Main directions of modernism. Artistic principles of impressionism Impressionism which century

The word "Impressionism" is derived from the French "impression" - impression. This is a painting movement that originated in France in the 1860s. and largely determined the development of art in the 19th century. Central figures This movement included Cezanne, Degas, Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir and Sisley, and the contribution of each of them to its development is unique. The impressionists opposed the conventions of classicism, romanticism and academicism, affirmed the beauty of everyday reality, simple, democratic motives, achieved living authenticity of the image, tried to capture the “impression” of what the eye sees at a particular moment, without focusing on drawing specific details.

In the spring of 1874, a group of young painters, including Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Degas, Cezanne and Berthe Morisot, neglected the official Salon and staged their own exhibition. Such an act in itself was revolutionary and broke with centuries-old foundations, but the paintings of these artists at first glance seemed even more hostile to tradition. The reaction to this innovation from visitors and critics was far from friendly. They accused artists of painting simply to attract the attention of the public, and not like recognized masters. The most indulgent viewed their work as a mockery, as an attempt to make fun of honest people. It took years of fierce struggle before these later recognized classics of painting were able to convince the public not only of their sincerity, but also of their talent.

Trying to express their direct impressions of things as accurately as possible, the Impressionists created a new method of painting. Its essence was to convey the external impression of light, shadow, reflexes on the surface of objects with separate strokes of pure paint, which visually dissolved the form in the surrounding light-air environment. In their favorite genres (landscape, portrait, multi-figure composition), they sought to convey their fleeting impressions of the world around them (scenes on the street, in a cafe, sketches of Sunday walks, etc.). The Impressionists depicted a life full of natural poetry, where man is in unity with environment, ever-changing, amazing with the wealth and sparkle of the pure, bright colors.

After the first exhibition in Paris, these artists began to be called impressionists, from the French word “impression” - “impression”. This word was suitable for their works, because in them the artists conveyed their direct impression of what they saw. Artists took a new approach to depicting the world. The main topic for them it became a tremulous light, an air in which people and objects seemed to be immersed. In their paintings one could feel the wind, wet earth heated by the sun. They sought to show the amazing richness of color in nature. Impressionism was the last major art movement in France XIX century.

It cannot be said that the path of the impressionist artists was easy. At first they were not recognized, their painting was too bold and unusual, they were laughed at. Nobody wanted to buy their paintings. But they stubbornly went their own way. Neither poverty nor hunger could force them to abandon their beliefs. Many years passed, many of the Impressionist artists were no longer alive when their art was finally recognized.

All of these are very different artists united by a common struggle against conservatism and academicism in art. The Impressionists held eight exhibitions, the last in 1886. This actually ends the history of impressionism as a movement in painting, after which each of the artists went their own way.

One of the paintings presented at the first exhibition of “independents,” as the artists themselves preferred to call themselves, belonged to Claude Monet and was called “Impression. Sunrise". In a newspaper review of the exhibition that appeared the next day, critic L. Leroy in every possible way mocked the lack of “made form” in the paintings, ironically inclining in every possible way the word “impression” (impression), as if replacing it in the works of young artists true art. Contrary to expectations, the new word, uttered in mockery, caught on and served as the name of the entire movement, since it perfectly expressed the common thing that united all participants in the exhibition - the subjective experience of color, light, space. Trying to express their direct impressions of things as accurately as possible, artists freed themselves from traditional rules and created a new method of painting.

The Impressionists put forward their own principles of perception and display of the surrounding world. They erased the line between the main subjects worthy high art, and secondary objects, established a straight line between them and feedback. The impressionistic method thus became the maximum expression of the very principle of picturesqueness. The pictorial approach to the image precisely involves identifying the connections of the object with the world around it. The new method forced the viewer to decipher not so much the twists and turns of the plot, but rather the secrets of the painting itself.

The essence of the impressionistic vision of nature and its depiction lies in the weakening of the active, analytical perception of three-dimensional space and its reduction to the original two-dimensionality of the canvas, determined by a flat visual attitude, in the words of A. Hildebrand, “distant looking at nature,” which leads to the distraction of the depicted object from its material qualities, merging with the environment, almost completely transforming it into “appearance”, an appearance that dissolves in light and air. It is no coincidence that P. Cezanne later called the leader French impressionists Claude Monet "only with the eye." This “detachment” of visual perception also led to the suppression of “memory color,” i.e., the connection of color with habitual object concepts and associations, according to which the sky is always blue and the grass is green. The impressionists could, depending on their vision, paint the sky green and the grass blue. “Objective plausibility” was sacrificed to the laws of visual perception. For example, J. Seurat enthusiastically told everyone how he discovered that the orange coastal sand in the shade is bright blue. Thus, the painting method was based on the principle of contrasting perception of complementary colors.

For an impressionist artist, for the most part, it is not what he depicts that is important, but “how” is important. The object becomes only a pretext for solving purely pictorial, “visual” problems. Therefore, impressionism initially had another, later forgotten name - “chromanticism” (from the Greek Chroma - color). The Impressionists updated their color scheme; they abandoned dark, earthy colors and applied pure, spectral colors to the canvas, almost without mixing them first on the palette. The naturalism of impressionism consisted in the fact that the most uninteresting, ordinary, prosaic turned into the beautiful, as soon as the artist saw the subtle nuances of gray and blue.

