Romantic Era: Post- Impressionism vs. Realism

 

Post-Impressionism

Post-Impressionism lasted from 1880-1905 and was heavily influenced by the previous Impressionism outbreak. Two key artists of the Post-Impressionism were Georges Seurat and Vincent van Gough, who also happen to be two of my favorite artists. As a whole, Post-Impressionism “rejected interest in depicting the observed world, [it] instead looked to memories and emotions in order to connect with the viewer on a deeper level” (The Art Story). I believe this is an excellent viewpoint into this time period - artists during this time strived to penetrate the viewers’ emotions. This style also “relied upon the interrelations of color and shape to describe the world around” (The Art Story).  This style of art is my most favorite for the Romantic Era because there is so much depth to each painting that leaves me connected with each piece on a physical and emotional level.

Seurat, Georges. A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884, Oil on Canvas. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 1884. 

    Georges Seurat concentrated on formal, near, scientific design. He was an extremely impactful artist within this style of painting, despite his death at a young age of 31. Seurat extensively studied color and how it is perceived, which led him to develop his technique of Pointillism. In the painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, painted in 1884, we can see his fantastic color work on display. Upon examining this piece, we can see that there are well over thirty people depicted and it appears that everyone is going about their own business. This painting features Seurat’s pointillism which is defined as the “practice of applying small strokes or dots of colour to a surface so that from a distance they visually blend together” (Brittanica). I enjoy the depth found in this painting, as well as the use of colors and shadows to really set the scene. This piece elicits good memories of a leisurely Sunday afternoon: Seurat makes it easy to imagine myself in this scene, enjoying the warm sun, distant conversations, birds tweeting, and dogs barking. Seurat does an amazing job representing the Post-Impressionism style by his use of colors as well as with precise, conscious depictions.

Gogh, Vincent van. Café Terrace at Night, Oil on Canvas. Wikipedia, 1888, Kröller-Müller Museum, Netherlands . 

    Vincent van Gogh was a key artist in the style of Post-Impressionism. Even though van Gogh only sold one of his paintings while alive, he is now one of the most popular artists in the world. In the painting Café Terrace at Night, painted in 1888, van Gogh paints his first nocturnal background. With his use of contrasting color and tones, it creates an almost luminous appearance from the interior lighting. The sky is dark and contrasting to the interior lighting, but it also contains its own source of light from the stars depicted. Van Gogh incorporates an excellent use of colors to depict the emotion found within this scene. The colors are warm and inviting, creating a sense of excitement on a warm summer night enjoying the service at the café. Van Gogh does not use black in this nocturnal painting but instead uses blues, greens, violets, and forms of yellow to recreate a warm and inviting feel. Van Gogh captures the Post-Impressionism style by looking to his memories and emotions when recreating this scene so that there is a deeper connection with the viewer. 

Realism

    Realism is a style that emerged in France during the 1840’s and is “recognized as the first modern movement in art, which rejected traditional forms of art, literature, and social organization as outmoded in the wake of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution” (The Art Story). Realism focused on how life was structured socially, politically, and culturally in the 19th century. Artists in this style were known to depict “ugly” times within life - they depicted reality as it was. Artists used dark, earthy palettes to achieve this image of reality, which ultimately confronted the high arts’ ideal of beauty. Two artists within this style were Jean-François Millet and Gustave Courbet. Realism is my least favorite style found in the Romantic Era: while I enjoy the idea of producing art of raw reality, it is not something that inspires me in any way. The style can feel bland to me at times and does not excite my senses like Post-Impressionism style does.

Courbet, Gustave. The Meeting, Oil on Canvas. Wikipedia, 1854, Musée Fabre, Montpellier. 

    Gustave Courbet rejected the classical and theatrical styles taught in the French Academy. Courbet’s art “insisted on the physical reality of the objects he observed - even if that reality was plain and blemished” (The Art Story). In his piece titled The Meeting, painted in 1854, Courbet paints himself meeting Alfred Bruyas. Bruyas was a key supporter of Courbet during this movement of Realism. Bruyas is the farthest figure on the left side of the painting, and the figure accompanying him is his servant along with Bruyas’ dog standing by, while the figure on the far right is Courbet himself. Courbet uses great expression to grasp the mutual admiration between the men. I enjoy the colors used in this painting to express a warm sunny day, as well as the use of shadows to really highlight the three men in this painting. It is clear that Courbet shows the importance of himself: the way he stances his figure and his head tilted back shows importance. The servant has his arms outstretched expressing greeting and respect. We can also see Courbet’s walking stick is significantly longer than the other two the men are holding, which is another way Courbet shows his strength and importance. Gustave Courbet was a key artist within the Realism style as he painted scenes as he observed, showing rejection of the of the classical and theatrical styles of art taught in the Academy. 

Millet, Jean-François. Man with a Hoe, Oil on Canvas. Getty Center, 1860, Getty Center, Museum West Pavilion, Gallery W203, Los Angeles, CA. 

    Jean-François Millet is best known for his paintings of peasants toiling in rural landscapes. Due to the people being class-conscious at this time, they did not believe in exemplifying the peasant class. Millet turned his back against the “academic style of his early artistic education and co-founded the Barbizon school near Fontainbleau in Normandy, France with fellow artist Théodore Rousseau” (The Art Story). In this painting titled Man with a Hoe, painted from 1860 to 1862, Millet depicts an exhausted field worker leaning over his hoe. He is clearly over-worked in his labors as he stares into the distance with a blank expression. Millet has great atmospheric perspective as he makes the background colors lighter and more diluted, forcing the foreground to really stand out. The figure’s clothes are worn and dirty, his jacket and hat are folded within the middle distance showing the hard work he consistently puts forth. Further in the paining, we can see other laborers burning piles of brush. Critics thought of this figure as frightening and a brutish giant, many saw this painting as a social protest on behalf of peasants. Millet replied to the critics stating, "Is the work these men do the sort of futile labor that some folks would have us believe? To me at any rate it conveys the true dignity, the real poetry of the human race" (The Art Story). Millet contributed to the realism style by rejecting the theatrical style and painting pieces of the peasant class and their contribution to society. He associated himself with the peasant class and was uncomfortable in the upper-class painting rooms, leading him to paint only what he knew as best. 

    Throughout the Romantic Era, Post-Impressionism captured my attention with the use of colors and depiction of scenes through memories and emotions to connect deeper with the viewer. With this logic, it gives you a great glimpse into the that artist’s brain and how they perceive things. I believe it also brings forth the element that we all perceive reality in a different way, through our own cultural and societal lens. Whenever I view works of art from the Post-Impressionism movement, I am taken on a journey within the scene, the art comes to life and draws me to look closely at every detail. Post-Impressionism captures the viewers and allows us to connect with the artist and their work on a deeper level, making this the most enjoyable art in the Romantic Era for me. 

References

The Art Story. “Millet Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, 2022, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/millet-jean-francois/.

The Art Story. “Gustave Courbet Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, 2022, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/courbet-gustave/.

The Art Story. “Post-Impressionism Movement Overview.” The Art Story, 2021, https://www.theartstory.org/movement/post-impressionism/.

Artincontext. “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte - an Analysis.” Artincontext.org, 3 May 2022, https://artincontext.org/a-sunday-afternoon-on-the-island-of-la-grande-jatte/.

“Pointillism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2022, https://www.britannica.com/art/pointillism.

The Art Story. “Vincent Van Gogh Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, 2022, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/van-gogh-vincent/.