Romanticism Vs Impressionism

 Impressionism

Impressionism is a style or movement in painting originating in France in the 1860s. In my opinion, I would prefer Impressionism over Romanticism due to the fact that Impressionism uses playful use of color and brush techniques. The visual impression of the moment, especially in terms of the shifting effect of light and color that are present in Impressionism paintings are what caught my attention. Likewise, the fact that it seeks to capture a feeling or experience rather than to achieve an emphasis on the imagination and emotions in Romanticism seems more appealing to my standards.

Starry Night, created by Vincent van Gogh in June 1889 is one of the most well-known and sought out painting in modern culture. It has also been one of the most replicated and sought after prints (Van Gogh Gallery). This painting depicts a night sky that is illuminated with stars, a crescent moon and swirling clouds. The swirling clouds give this painting a sense of movement and the stars dazzling in the sky are magnified by a bright halo. In the background below the moon, near the hills you can see the town with a church. On the left side of the painting there is a massive dark structure that looms over the painting. This is an Impressionism painting that captures the experience and feeling of this “starry night” by manipulating light and color to give it that sensation of standing high on a hill looking out at the sky and at the town below it. 

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Another work that would represent Impressionism would be by Claude Monet circa de 1873 called, Impression, soleil levant, which translates to the impression of a sunrise. Monet painted this scene in the harbor of Le Havre in Paris, and this famous painting first started as a sketch. Monet wanted to capture this moment. Although there are other art pieces from this time period that are a better example of this style, Impression, soleil levant is still one of the visual examples of what Impressionism is based off of. It is a colorful view of a harbor, painted in contrasting colors of orange and blue. The sun is a bright orange circle that is reflecting semlessly through the waves. The warmth of the orange in the sky and the sun melt delicately with the cool blue foreground, and the boats are no more than silhouettes. This painting has a distinct feel of serenity and calmness, which depicts what Imperssionism is. 

Romanticism

During the Romantic era, Romanticism includes subjectivity and an emphasis on individualism, spontaneity, freedom from rules, solitary life rather than life in society, the beliefs that imagination is superior to reason and devotion to beauty, love of and worship of nature. The Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop’s Grounds by John Constable is a great example of worship of nature in romanticism. This painting focuses more on the details rather which is not present in Imperssionism it also focuses more on the beauty and of nature. Constable visited this cathedral twice and took sketches and drawings that he could use later to paint. This painting is very detailed. The cathedral is stunning and is drawn very accurately. The couple in the left side of the painting is the Archdeacon John and his wife admiring the cathedral. The trees are very detailed; you can see every branch that leads away from the tree. This is actually the third and final version of this painting. Constable actually changed this painting from the other two by removing the arch of trees over the spire. This allowed for more light to appear in the painting and give the illusion of a larger and brighter sky. This painting is a perfect example of romanticism since it enovoles so much detail and nature as well as imagination since the original painting had an arch of trees and the final version does not have it. 

Another example of romanticism art would be the painting, The Ballet Class (Degas, Musée d'Orsay) created by Edgar Degas, which was painted between 1871 and 1874. It is in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France It was commissioned by Jean-Baptiste Faure. Degas temporarily abandoned work on this painting. Nonetheless, this painting has as much detail as The Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop’s Grounds. However, what makes this painting different however, is that, The painting depicts dancers at the end of a lesson under ballet master Jules Perrot. Perrot and Degas were friends, and Degas painted the dance class in the Paris Opera a year after it burnt down. What makes this painting a romanticism art is that it has a tragic background and becasue romantic era included anyting with emotion this painting earns its spot. Not only does this painting have a tragic background, it also explores subjectivity since this painting was based on personal feelings and was drawn after this place was burnt down. 

Aesthetic View

In my opinion I would own the painting The Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop’s Grounds by John Constable since it has a very beautifully detailed painting of nature and individualism however, personally I like how Impressionism uses color and manipulation of light to capture the experience and feelings that aren't as portrayed in romanticism. 

Citations:

“The Ballet Class (Degas, Musée D'Orsay).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Jan. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballet_Class_(Degas,_Mus%C3%A9e_d%27Orsay)#/media/File:Edgar_Degas_-_La_Classe_de_danse.jpg.

British, John Constable. “John Constable: Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435922.

“Monet, Claude.” WebMuseum: Monet, Claude: Impression: Soleil Levant, 19 Sept. 2002, http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/monet/first/impression/.

Tate. “Impressionism.” Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/i/impressionism#:~:text=Impressionism%20was%20developed%20by%20Claude,artists%20from%20the%20early%201860s.

Tate. “Romanticism.” Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/r/romanticism.

“Vincent Van Gogh. the Starry Night. Saint Rémy, June 1889: Moma.” The Museum of Modern Art, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802#:~:text=In%20creating%20this%20image%20of,expression%2C%20symbol%2C%20and%20sentiment.

Morality in Art

    The Classical Era changed the way morality was viewed and accepted in art. It had no significant role in Rococo art however, it played a major role in Neoclassical art. Rococo art emphasized on the "feminized" version of the Baroque style, is associated with the aristocracy. Typically the paintings depict aristocrats or aristocratic leisure-time activities such as courtship rituals, picnics in a harmonious natural environment and excursions to romantic places Typically, Rococo art focused on the enjoyment of the art. While, during the Neoclassical it was very important to make sure the art had good morals. It was meant to inspire people to follow good morals and basically become a respectful and responsible citizen.