The creative method of impressionism is characterized by brevity and sketchiness. After all, only a short sketch made it possible to accurately record individual states of nature. The Impressionists were the first to break with the traditional principles of spatial construction of a painting, dating back to the Renaissance and Baroque. They used asymmetrical compositions to better highlight those they were interested in characters and objects. But the paradox was that, having abandoned the naturalism of academic art, destroying its canons and declaring the aesthetic value of recording everything fleeting, random, the impressionists remained captive of naturalistic thinking and, moreover, in many ways this was a step back. One may recall the words of O. Spengler that “Rembrandt’s landscape lies somewhere in the endless spaces of the world, while Claude Monet’s landscape lies near the railway station”

Impressionism is a movement in painting that originated in France in XIX-XX centuries, which is an artistic attempt to capture some moment of life in all its variability and mobility. Impressionist paintings are like a well-washed photograph, reviving in fantasy the continuation of the story seen. In this article we will look at the 10 most famous impressionists peace. Fortunately, talented artists much more than ten, twenty or even a hundred, so let's focus on those names that you definitely need to know.

In order not to offend either the artists or their admirers, the list is given in Russian alphabetical order.

1. Alfred Sisley

This French painter English origin considered the most famous landscape painter second half of the 19th century. His collection contains more than 900 paintings, of which the most famous are “Rural Alley”, “Frost in Louveciennes”, “Bridge in Argenteuil”, “Early Snow in Louveciennes”, “Lawns in Spring”, and many others.

2. Van Gogh

Known throughout the world for the sad story about his ear (by the way, he did not cut off his entire ear, but only the lobe), Van Gon became popular only after his death. And during his life he was able to sell one single painting, 4 months before his death. They say he was both an entrepreneur and a priest, but he often found himself in psychiatric hospitals due to depression, so all the rebelliousness of his existence resulted in legendary works.

3. Camille Pissarro

Pissarro was born on the island of St. Thomas, into a family of bourgeois Jews, and was one of the few impressionists whose parents encouraged his passion and soon sent him to Paris to study. Most of all, the artist liked nature, he depicted it in all colors, and to be more precise, Pissarro had a special talent for choosing the softness of colors, compatibility, after which air seemed to appear in the paintings.

4. Claude Monet

Since childhood, the boy decided that he would become an artist, despite family prohibitions. Having moved to Paris on his own, Claude Monet plunged into the gray everyday life of a hard life: two years of service in the armed forces in Algeria, litigation with creditors due to poverty and illness. However, one gets the feeling that the difficulties did not oppress, but, on the contrary, inspired the artist to create such bright pictures, like “Impression, Sunrise”, “Houses of Parliament in London”, “Bridge to Europe”, “Autumn in Argenteuil”, “On the Shores of Trouville”, and many others.

5. Konstantin Korovin

It's nice to know that among the French, the parents of impressionism, we can proudly place our compatriot, Konstantin Korovin. A passionate love for nature helped him intuitively give unimaginable liveliness to a static picture, thanks to the connection suitable colors, width of strokes, choice of theme. It is impossible to pass by his paintings “Pier in Gurzuf”, “Fish, Wine and Fruit”, “Autumn Landscape”, “ Moonlight night. Winter" and a series of his works dedicated to Paris.

6. Paul Gauguin

Until the age of 26, Paul Gauguin did not even think about painting. He was an entrepreneur and had big family. However, when I first saw the paintings of Camille Pissarro, I decided that I would definitely start painting. Over time, the artist’s style changed, but the most famous impressionistic paintings are “Garden in the Snow”, “At the Cliff”, “On the Beach in Dieppe”, “Nude”, “Palm Trees in Martinique” and others.

7. Paul Cezanne

Cezanne, unlike most of his colleagues, became famous during his lifetime. He managed to organize his own exhibition and earn considerable income from it. People knew a lot about his paintings - he, like no one else, learned to combine the play of light and shadow, placed a strong emphasis on regular and irregular geometric shapes, the severity of the theme of his paintings was in harmony with romance.

8. Pierre Auguste Renoir

Until the age of 20, Renoir worked as a fan decorator for his older brother, and only then moved to Paris, where he met Monet, Basil and Sisley. This acquaintance helped him in the future to take the path of impressionism and become famous on it. Renoir is known as the author of sentimental portraits, among his most outstanding works are “On the Terrace”, “A Walk”, “Portrait of the Actress Jeanne Samary”, “The Lodge”, “Alfred Sisley and His Wife”, “On the Swing”, “The Paddling Pool” and a lot others.

9. Edgar Degas

If you haven't heard of Blue Dancers, Ballet Rehearsal, Ballet school" and "Absinthe" - hurry up to learn about the work of Edgar Degas. The selection of original colors, unique themes for paintings, a sense of movement of the picture - all this and much more made Degas one of the most famous artists peace.

10. Edouard Manet

Don't confuse Manet with Monet - they are two different people who worked at the same time and in the same artistic direction. Manet was always attracted to scenes of everyday life, unusual appearances and types, as if accidentally “caught” moments, subsequently captured for centuries. Among Manet’s famous paintings: “Olympia”, “Luncheon on the Grass”, “Bar at the Folies Bergere”, “The Flutist”, “Nana” and others.

