Realism Flashcards
What is realism?
one of the most misunderstood terms; art that is drawn from contemporary time period of the artist without idealism, of their own time (do not escape to other time periods)
what is the history of realism?
- 1648: Louis XIV; under adviser Colbert, set up Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture;
- purpose:glorify the reign of absolute divine monarch; art and architecture in service of government
- French revolution put a pause on art
- reestablishment of Academy of Painting and Sculpture; again in service of government;
- would judge art–on back of canvas, stamp “accepted” or big red “R” for rejected
- When accepted, art would be hung from floor to ceiling in salon;
- pecking order in terms of where it was hung
- 1855-Gustav Colbert purchased pavilion and made his own exhibition of art, called Pavilion of Reason;
- independent of government and portraying art indep. of government approval
- One year, 400 artworks were rejected from Academy of Painting and sculpture, so Napoleon III got another pavilion to display those — SALON DE REFUSES;
- Edouard Manet’s art was prominently displayed here
Who is Edouard Manet
- Didn’t think of himself as a revolutionary
- father was judge, mother was daughter of diplomat; prominent family; family wanted him to be a lawyer
- flunked out of the navy and father relented, so he became an artist
What is this painting?
Edouard Manet’s Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe (Luncheon on the Grass) (1863)
Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass analysis
- This paiting can be compared to earlier 1500s renaissance works of nude women (The Pastoral Concert)
- Manet was showing off his abilities, technique
- Nude vs. naked
- nude=not awared that they are without clothes
- naked=aware of her nudity
- Problem with painting
- woman stares at us and confronts us with her gaze
- the models were recognizable: woman was a famous model of Manet, man nearest her was Manet’s brother, Eugene; setting was recognizable
- languishing nude female is not the problem;
- the eye contact, the gaze of the nude female confornts us; not just victim of male gaze
- Manet was influenced by photography:
- flash will whiten out and flatten figure
- make painting all of one piece
- artists would always try to make canvas 3D
- Manet would flatten out his paintings; no illusion of depth and space; flattened pictorial space
- influenced by Japanese Art
- not a classical context; breaking a lot of rules
- men don’t look at her, don’t look at us
- assumption of sexuality; sensuality (still life in corner on top of clothing she just took off
- Bright flesh of woman; flattened, surrounded by dark tones
- darkness of hair meshes with dark background
- collapsing of scale and space (with the woman in the background)
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What is this painting?
James A. McNeill Whistler, Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket (c. 1874)
Whistler’s Nocturne analysis
aftermath of falling embers
John Ruskin criticized his art, Whistler sued him for slander
Art for Art’s Sake: primary purpose of art before was to be photographically real, but Whistler challenged his American society to evaluate his art not on the basis of subject matter and how close it is to reality, but evaluate it based on expresssion, how he used the basic principles of design and composition; not mimic nature, but portray the subject matter
Who is Winslow Homer?
loner, bachelor, stayed mostly to himself
didn’t get into major exhibitions
Darwin’s idea of survival of the fittest (never read the book but would have been aware of these ideas of Darwin)
Homer’s work advocates survival of the fittest; man in constatn survival struggle
hunstmen didn’t use ammunition to hunt: would use dogs to drive the deer to the water; deer swims by the hunter in the boat, hunter drowns deer’s head
What is this painting?
Winslow Homer After the Hunt (1892)
Homer’s After the Hunt Analysis
continuation of the barbaric ways of hunting
Darwinian struggle, man vs. nature; man becomes amoral, lower animal in his struggle for survival
background is darker than foreground
traditionally watercolor was “wet on wet,” or used hardly any water (imitated oil painting with water paints (opaque))
Homer used both techniques
let the white of paper, untouched by paint be the white of the reflection
runback: area of watercolor that’s dry; put a bunch of water near it and water goes into dry paint–accidental and no control of this
Homer used dry brush, wet on wet, and accidental affects like runback
exploited shorthand strokes of paint
What is this painting?
Thomas Eakins Nude Seated Woman Wearing a Mask (1875)
Eakins’ Nude Seated Woman Analysis
Eakins was an instructor in art school dealing with life drawing
nude male or female for life drawing had to be masked
taught females drawing male nudes (had to have covering for pubic hair) –Eakins came in and rippped loin cloth off from male model
was mathematician, scientist; understand the body from inside out, then draw it
Pennsylvania Academy of Arts: human figure in stop action photography; achieve greater degree of accuracy for artists