Morality in Rococo Art

In the Rococo period, The art piece The Love Letter by Francois Boucher created in 1750 is a good example of the Rococo style and an example of how morals weren’t incorporated. The colors are very pastel and light. In the painting there are no morals that are distinctive enough to elaborate on. The painting shows two girls enjoying their day while the boy is watching. There are no real morals that stand out from the painting. Which is why it is a good example of the Rococo style. While it is pleasing to look at we cannot indicate if there is a morale message being shown.

Morality in Neoclassical Art

For this painting I chose the Oath of the Horatti by David, this painting depicts a man in a red cape holding three swords. To the left of the painting we can see three men standing reaching towards the man holding the three swords. Toward the right side of the man in the red cape are three ladies that appear to be helpless and shielding two children due to some sort of conflict. David’s painting symbolizes a celebration of art, life, and morality of The Ancient Rome. The painting portrays morality through the resolve of self-sacrifice and loyalty over family relations and personal emotion. In addition to its message, the painting was commissioned by Louis XVI and was originally supposed to be used as propaganda. This was supposed to influence soldiers into being the ideal righteous soldier, with duty and discipline as the supreme virtues, and that if needed, they would die for the cause. This virtue was not all black and white, some of the soldiers wanted to return home to their loved ones and family, while others were asked to fight for their ruler.

Aesthetic Appreciation

For both of these painting I think that The Love Letter would be most fitting to hang up on my wall or just to have due to the pastel colors of the piece as well as the use of the colors of green to shade the trees and give focus to the two girls at the center of this painting. I also enjoy the use of the triangular theory that is formed when we look at both those girls.

References:

Khan Academy. “Neoclassical Art.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 27 Jan. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/art/Neoclassicism.

“Neo-Classical Art.” Mark Harden's Artchive: "Neo-Classical Art", Art Prints and Posters, http://www.artchive.com/artchive/neo_classical.html.

Rand, Richard. “The Love Letter.” Art Object Page, National Gallery of Art, https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.46027.html.

Renaissance - Baroque : The Chair of St. Peter

 Background Information:

The Baroque period refers to an area from around the 1600s and ended around the 1750s. The term Baroque, stemmed from the Portuguese language 'barocco' meaning 'irregular pearl or stone' it refers to a cultural and art movement that characterized Europe from the early seventeenth to the mid-eighteenth century. When we think of the Baroque period, after the protestant reformation, when the church has become more powerful and announced its power through art. The Chair of Saint Peter, also known as the Throne of Saint Peter, also represents that power; it is a relic that is conserved in the St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the sovereign enclave of the Pope inside Rome, Italy. The relic is a wooden throne that tradition claims belonged to the Apostle Saint Peter, the leader of the Early Christians in Rome and first Pope, and which he used as Bishop of Rome. The relic is enclosed in a sculpted gilt bronze casing designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and was constructed between 1647 and 1653. 

St Peter's Basilica

The St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome was initially a Circus of  Nero and a cemetery. St Peter, was believed to have been one of the 12 apostles, and the first pope was burned at the stake under the reign of Emperor Nero in approximately 64 AD. Around 306 AD, Emperor Constantine became the first Christian emperor of Rome.  He decided to erect a basilica on Vatican Hill at the supposed location of St. Peter’s tomb.

The construction started in 319 AD and was completed around 349 AD. The basilica stood for over 1,000 years, however it had started to deteriorate and due to serious concerns that it may collapse, Pope Julius II concluded that it was beyond repair and that it would have to be demolished and rebuilt. 

Artistic Analysis: 

One of the many the most prominent elements of this relic is the way that it is blended. The chair is painted with gilded bronze and stucco. Also the head piece of this relic  has colored glass that is used as a light source that signifies the dove as a significance of spirituality and religion. The relic also uses these golden ray’s surrounding the glass as a way to signify weightlessness and gives off that illusion of the chair floating. Whereas the black stone is signifying the foundation of this floating chair ascending towards the heavens. 

 Gian Lorenzo Bernini does a good job of using elements of light and color to draw the audience into this piece and show the significance of power and avoidably of the catholic church. 

Appreciation: 

This relic has a very powerful message to tell. When I first looked through the khan academy site this was the first image that showed up and I could not stop staring at it. The glass used as a light source and the shading as well as the gilded ores tell a story of a powerful group of people ( Catholic Church), and really engrains into your mind of the things they were capable of making with their power which is shown beautiful throughout this art piece. 

Sources:

Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, et al. “Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Cathedra Petri (Chair of St. Peter).” Smarthistory, 6 Oct. 2022, https://smarthistory.org/bernini-cathedra-petri-chair-of-st-peter/. 

Lowell, Lauren M. “The Northern Renaissance.” Lauren m Lowell Costume Designer, https://lowelldesigns.com/the-northern-renaissance/#:~:text=BASIC%20GARMENTS%3A%20Chemise%2C%20ruff%2C,%2C%20gabled%20headdress%2Ffrench%20bonnet. 

Obstat, Nihil. “Chair of Peter.” CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Chair of Peter, https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03551e.htm.