If you have even the slightest opportunity to see the paintings of these masters live, you will forever fall in love with impressionism!

Alexandra Skripkina,

Impressionism Impressionism

(French impressionnisme, from impression - impression), direction in the art of the latter thirds of the XIX- beginning of the 20th century It developed in French painting in the late 1860s - early 70s. The name “impressionism” arose after the exhibition of 1874, at which the painting by C. Monet “Impression. Soleil levant” (1872, now in the Marmottan Museum, Paris) was exhibited. At the time of the maturity of impressionism (70s - first half of the 80s), it was represented by a group of artists (Monet, O. Renoir, E. Degas, C. Pissarro, A. Sisley, B. Morisot, etc.), who united for struggle for the renewal of art and overcoming official salon academism and organized 8 exhibitions for this purpose in 1874-86. One of the creators of impressionism was E. Manet, who was not part of this group, but back in the 60s and early 70s. who presented genre works in which he rethought the compositional and painting techniques of the masters of the 16th-18th centuries. in relation to modern life, as well as scenes Civil War 1861-65 in the USA, the execution of the Parisian communards, giving them an acute political focus.

Impressionism continues what it started realistic art 40-60s liberation from the conventions of classicism, romanticism and academicism, affirms the beauty of everyday reality, simple, democratic motives, and achieves living authenticity of the image. It makes the authentic, modern life in its naturalness, in all the richness and sparkle of its colors, capturing the visible world in its inherent constant variability, recreating the unity of man and his environment. In many paintings by the Impressionists (especially in landscapes and still lifes, a number of multi-figure compositions), the passing moment of the continuous flow of life, as if accidentally caught by the eye, is emphasized, the impartiality, strength and freshness of the first impression are preserved, allowing one to capture the unique and characteristic in what is seen. The works of the Impressionists are distinguished by their cheerfulness and enthusiasm for the sensual beauty of the world, but in a number of works by Manet and Degas there are bitter, sarcastic notes.

The Impressionists were the first to create a multifaceted picture of the everyday life of a modern city, capturing the originality of its landscape and the appearance of the people inhabiting it, their life, work and entertainment. In landscape, they (especially Sisley and Pissarro) developed the plein air quests of J. Constable, the Barbizon school, C. Corot and others, and developed a complete plein air system. In impressionist landscapes, a simple, everyday motif is often transformed by pervasive moving sunlight, bringing a sense of festivity to the picture. Working on the painting directly on outdoors made it possible to reproduce nature in all its quivering real liveliness, to subtly analyze and capture its transitional states, to capture the slightest changes in color that appear under the influence of a vibrating and fluid light-air environment (organically uniting man and nature), which in Impressionism becomes an independent object of image (mainly in the works of Monet). To preserve the freshness and variety of natural colors in their paintings, the Impressionists (with the exception of Degas) created a painting system that is distinguished by the decomposition of complex tones into pure colors and the interpenetration of clear separate strokes of pure color, as if mixing in the viewer’s eye, light and bright color scheme, a wealth of values ​​and reflexes, colored shadows. Volumetric forms as if they dissolve in the light-air shell enveloping them, dematerialize, acquire unsteady outlines: the play of various brushstrokes, impasto and liquid, gives the paint layer tremulousness and relief; thereby creating a peculiar impression of incompleteness, the formation of an image before the eyes of a person contemplating the canvas. In this way, a rapprochement between the sketch and the painting occurs, and often a merging of several. stages of work into one continuous process. The picture becomes a separate frame, a fragment of the moving world. This explains, on the one hand, the equivalence of all parts of the picture, simultaneously born under the artist’s brush and equally participating in the figurative construction of the works, on the other hand, the apparent randomness and imbalance, asymmetry of the composition, bold cuts of figures, unexpected points of view and complex angles that activate the spatial construction.

In certain techniques of constructing composition and space in impressionism, the influence of Japanese engraving and partly photography is noticeable.

The impressionists also turned to portraits and the everyday genre (Renoir, B. Morisot, partly Degas). The domestic genre and nudes in impressionism were often intertwined with landscapes (especially in Renoir); human figures illuminated by natural light were usually depicted near an open window, in a gazebo, etc. Impressionism is characterized by a mixture of the everyday genre with portraiture, and a tendency to blur clear boundaries between genres. Since the beginning of the 80s. some masters of impressionism in France sought to modify its creative principles. Late impressionism (mid-80s - 90s) developed during the formation of the Art Nouveau style, various directions post-impressionism. Late impressionism is characterized by the emergence of a sense of the intrinsic value of the artist’s subjective artistic style and the growth of decorative tendencies. The play of shades and additional tones in a work of impressionism becomes more and more sophisticated, and a tendency toward greater color saturation of the canvases or tonal unity appears; landscapes are combined into series.

The painting style of impressionism had a great influence on French painting. Certain features of impressionism were adopted by salon-academic painting. For a number of artists, studying the method of impressionism became initial stage on the way to forming his own artistic system (P. Cezanne, P. Gauguin, W. van Gogh, J. Seurat).

