Impressionism

The Role of Art

The goal of these articles is to understand the world in which we live. One of the best ways of understanding a culture is through its art.Art both reflects and shapes the worldview of a culture. The art forms and artists of the twentieth century reflected and shaped the spirit of the age.

    “The dissonance and disjunction, radical freedom and radical uncertainty of the twentieth century found full and precise expression in the arts.” (Richard Tarnas, The Passion of the Western Mind, p. 391)

    “In great art, the technique fits the worldview being presented.” (Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live? p. 171)

The first art form I will look at is Impressionism.

Impressionism

Impressionism is not strictly a twentieth century art form. However, it was a radical break with classical art forms, and it set the tone for many of the styles of the twentieth century.

“The late 19th century saw the birth of Impressionism, which represented a change in the way painters saw the world. Artists now found they no longer had any story to tell and began to experiment with more abstract representations of real subject matter.” (Nathan Vonnahme, The Erosion of Philosophy in 19th and Early 20th Century Thought)

Impressionism was a style of painting originating and developed in France during the 1870's, concentrating on the immediate visual impression produced by a scene. It was characterized by spontaneous brushstrokes, bright colors, textured surfaces, and minimal detail.

“Impressionism was a result of trying to follow the philosophical program of the Enlightenment. There is no external reality; all we can know is what we experience. Therefore, the objects of experience lose importance as we concentrate on our experience of them, our impression of what we experience. What we experience is color and shape, not some external reality that painting merely copies as best it can.” (Robert Sungenis, Art Through the Ages: Its Philosophical and Theological Meaning)

Impressionism was a self-conscious and deliberate break with traditional art. The world created on the canvas of the Impressionist was an entirely subjective one. They were not concerned with painting what was (the objective world), but what they experienced (the subjective world).

“Monet claimed that no one knew the reality behind the sensation. In fact, there is no reality, only sensations. Thus light and air became the real essence of his paintings, regardless of the subject matter.” (Robert Sungenis, Art Through the Ages: Its Philosophical and Theological Meaning)

This break with traditional painting reflected the ubiquitous challenges to the traditional view of reality that were current during this period, and paved the way for the more radical art and worldviews of the twentieth century.

“The Impressionists painted only what their eyes brought them, but this left the question whether there was a reality behind the light waves reaching their eyes. After 1885, Monet carried this to its logical conclusion, and reality tended to become a dream. With Impressionism, the door was opened for art to become the vehicle for modern thought.” (Francis Schaeffer, A Christian View of the West, p. 196)

Some of the leading Impressionists were Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, and Pierre Auguste Renoir. But the quintessential Impressionist was Claude Monet.

Claude Monet

Claude Monet (1840-1926) began his formal art training at 19. By 26, he had two of his works accepted by the Salon, a juried art exhibit sponsored by the official French Academy of Art.

In 1875, his painting Impression: Sunrise inspired a French art critic to tag the movement with the derogatory name of Impressionism.

In the 1890’s Monet concentrated on painting the same scenes (Haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, etc.) at different times of the day and in different climatic environments.

In his later years, his painting became increasingly more abstract.

"All I did was to look at what the universe showed me, to let my brush bear witness to it."

Conclusion

The Impressionists were the first group of artists to self-consciously challenge the Western view of objective reality. Their paintings displayed a world of subjective, sensory experience. They had cracked the door to a new way of viewing reality. The artists who followed them would push the door wide open.