading portrait painter of high society
thicker brushstrokes, tonal harmony
studio of Carolus Duran, Ecole des Beaux-Arts
inspired by Barbizon, Impressionism
progressive teacher encouraged working directly on canvas
indebted to old masters - Frans Hals, Velazquez
John Singer Sargent
Luxembourg Gardens at Twilight
1879
modernist vein, more tonal, thick swaths of color
promenade, purpose to be seen, fashionable place to spend time
city as spectacle
John Singer Sargent
Venetian Glass Workers
1880-82
very Velazquez, brushy
conveyance of glass capturing light, recession into space
glowing rods of glass - tonal range
John Singer Sargent
Madame X
1884
most popular work, offended French sensibilities, original work had no strap
not a commissioned portrait, bare background, attention to individual
elegant black gown stands out against white skin, no markers of class
Virginie Avegno Gautreau, a celebrated beauty, refined and elegant, ease
John Singer Sargent
Dr. Pozzi
1881
gynecologist, crushed red velvet robe, fancy slippers
somewhat of a celebrity in Europe - becomes Sargent’s specialty
aristocratic portraiture making a come back
casualness to figure
John Singer Sargent
Daughters of Edward Darley Boit
1884
not standard portraiture, little engagement with one another, asymmetrical
portraits in shadow, profile, no direct gaze
vase - expensive items, wealth of patron
moving from innocence to adolescence
John Singer Sargent
Monet Sketching at the Edge of the Woods
1885
easy to date due to Monet working, Monet/Sargent working relationship
visited each other 1889 in effort to save Manet’s Olympia
brushwork begining to loosen up, no clear direct line from tonal to impressionism
John Singer Sargent
Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose
1885-86
one of Sargent’s best paintings
spent summers in Broadway (region in England)
study for the Vickers children
after spending time with Monet, impressionist fever, retains solidty of forms
flickering brushwork, effect of light
John Singer Sargent
Paul Helleu Sketching with his Wife
1889
John Singer Sargent
Mr. and Mrs. I.N. Phelps Stokes
1897
sees her sashaying into studio and decides to paint her as is
vigorous brushwork
husband standing behind in protective manner
sense of the immediate, no stiffness, spontaneity, mid-stride
John Singer Sargent
The Wyndham Sisters: Lady Elcho, Mrs. Adeane, and Mrs. Tennant
1899
very large, class statement, decorative elements
emphasizes wealth, status
flattering subjects with their looks
John Singer Sargent
Boston, Triumph of Religion at Boston Public Library
1890-1915
Boston public library murals, allegorical, religious
25 years to complete, inconsistencies stylistically
John Singer Sargent
Gasses
1919
soldiers exposed to mustard gas WW1
bad reception, differed in style
Mary Cassatt
Torreador, 1873
Velazquez, Spanish bull fighter smoking
Mary Cassatt
Torero and Young Girl, 1873
Mary Cassatt
Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, 1878
sympathetic children
Mary Cassatt
Lydia in a Loge wearing a Pearl Necklace, 1879
looser brushwork, pure color
Mary Cassatt
At the Opera, 1877-78
transition in style, looser, fragmented brushstroke, simple shapes
spectacle of modern life in Paris
woman looking out at opera while others look at her, women in society, actively looking
modern life about seeing and being seen, engaging in social space
life on display
Mary Cassatt
The Child’s Bath, 1891
dry point series, scraping back
influence of Japanese art
Mary Cassatt
The Child’s Bath, 1893
patterning, strong tilt
attention to what women do - caring of children, intimate/private
Elihu Vedder
Questioner of the Sphinx
1863
Egyptian desert, enigmatic, stillness, passage of time
Albert Pinkham Ryder
Moonlight on the Sea, 1880-90
loose, brushy, strange
Albert Pinkham Ryder
Toilers of the Sea, 1884
identified only by poem that Ryder wrote emphasized by Met
lonely boat out at sea, man’s battle with sea
somber palatte, serious, nothing on horizon, isolated
abstraction, little pictorial detail
Albert Pinkham Ryder
Jonah, 1885
biblical, God above with globe, boat below
swirling seas, realistic whale
serious religious painting - odd, not religious
Albert Pinkham Ryder
Moonlit Cove, 1890
market flooded with fake Ryders
used to be part of the big 3 “Homer, Eakins, Ryder”
very abstract
Ralph Albert Blakelock
Indian Encampment, undated
nature, dream-like
retreating from pictorial detail
thick application of paint
takes after Ryder