A creative turn to impressionism and the study of its principles was an important step in the development of many national European art schools. Influenced French impressionism the work of M. Lieberman, L. Corinth in Germany, K. A. Korovin, V. A. Serov, I. E. Grabar and the early M. F. Larionov in Russia, M. Prendergast and M. Cassatt in the USA, L. Wychulkovsky in Poland, Slovenian impressionists, etc. At the same time, only certain aspects of impressionism were picked up and developed outside of France: appeal to modern themes, the effects of plein air painting, lightening of the palette, sketchy painting manner, etc. The term “impressionism” is used also to the sculpture of the 1880-1910s, which has some features similar to impressionist painting - the desire to convey instant movement, fluidity and softness of forms, deliberate plastic incompleteness. Impressionism in sculpture was most clearly manifested in the works of M. Rosso in Italy, O. Rodin and Degas in France, P. P. Trubetskoy and A. S. Golubkina in Russia, etc. Certain techniques of impressionism were preserved in many realistic movements of art of the 20th century. Impressionism in fine arts influenced the development expressive means in literature, music and theater.

C. Pissarro. "Mail coach at Louveciennes." Around 1870. Museum of Impressionism. Paris.

(Source: “Popular Art Encyclopedia.” Edited by V.M. Polevoy; M.: Publishing House “Soviet Encyclopedia”, 1986.)

(French impressionnisme, from impression - impression), direction in the art of con. 1860 – early 1880s Most clearly manifested in painting. Leading representatives: K. Monet, ABOUT. Renoir, TO. Pissarro, A. Guillaumin, B. Morisot, M. Cassatt, A. Sisley, G. Caillebotte and J. F. Basile. E. exhibited his paintings with them. Manet and E. Degas, although the style of their works cannot be called completely impressionistic. The name “Impressionists” was assigned to a group of young artists after their first joint exhibition in Paris (1874; Monet, Renoir, Pizarro, Degas, Sisley, etc.), which caused furious indignation among the public and critics. One of the presented paintings by C. Monet (1872) was called “Impression. Sunrise” (“L’impression. Soleil levant”), and the reviewer mockingly called the artists “impressionists” - “impressionists.” The painters performed under this name at the third joint exhibition (1877). At the same time, they began to publish the Impressionist magazine, each issue of which was dedicated to the work of one of the group members.

The impressionists sought to capture the world in its constant variability, fluidity, to impartially express your immediate impressions. Impressionism was based on the latest discoveries in optics and color theory (the spectral decomposition of a solar ray into seven colors of the rainbow); in this he is in tune with the spirit scientific analysis, characteristic of con. 19th century However, the impressionists themselves did not try to determine theoretical basis of his art, insisting on the spontaneity and intuitiveness of the artist’s creativity. Artistic principles the impressionists were not united. Monet painted landscapes only in direct contact with nature, in the open air (on plein air) and even built a workshop in a boat. Degas worked in the workshop from memories or using photographs. Unlike representatives of later radical movements, artists did not go beyond the Renaissance illusory-spatial system based on the use of direct prospects. They firmly adhered to the method of working from life, which they had elevated to main principle creativity. Artists sought to “paint what you see” and “the way you see.” The consistent application of this method entailed the transformation of all the foundations of the existing painting system: color, composition, spatial construction. Pure paints were applied to the canvas in small separate strokes: multi-colored “dots” lay side by side, mixing into a colorful spectacle not on the palette or on the canvas, but in the viewer’s eye. The Impressionists achieved an unprecedented sonority of color and an unprecedented richness of shades. The brushstroke became an independent means of expression, filling the surface of the painting with a living, shimmering vibration of color particles. The canvas was likened to a mosaic shimmering with precious colors. In previous paintings, black, gray, brown shades; In the paintings of the Impressionists, the colors shone brightly. The Impressionists did not use chiaroscuro to convey volumes, they abandoned dark shadows; the shadows in their paintings also became colored. Artists widely used additional tones (red and green, yellow and violet), the contrast of which increased the intensity of the color sound. In Monet's paintings, colors lightened and dissolved in the radiance of rays of sunlight, local colors acquired many shades.

The impressionists depicted the world around us in perpetual motion, transition from one state to another. They began to paint a series of paintings, wanting to show how the same motif changes depending on the time of day, lighting, weather conditions, etc. (cycles “Boulevard Montmartre” by C. Pissarro, 1897; “ Rouen Cathedral", 1893-95, and "Parliament of London", 1903-04, C. Monet). Artists found ways to reflect in their paintings the movement of clouds (A. Sisley. “Loing in Saint-Mamme”, 1882), the play of glare of sunlight (O. Renoir. “Swing”, 1876), gusts of wind (C. Monet. “Terrace in Sainte-Adresse", 1866), streams of rain (G. Caillebotte. "Hier. The effect of rain", 1875), falling snow (C. Pissarro. " Opera passage. The effect of snow", 1898), the rapid running of horses (E. Manet. "Racing at Longchamp", 1865).

The Impressionists developed new principles of composition. Previously, the space of a painting was likened to a stage; now the captured scenes resembled a snapshot, a photographic frame. Invented in the 19th century. photography had a significant influence on the composition of impressionistic paintings, especially in the work of E. Degas, who himself was a passionate photographer and, in his own words, sought to take the ballerinas he depicted by surprise, to see them “as if through a keyhole,” when their poses, body lines natural, expressive and authentic. Creating paintings in the open air, the desire to capture rapidly changing lighting forced artists to speed up their work, painting “alla prima” (in one go), without preliminary sketches. Fragmentation, “randomness” of the composition and dynamic painting style created a feeling of special freshness in the paintings of the Impressionists.

