The National Gallery: Guide to Impressionism

I thought I would start off quite simply, by looking at some art that I was quite familiar with, but try and look at it through the eyes of an educator, rather that a spectator. One day I am sure that I will be talk to some students about impressionism and I thought this would be a good way to start to gain idea and approaches to teaching this particular subject.

The first thing which this website does is describe the term ‘impressionist’, who they include and what characteristics are entailed, describing some as “scenes from modern urban and suburban life”(vp1). I felt that this would be a good way to introduce the subject if I am ever to teach it to my learners at some point.

The national galleries guide also states that impressionists often began (and sometimes completed) their paintings outdoors rather (than) in a studio (vp1). I felt that this was quite a useful piece of information for me, as it gave me some ideas about how I could get my students to link their work to impressionists by making work outside. I have always thought it necessary to sometimes take education outside of the confounds of the classroom environment. This would be a good way to do. I could perhaps have one or two lessons, which involved students working outside in open spaces.

It is noted that impressionism encompassed the ideals of everyday life, as though taking a visual record of the way that ordinary people spent their free time (vp.2) and bringing the viewer to places such as theatres, cafes, and popular countryside resorts (vp.2).

The National gallery review then goes on to discuss how within the 19^th Century the depictions of everyday life and ordinary people were not only being portrayed through the visual, but also through the written word. The examples of Zola and Flaubert are given stating that they wrote about the lives of the middle and lower classes (vp.2) and how their stories became the focus of serious literary works (vp.2). These novelists are not some with whim I am familiar with, and so for further Continuing development it may be useful for me read some works by these literary artists, and bring their works into the classroom I teach, which will also aid my students with their functional skills in literature.

With further exploration into science it was only inevitable that would filter through to art in some way. With regards to impressionism it was the colour aspect of science that had artists intrigued. Artists felt encouraged to experiment with complementary colours (vp.3) use them to the greatest effect within their work. As an artists myself I have a keen interest in colour and the theories behind colour. The review goes on to suggest that when two colours opposite one another in the colour spectrum .....[are placed]….next to each other, each looked deeper and brighter (vp.3), which can clearly be seen in Renoir’s La Yole painting.

                                          Renoir, La Yole, 1875

 Colour wheel illustrating complimentary 

                                  

This website review also draws us to the attention of distance in some impressionist paintings, and how distanced is perceived by us as humans and also as a viewer in a painting. The web page states that

When we look at a landscape, or a crowd of people, we do not instantly see every face, or leaf in detailed focus (vp.3) as you may do with renaissance paintings and other paintings of the period. The details are seen as a mass of colour and light (vp.3).

When an impressionist painting is compared to a painting from the late 16^th Century, it is clear to see that there is detail in almost every part of the painting, including the long and short distance, whereas with the impressionist works the details are immediate and up close and sometimes not even that.

                                          Joris Hoefnagel Fete at Bermondsey, 1569.

                                          Monet, Bathers at La Grenouillere, 1869.

The 19^th Century saw the innovation of ready-made paint, which allowed the artists to work much more quickly and in some cases, working strait from the tube, without the use a paintbrush. And once again referring back to the outdoors, by artists being able to use paints from a tube, they no longer had the need to grind up pigments to mix with oils, and so work could be taken out of the studio and to the outdoors.