Comparison of Impressionist and Post Impresionist Era Art (Essay Sample)

Ho Jae Lee
Anges Bertiz
11/15/16
History of Art
Paper #3: ON VAN GOGH & FRIENDS
In the 19th century, impressionists focused on the depiction of the light. The subject matter has been moved away from the traditional painting. They painted models realistic as possible by avoiding overly exaggerating the pose. They rather stylized the color, and emphasize on conveying emotional feelings. Impressionists have expressed the painting like a poet. Every figure and object have a meaning; they are metaphorical, ambiguous, and meaningful in every subject exist in the picture. During the 19th century, painting started to revolutionize over the traditional art style. The expansion of the trade, industrialization, Art Nouveau and Art and Craft movement influenced many artists in this epoch.
Post-impressionists abandoned traditional painting style; instead, they focused on depicting emotional side. They avoided traditional subject matter and technique of defining form with brush strokes and broken colors. They often worked independently or collaborated with other impressionists who has the same philosophy. Their view of art is to abandon from the traditional painting and focus on depicting the emotion in their artwork. Some impressionist seeks for inspiration from the ordinary life and their humanity value. The majority of impressionist used a variety of de-saturated color to depict dramatic image and usage of thick brush strokes to express movement, and rhythm to bring the artwork to life. By exaggerating the figure, Impressionists paint what they see in person.
In the 19th century, many artists were exploring and experimenting with their painting. The cultural phenomenon of industrialization influenced many people in this era. Many artists applied their social impacts on to their artworks. According to Gustave Courbet, "even age should have its artist who can express and depict for the future. Many Impressionists were inspired by Courbet's idea and today; we see a variety of many different kinds of art pieces.
According to Gustave Moreau's, Salome Dancing Before Herod addressed that “works is rather curious and unexpected." It means artwork shouldn’t be literal; instead, artwork should be reinterpreted depending on the viewers. Depending on audience's personal experience, his or her opinion of looking at the artworks has to be different from other people. The majority of impressionists are creating different characteristic of the paintings, and they are mysterious. Impressionist's philosophy of art is like a poem; they depict the artwork in metaphors, almost like a dream. By using a unique technique of brush strokes and colors, it is hard to distinguish the subject matter.
The works have in common with the others displayed in the gallery show that they are from similar epoch. They are astonishing artists who promoted Post-impressionism during the 19th century. Space where they placed Salome Dancing Before Herod represents the revolution of the 19th century. The wall is painted cherry red in the u-shaped room. The room is filled up with Moreau’s sketch of the painting. In the middle of the room, there is the final painting of Salome Dancing Before Herod. The room near the Gustave Moreau, there is a room with impressionists contained with Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Paul Gauguin. The painting was placed in a room full of artists from the impressionist era. As I walk through the room, I can compare and contrast impressionist from the 19th century. They have different characteristic, subject matter, and emotion, but they are different than the Renaissance tradition painting. Due to the fact, that is why the impressionist painting has in common. Impressionist's philosophy of art has to make their personality in their paintings. The influence of the industrial revolution changed their social life, and the subject was not focused on the Bible.
In the late 19th century, many artists were moving on from the Renaissance styled painting. Many impressionists and post-impressionist were focused on realism. They were interested in their social issues. They tried to avoid neoclassicism because exaggerating the figures and representing them as God. According to the Bible's second commitment, the painting is banned because they were preventing nobles from representing themselves as God-like. Artists moved on from traditional painting, in fact, they were moving onto a new trend in art.
The post-impressionists led by Georges Seurat were dissatisfied with the loss of structure in the paintings of the impressionist. Thus, he and his followers introduced the systematic use of dots of color applied to form an image. The technique relied on the ability of the mind and the eye of the observer to c...