The favorite impressionistic genre was landscape; the portrait also represented a kind of “landscape of a face” (O. Renoir. “Portrait of the Actress J. Samary”, 1877). In addition, artists significantly expanded the range of painting subjects, turning to topics previously considered unworthy of attention: folk festivals, horse races, picnics of artistic bohemia, the backstage life of theaters, etc. However, their paintings do not have a developed plot or detailed narration; human life is dissolved in nature or in the atmosphere of the city. The impressionists painted not events, but moods, shades of feelings. The artists fundamentally rejected historical and literary themes, avoided portraying dramatic, dark sides life (war, disaster, etc.). They sought to free art from the fulfillment of social, political and moral tasks, from the obligation to evaluate the depicted phenomena. Artists sang the beauty of the world, being able to turn the most everyday motif (room renovation, gray London fog, smoke of steam locomotives, etc.) into an enchanting spectacle (G. Caillebotte. “Parquet Boys”, 1875; C. Monet. “Gare Saint-Lazare” , 1877).

In 1886, the last exhibition of the Impressionists took place (O. Renoir and C. Monet did not participate in it). By this time, significant disagreements had emerged between group members. The possibilities of the impressionist method were exhausted, and each of the artists began to look for their own path in art.
Impressionism as a whole creative method was a phenomenon predominantly French art, however, the work of the Impressionists influenced all European painting. The desire for renewal artistic language, brightening the colorful palette, exposing painting techniques have now firmly entered the arsenal of artists. In other countries, J. Whistler (England and the USA), M. Lieberman, L. Corinth (Germany), and H. Sorolla (Spain) were close to impressionism. Many Russian artists experienced the influence of impressionism (V.A. Serov, K.A. Korovin, I.E. Grabar and etc.).
In addition to painting, impressionism was embodied in the work of some sculptors (E. Degas and O. Rodin in France, M. Rosso in Italy, P.P. Trubetskoy in Russia) in the living free modeling of fluid soft forms, which creates challenging game light on the surface of the material and the feeling of incompleteness of the work; the poses capture the moment of movement and development. In music, the works of C. Debussy ("Sails", "Mists", "Reflections in Water", etc.) are close to impressionism.

(Source: “Art. Modern illustrated encyclopedia.” Edited by Prof. Gorkin A.P.; M.: Rosman; 2007.)

See what “Impressionism” is in other dictionaries:

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impressionism- a, m. impressionisme m. The doctrine of impressionist painters. Bulgakov Hood. enz. A movement in art that aims to convey direct, subjective impressions of reality. Ush. 1934. Why, for example, the great... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

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- (from the French impression impression), a direction in art of the last third of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It developed in French painting in the 1860s and early 70s. (E. Manet, C. Monet, E. Degas, O. Renoir, C. Pissarro, A. Sisley). Impressionism claimed... ... Modern encyclopedia

- (from French impression impression) direction in art of the last third of the 19th century. 20th centuries, whose representatives sought to capture in the most natural and unbiased way real world in its mobility and variability, to convey its fleeting... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

The direction of I. developed in France in the last. third of the 19th century – beginning 20th century and went through 3 stages:

1860-70s – early I.

1874-80s – mature I.

90s of the 19th century. - late I.

The name of the direction comes from the name of the painting by C. Monet “Impression. The Rising Sun", written in 1872.

Origins: the work of the “small” Dutch (Vermeer), E. Delacroix, G. Courbet, F. Millet, C. Corot, artists of the Barbizon school - they all tried to capture the subtlest moods of nature and atmosphere, performing small sketches in nature.

Japanese print, an exhibition of which was held in Paris in 1867, where for the first time entire series of images of the same object were shown in different time year, day, etc. (“100 views of Mount Fuji”, Tokaido station, etc.)

Aesthetic principles AND.:

Refusal of the conventions of classicism; rejection of historical, biblical, mythological subjects required for classicism;

Work in the open air (except for E. Degas);

Transferring an instant impression, which includes observation and study of the surrounding reality in various manifestations;

Impressionist artists expressed in paintings not just what they see(as in realism) but also how they see(subjective principle);

The Impressionists, as artists of the city, tried to capture it in all its diversity, dynamics, speed, diversity of clothes, advertising, movement (C. Monet “Boulevard des Capucines in Paris”;

Impressionist painting is characterized by democratic motifs, which affirmed the beauty of everyday life; stories are modern city, with its entertainment: cafes, theaters, restaurants, circuses (E. Manet, O. Renoir, E. Degas). It is important to note the poetry of the motifs of the image;

New forms of painting: cropping, sketchiness, sketchiness, small sizes of works to emphasize the fleetingness of the impression, violating the integrity of the objects;

The subject matter of the Impressionist paintings was not basic and typical, as in the realistic movement of the 19th century, but random (not a performance, a rehearsal - E. Degas: ballet series);

- “mixing genres”: landscape, everyday genre, portrait and still life (E. Manet – “Bar at the Folies Bergere”;

An instant image of the same object at different times of the year, day (C. Monet - “Haystacks”, “Poplars”, a series of images of the Rouen Cathedral, water lilies, etc.)

