The Romantic Era was a movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century that involved a whole new realm of artistry, musical, intellectual and literary accomplishments. This new movement emphasized on strong and intense emotion as a source of philosophical experience in art. Romanticism celebrated individual intuition and imagination where artists found their voices across all styles of art. I will be discussing Impressionism and Post-Impressionism art during the Romantic era by four famous artists; Claude Oscar Monet, Gustave Caillebotte, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin.
Impressionism
Paris Street, Rainy Day is a large oil painting created by the artist, Gustave Gaillebotte in 1877. This piece shows a number of individuals walking through Carrefour de Moscou, now known as Place de Dublin in north Paris. This painting was first to be presented at the Third Impressionist Exhibition of 1877 and is now located at the Art Institute of Chicago.
This shows Gaullebotte’s love for photography as each person further away shows to be “out of focus” while the one’s closest have sharp edges. The light, blue-less sky and people dressed in warm contemporary Parisian fashion indicate that the photo is set in winter. Caillebotte captures a vast, stark modernity including realistic figures walking in the foreground. Each figure is secluded from one another, consumed in their own thoughts while giving off a downcast expression. The texture is smooth while the buildings in the background fade away but show vibrant colors. The contrast between the people and buildings are drastic, showing that all the attention shall be focused on the individuals while presenting detailed architectural development. It establishes an asymmetrical composition with the stale-colored mood presenting a more “radical sensibility”.
Water lilies and the Japanese Bridge which was started in 1897 and finished in 1899, showcase two of Monet’s greatest achievements; his colorful gardens at Giverny and the series of oil paintings on canvas which were inspired by them. The time of 1883, Monet moved to Giverny and by 1893, he purchased some land which included a small brooke that he later transformed into a small Japaneses inspired oasis. This garden included exotic plants and greens which were enhanced by the famous Japanese footbridge that is featured in his painting above. This is one of a dozen paintings which show the beautiful nature of his gardens that were painted under different lighting and weather conditions.
Monet shows his skill of color balance and texture with the plants and trees reflected off the water and the three-dimensional effect of the bridge. Each leaf has a different shade of green which compliments the time of day and weather condition. The vibrant Japanese bridge shows importance displayed in the middle of the painting arching over the small pond that is covered in settle colors of pink, green and purple while contrasted with white and black detailing. The fluidity in his brush strokes create the distinct abstract-like shapes that this painting represents and is present in most Impressionist art.
Post-Impressionism
The Starry Night is an oil painting by one of the most well-known, Dutch post-impressionist painters, Vincent van Gogh. He suffered from mental illness, depression and instability for the majority of his life. In 1889, he painted this from the view of his asylum room at Saint-Remy-de-Provence before sunrise. It is currently located at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
This painting presents a scene of the village with a vivid crescent moon, eleven stars, and Venus. There is an array of blues contrasted with black and swirled with an abstract-like landscape of browns and greens. The mixture of yellows, blues and whites make the detail more apparent in the sky with the stars and the buildings below. The large tree presented in the front of the painting is dark and demented, taking away from the wonders of the painting that is presented. Shapes appear to be non-existent with the imaginative figures intertwined with real-life. This painting consumes viewers with the short and dashed brush strokes creating movement to the sky. It makes you feel calm in a dreamy way.
Vision After the Sermon is an oil painting created by Paul Gauguin in 1888. It is currently located in the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh. Gauguin first created paintings that concentrated on nature and landscapes but then started to create pieces that focused on interpreting religious events.
The use of vibrant colors, line work and shapes are very distinct in this particular painting. You can see the large areas of color composition in the red ground steer away from natural colors and shapes providing an unrealistic aura. The watching figures appear to be disfigured and distorted with exaggerated features. He uses shading frequently to contour and minimal color in the watching figures. The large tree trunk purposely divides the painting in a symbolic tone. The angel and Jacob wrestling is more apparent ensuring viewers are drawn to them.
My Thoughts
The style of Post-Impressionism is more appealing to me than Impressionism in the Romantic Era. Both styles are creative and skillfully use the balance of colors and textures. Post-Impressionism leans more towards abstract art allowing the mind to imagine even more after the artist completed the piece. Out of all of the paintings, I would own Vincent van Gogh’s, A Starry Night. It represents a calm struggle in life with the fight of realistic and imaginative shapes as well as darkness and light.
References
“A Beginner’s Guide to Impressionism.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy,
“Paris Street, Rainy Day (1877).” Paris Street Rainy Day, Gustave Caillebotte: Analysis,
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/paintings-analysis/paris-street-rainy-day.htm.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Post-Impressionism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1 June 2018,
https://www.britannica.com/art/Post-Impressionism.
“The Starry Night.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Oct. 2019,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Starry_Night.
“The Water Lily Pond: Green Harmony (1899) Musee D’Orsay, Paris.” Water Lily Pond (1899), Claude Monet: Analysis, http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/paintings-analysis/water-lily-pond-monet.htm#analysis.
“Vision After the Sermon.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Sept. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vision_After_the_Sermon.
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