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Realism and Impressionism Movements

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Realism and Impressionism Movements
Gloria Slezak
ART 101- Art Appreciation
Instructor Todd Leisek
May 23, 2014

This essay will be about Realism and Impressionism movements. Both Realism and Impressionism movement was in the 19th century. The differences between these movements are that the Realism movement was in the mid-19th century and Impressionism was in the late 19th century. I will discuss two pieces of artwork that was done in these movements. One will be The Stone Breakers by Gustave Courbet and the other one is called Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette by Auguste Renoir. In this essay I will do my best to explain a little about how the characteristics and factors are reflected in these pieces of art.
The Stone Breakers was a painting done by a French painter named Gustave Courbet. Gustave was well-known for his work of arts of still lives, self-portraits, females, common men workers, landscapes and many other common places. This painting was done in 1849 and is about hundred sixty-five years old. Addressed as the pioneer of the Realist movement Gustave set a unique artistic movement which caused a lot of disagreement among other artists. This movement demonstrated and signified the everyday life. Realism was exceptional and contentious in the sense that it broke away from the norm which was for centuries illustrating popular, religious figures, however Gustave ideologies were for artists to represent only what they can see or have lived.
His painting was a work of social realism, illustrating two laborers, a young male, and one old male breaking rocks into gravels for paving the trail road. His painting was well systematized and as I said before is about everyday life. The controversy surrounding this piece vast as the two figures carry out miserable everyday jobs one can do, however though it is a rough reality that they live. This piece was also during the Revolution period which significantly affected the purpose of this piece.
I have to say that the elements in this piece were very well distributed. One characteristic element I would have to say is the use of lines. There are several bold lines characteristically made into precise forms. The precipitous region was composed with big brushstroke and darkened quality that sinks two individuals down in segregation. The raggedy garments and the small amount of food that was place in the corner emphasis their poverty. The container of stones is far more than the youth’s power while the older guy exhaustedly bows down towards his knees to labor. His use of space was very well displayed keeping the main thought but still giving a symbolic setting. To me it did not look like there was a lot of texture or pattern in this piece. The colors makes this piece look very well accomplished and does not need any other elements to define the mood he has given. This piece of art work is very moving and deeper than I would have thought just through the elements demonstrated. Not only the elements were used very magnificently but the principle of the art he used to create this masterpiece.
The social impact of Realism on the people of the 19th century was that the working class and other common people gained a voice in art, literature and history. From the previous times, art mainly focused on the rich and powerful, but Realism focus on the common people, therefore making them feel empowered. Gustave works were aimed at the social issues that plagued France during this time period, such as the extreme poverty that was present everywhere. Gustave unfortunately does not make any religious points on his painting. He tried to show political learning as well through his choice of lifestyle. Gustave designed everyday individuals in effort to depict the French people as political beings.
Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette was also made from a French artist. His name was Auguste Renoir. He was famous for portraits that were real life, actual real places that included friends and professional models, and landscapes. Most of the subjects of his paintings though were pretty children, flowers, beautiful scenes and women. This painting was done in 1876 which will make this painting to be about one hundred and thirty eight years old. This was a fairly new art style during this time period therefore making it very popular. This piece of artwork was one of 21 of his works.
This painting itself was an oil portrait on canvas. Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette showed a richness of form and a fluidity of brush stroke. If we look at this painting in a whole, the picture showing before us was a typical Sunday afternoon. It was a dance which was frequently held in the late 19th century. People dressed themselves up and enjoyed dancing, drinking, and eating till the evening. This painting was not only an appearance of a carnival scene, but also an effort to capture the pleasurable, stress-free way of life in the aristocratic dance. We could be grateful of the joy of the crowd's, as well as the beauty of the dance. The type of line in this painting is employed throughout the painting primarily expressive and smooth. Renoir use of line softens the complete look of the painting. However there are areas where the artist lines are more organized and measured but the overall feel is that the line is free flowing and expressive. The use of his space was very precisely measured by the overlying of the figures to make the feel of a large outdoor courtyard. While the overlying figures create the feel of an open courtyard, it also depicts the same time how completely confined and crowed the dance area seemed to be, this helps outline the space and helps create a feel of movement in the painting. The colors in the portrait were light, energetic colors to give radiance and to also capture the change of the sunlight on the scene. From his paintings, we rarely feel pain or religious feelings but the warmth of the family, such as smile of a mother. In conclusion both of these paintings were brightly done in the 19th century. Both artists loved what they were doing even if they had different ideas about their work. They used both used perfect coloring and lighting. They both are famous artist that should be greatly appreciated for their works of art. There was not a whole lot of political or religion factors going on in either one of these paintings, at least I could not find them. I enjoyed every minute of my time learning about these two artists and hopes that every individual will too.

References
Chang, R. (2010, Feb 28). An L.A. exhibit looks at Renoir’s work after he left the genre he’s best known for. Orange County Register. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/274179936?accountid=32521
Knight, C. (2006, Feb 28). ART REVIEWS; Adventurers enticed by the landscape; Southland Exhibitions reveal scenery’s sway in the work of the 19th century’s Gustave Courbet and Several contemporary artists. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/422053167?accountid=32521
Pioch, N. (2008). Renoir,Pierre-Auguste. WebMuseum Paris. Retrieved from: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/renoir/ https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255-s01/boheme/courbet.htm Appendix

The Stone Breakers – 1849- Gustave Courbet

Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette – 1876 – Auguste Renoir

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