The creation of a new painting system to preserve the freshness of the immediate impression: the decomposition of complex tones into pure colors - separate strokes of pure color, which were mixed in the viewer's eye with a bright color scheme. An impressionist painting is a variety of comma-strokes, which gives the paint layer trepidation and relief;

The special role of water in its depiction: water as a mirror, a vibrating color environment (C. Monet “Rocks at Belle-Ile”).

From 1874 to 1886, the impressionists held 8 exhibitions; after 1886, impressionism began to decompose as an integral movement into neo-impressionism and post-impressionism.

Representatives of French impressionism: Edouard Manet, Claude Monet - the founder of I., Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro.

Russian impressionism is characterized:

More accelerated development of impressionism in " pure form", because this direction in Russian painting appears in the late 80s of the 19th century;

Great elongation in time (I. appears as a stylistic coloring in the works of major Russian artists: V. Serov, K. Korovin)

Greater contemplation and lyricism, “rural version” (compared to “urban” French): I. Grabar – “ February blue», « March snow", "September Snow";

Depiction of purely Russian themes (V. Serov, I. Grabar);

Greater interest in people (V. Serov “Girl illuminated by the sun” “Girl with peaches”;

Less dynamization of perception;

Romantic coloring.

Impressionism is an artistic movement that emerged in the 70s. XIX century in French painting, and then manifested itself in music, literature, theater.

Impressionism in painting began to take shape long before the famous exhibition of 1874. Edouard Manet is traditionally considered the founder of the Impressionists. He was very inspired classical works Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, Velazquez. Manet expressed his vision of the images on his canvases, adding “vibrating” strokes that created the effect of incompleteness. In 1863, Manet created Olympia, which caused a great scandal in cultural society.

At first glance, the picture is made in line with traditional canons, but at the same time it already carried innovative trends. About 87 reviews were written about Olympia in various Parisian publications. She was hit with a lot of negative criticism - the artist was accused of vulgarity. And only a few articles could be called favorable.

Manet used a single-layer paint technique in his work, which created a stained effect. Subsequently, this technique of applying paint was adopted by impressionist artists as the basis for images on paintings.

A distinctive feature of impressionism was the subtlest recording of fleeting impressions, in a special manner of reproducing the light environment with the help of a complex mosaic of pure colors and cursory decorative strokes.

It is curious that at the beginning of their search, the artists used a cyanometer - an instrument for determining the blueness of the sky. Black color was excluded from the palette, it was replaced by others color shades, which made it possible not to spoil the sunny mood of the paintings.

The Impressionists were guided by the latest scientific discoveries of their time. The color theory of Chevreul and Helmholtz boils down to the following: the sun's ray is split into its component colors, and, accordingly, two paints placed on the canvas enhance the pictorial effect, and when mixed the paints lose intensity.

The aesthetics of impressionism developed, in part, as an attempt to decisively free ourselves from the conventions of classicism in art, as well as from the persistent symbolism and profundity of late romantic painting, which invited everyone to see encrypted plans that needed careful interpretation. Impressionism asserted not just the beauty of everyday reality, but the capture of a colorful atmosphere, without detailing or interpreting, depicting the world as an ever-changing optical phenomenon.

Impressionist artists developed a complete plein air system. The predecessors of this stylistic feature were landscape painters who came from the Barbizon school, the main representatives of which were Camille Corot and John Constable.

Working in an open space provided more opportunity to capture the slightest color changes at different times of the day.

Claude Monet created several series of paintings on the same subject, for example, “Rouen Cathedral” (a series of 50 paintings), “Haystacks” (a series of 15 paintings), “Pond with Water Lilies”, etc. The main indicator of these series there was a change in light and color in the image of the same object painted at different times of the day.

Another achievement of impressionism is the development of an original painting system, where complex tones are decomposed into pure colors conveyed by individual strokes. The artists did not mix colors on the palette, but preferred to apply strokes directly to the canvas. This technique gave the paintings a special trepidation, variability and relief. The artists' works were filled with color and light.

The exhibition on April 15, 1874 in Paris was the result of the period of formation and presentation of a new movement to the general public. The exhibition took place in the studio of photographer Felix Nadar on the Boulevard des Capucines.

The name “Impressionism” arose after an exhibition at which Monet’s painting “Impression” was exhibited. Sunrise". The critic L. Leroy, in his review in the publication Charivari, gave a humorous description of the exhibition of 1874, citing the example of Monet’s work. Another critic, Maurice Denis, reproached the impressionists for their lack of individuality, feeling, and poetry.

At the first exhibition, about 30 artists showed their works. This was the largest number in comparison with subsequent exhibitions until 1886.

One cannot help but mention the positive feedback from Russian society. Russian artists and democratic critics, always keenly interested artistic life France - I. V. Kramskoy, I. E. Repin and V. V. Stasov - highly appreciated the achievements of the impressionists from the very first exhibition.

The new stage in the history of art, which began with the exhibition of 1874, was not a sudden explosion of revolutionary tendencies - it was the culmination of a slow and gradual development.

While all the great masters of the past contributed to the development of the principles of impressionism, the immediate roots of the movement can most easily be discovered in the twenty years preceding the historical exhibition.

In parallel with the exhibitions at the Salon, Impressionist exhibitions were gaining momentum. Their works demonstrated new trends in painting. This was a reproach to salon culture and exhibition traditions. Subsequently, impressionist artists managed to attract admirers of new trends in art to their side.

Theoretical knowledge and formulations of impressionism began to develop quite late. Artists preferred more practice and their own experiments with light and color. In impressionism, primarily pictorial, the legacy of realism can be traced; it clearly expresses the anti-academic, anti-salon orientation and installation of depicting the surrounding reality of that time. Some researchers note that impressionism has become a special branch of realism.

Undoubtedly, in impressionistic art, as in every artistic movement that arises during the period of turning point and crisis of old traditions, various and even contradictory trends were intertwined, for all its external integrity.

The fundamental features were the themes of the artists’ works, the means artistic expression. Irina Vladimirova’s book about the impressionists includes several chapters: “Landscape, nature, impressions”, “City, places of meetings and partings”, “Hobbies as a way of life”, “People and characters”, “Portraits and self-portraits”, “Still life”. It also describes the creation history and location of each work.

During the heyday of impressionism, artists found a harmonious balance between objective reality and its perception. The artists tried to capture every ray of light, the movement of the breeze, and the changeability of nature. To preserve the freshness of their paintings, the Impressionists created an original painting system, which later turned out to be very important for the further development of art. Despite the general trends in painting, each artist found his own creative path and main genres in painting.

Classical impressionism is represented by such artists as Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Edgar Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, Jean Frédéric Bazille, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas.

Let's consider the contribution of some artists to the development of impressionism.

Edouard Manet (1832-1883)

Manet received his first painting lessons from T. Couture, thanks to which the future artist acquired a lot of necessary professional skills. Due to the lack of proper attention from the teacher to his students, Manet leaves the master’s atelier and engages in self-education. He attends exhibitions in museums; his creative formation was greatly influenced by the old masters, especially Spanish ones.

In the 1860s, Manet wrote two works in which the basic principles of his artistic style are visible. Lola of Valencia (1862) and The Flutist (1866) show Manet as an artist who reveals the character of his subject through the rendering of color.

His ideas on brushstrokes and his approach to color were adopted by other Impressionist artists. In the 1870s, Manet became closer to his followers and worked plein air without black on the palette. The arrival to impressionism was the result of the creative evolution of Manet himself. Manet's most impressionistic paintings are “In a Boat” (1874) and “Claude Monet in a Boat” (1874).

Manet also painted many portraits of various society ladies, actresses, models, beautiful women. Each portrait conveyed the uniqueness and individuality of the model.

Shortly before his death, Manet painted one of his masterpieces - “Bar Folies-Bergère” (1881-1882). This painting combines several genres: portrait, still life, everyday scene.

N. N. Kalitina writes: “The magic of Manet’s art is such that the girl confronts her surroundings, thanks to which her mood is so clearly revealed, and at the same time is a part, for the entire background, vaguely discernible, vague, worrying, is also resolved in blue-black , bluish-white, yellow tones.”

Claude Monet (1840-1926)

Claude Monet was the undoubted leader and founder of classical impressionism. The main genre of his painting was landscape.

In his youth, Monet was fond of caricature and caricature. The first models for his works were his teachers and comrades. He used cartoons in newspapers and magazines as a model. He copied the drawings in Gaulois by E. Carge, a poet and caricaturist, a friend of Gustave Coubret.

At college, Monet's painting was taught by Jacques-François Hauchard. But it is fair to note the influence on Monet of Boudin, who supported the artist, gave him advice, and motivated him to continue his work.

In November 1862, Monet continued his studies in Paris with Gleyre. Thanks to this, Monet met Basil, Renoir, and Sisley in his studio. Young artists were preparing to enter the School fine arts, respecting his teacher, who charged little for his lessons and gave advice in a gentle manner.

Monet created his paintings not as a story, not as an illustration of an idea or theme. His painting, like life, had no clear goals. He saw the world without focusing on details, on some principles, he went towards a “landscape vision” (the term of the art historian A. A. Fedorov-Davydov). Monet strove for plotlessness and a fusion of genres on canvas. The means of implementing his innovations were sketches, which were supposed to become finished paintings. All sketches were drawn from life.

He painted meadows, hills, flowers, rocks, gardens, village streets, the sea, beaches and much more; he turned to depicting nature at different times of the day. He often wrote the same place at different times, thereby creating entire cycles from his works. The principle of his work was not the depiction of objects in the picture, but the accurate transmission of light.

Let us give a few examples of the artist’s works - “Field of Poppies at Argenteuil” (1873), “Splash Pool” (1869), “Pond with Water Lilies” (1899), “Wheat Stacks” (1891).

Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

Renoir is one of the outstanding masters of secular portraiture; in addition, he worked in the genres of landscape, everyday scenes, and still life.

The peculiarity of his work is his interest in the personality of a person, the revelation of his character and soul. In his canvases, Renoir tries to emphasize the feeling of the fullness of existence. The artist is attracted to entertainment and celebrations; he paints balls, walks with their movement and variety of characters, and dances.

The most famous works artist - “Portrait of the actress Jeanne Samary”, “Umbrellas”, “Bathing in the Seine”, etc.

It is interesting that Renoir was distinguished by his musicality and as a child sang in a church choir under the direction of the outstanding composer and teacher Charles Gounod in Paris at the Saint-Eustache Cathedral. C. Gounod strongly recommended that the boy study music. But at the same time, Renoir discovered his artistic talent - from the age of 13 he had already learned to paint porcelain dishes.

Music lessons influenced the development of the artist’s personality. Whole line His works are related to musical themes. They reflect the playing of piano, guitar, and mandolin. These are the paintings “Guitar Lesson”, “Young spanish woman with a guitar”, “Young lady at the piano”, “Woman playing the guitar”, “Piano lesson”, etc.

Jean Frédéric Bazille (1841-1870)

According to his artist friends, Basil was the most promising and outstanding impressionist.

His works are distinguished by their bright colors and spirituality of images. Big influence Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Claude Monet influenced his creative path. Jean Frederic's apartment was a kind of studio and housing for aspiring painters.

Basil primarily painted en plein air. The main idea of ​​his work was the image of man against the backdrop of nature. His first heroes in the paintings were his artist friends; many impressionists were very fond of drawing each other in their works.

Frédéric Bazille, in his creative work, outlined the movement of realistic impressionism. His most famous painting, Family Reunion (1867), is autobiographical. The artist depicts his family members on it. This work was presented at the Salon and received approval from the public.

In 1870, the artist died in the Prussian-French War. After the artist’s death, his artist friends organized a third exhibition of impressionists, where his paintings were also exhibited.

Camille Pissarro (1830-1903)

Camille Pissarro is one of the largest representatives of landscape artists after C. Monet. His works were constantly exhibited in Impressionist exhibitions. In his works, Pissarro preferred to depict plowed fields, peasant life and labor. His paintings were distinguished by their structural forms and clarity of composition.

Later, the artist began to paint paintings on urban themes. N. N. Kalitina notes in her book: “He looks at the city streets from the windows of the upper floors or from the balconies, without introducing them into the composition.”

Under the influence of Georges-Pierre Seurat, the artist took up pointillism. This technique involves applying each stroke separately, as if putting dots. But creative prospects in this area were not realized, and Pissarro returned to impressionism.

Pissarro's most famous paintings were “Boulevard Montmartre. Afternoon, sunny", "Opera Passage in Paris", "Square French theater in Paris”, “Garden in Pontoise”, “Harvest”, “Haymaking”, etc.

Alfred Sisley (1839-1899)

Alfred Sisley's main genre of painting was landscape. In his early works The influence of K. Corot is mainly visible. Gradually in progress collaboration with C. Monet, J. F. Bazille, P. O. Renoir, light colors begin to appear in his works.

The artist is attracted by the play of light, the change in the state of the atmosphere. Sisley turned to the same landscape several times, capturing it at different times of the day. The artist gave priority in his works to images of water and sky, which changed every second. The artist managed to achieve perfection with the help of color; each shade in his works carries a unique symbolism.

His most famous works: “Rural Alley” (1864), “Frost in Louveciennes” (1873), “View of Montmartre from the Flower Island” (1869), “Early Snow in Louveciennes” (1872), “Bridge at Argenteuil” (1872 ).

Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

Edgar Degas is an artist who began his creative career by studying at the School of Fine Arts. He was inspired by artists Italian Renaissance, which influenced his work as a whole. At the beginning, Degas painted historical paintings, for example, “Spartan girls challenge Spartan boys to a competition. (1860). The main genre of his painting is portrait. In his works the artist relies on classical traditions. He creates works marked by a keen sense of his time.

Unlike his colleagues, Degas does not share the joyful, open view of life and things inherent in impressionism. The artist is closer to the critical tradition of art: compassion for the fate of the common man, the ability to see the souls of people, their inner world, inconsistency, tragedy.

For Degas, objects and interior surrounding a person play a big role in creating a portrait. Here are a few works as examples: “Désirée Dio with Orchestra” (1868-1869), “ Female portrait"(1868), "The Morbilli Couple" (1867), etc.

The principle of portraiture in Degas’s works can be traced throughout his entire creative path. In the 1870s, the artist depicted the society of France, in particular Paris, in its full glory in his works. The artist's interests include urban life in motion. “Movement was for him one of the most important manifestations of life, and the ability of art to convey it was the most important achievement of modern painting,” writes N.N. Kalitina.

During this period of time, such films as “The Star” (1878), “Miss Lola in Fernando’s Circus”, “Horsing at Epsom”, etc. were created.

A new round of Degas’s creativity was his interest in ballet. It shows the behind-the-scenes life of ballerinas, talking about their hard work and rigorous training. But, despite this, the artist manages to find airiness and lightness in the rendering of their images.

In the ballet series of paintings by Degas, achievements in the field of transmitting artificial light from the stage are visible; they speak of the artist’s coloristic talent. The most famous paintings are “Blue Dancers” (1897), “Dance Class” (1874), “Dancer with a Bouquet” (1877), “Dancers in Pink” (1885) and others.

At the end of his life, due to deteriorating eyesight, Degas tried his hand at sculpture. His objects are the same ballerinas, women, horses. In sculpture, Degas tries to convey movement, and in order to appreciate the sculpture, you need to look at it from different angles.