The document discusses Impressionism in Europe and America between 1870 and 1900. It provides context on the Industrial Revolution and sociopolitical changes that influenced modern art forms. It then examines the Impressionist movement, focusing on key artists like Monet, Cézanne, Renoir, Degas, Cassatt and their interest in capturing fleeting moments using loose brushwork, bright colors and natural light. The document explores how Impressionism revolutionized painting and the influence of Japanese woodblock prints on later Impressionist works.

1. Impressionism
Europe and America, 1870 to 1900
Gardner‟s Art Through the Ages, 13e,
Chapter 31
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2. Industrialization of Europe and U.S. about 1850
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3. Goals
• Understand why the Industrial Revolution, Darwinism, Marxism
and sociopolitical changes altered ideas about the nature and
subject matter of art in the later 19th century.
• Examine the meanings of “Modernism” and “Realism”
philosophically and in the appearance of art and architecture.
• Understand the formal and content issues of the Impressionists.
• Examine experiments in materials and form in art at the turn of
the century.
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4. Impressionism
• Understand the formal elements and subject choices of the
Impressionist artists.
• Examine the Impressionists‟ interest in sensation,
impermanence, and the “fleeting moment” as it was
expressed in their art.
• Understand the importance of light and color theory in the
work of the Impressionists.
• Recognize representative Impressionist artists and works.
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5. CLAUDE MONET, Impression: Sunrise, 1872. Oil on canvas, 1‟ 7 1/2” x 2‟ 1 1/2”. Musée Marmottan, Paris. 5

6. CLAUDE MONET, Rouen Cathedral: The Portal (in Sun),
1894. Oil on canvas, 3‟ 3 1/4” x 2‟ 1 7/8”. Metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York (Theodore M. Davis Collection,
bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915).
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7. CLAUDE MONET, Saint-Lazare Train Station, 1877. Oil on canvas, 2‟ 5 3/4” x 3‟ 5”. Musée d‟Orsay, Paris.
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8. GUSTAVE CAILLEBOTTE, Paris: A Rainy Day, 1877. Oil on canvas, 6‟ 9” x 9‟ 9”. The Art Institute of Chicago,
Chicago, (Worcester Fund). 8

9. CAMILLE PISSARRO, La Place du Théâtre Français, 1898. Oil on canvas, 2‟ 4 1/2” x 3‟ 1/2”. Los Angeles County Museum
of Art, Los Angeles (the Mr. and Mrs. George Gard De Sylva Collection). 9

10. PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR, Le Moulin de la Galette, 1876. Oil on canvas, 4‟ 3” x 5‟ 8”. Musée d‟Orsay, Paris. 10

11. ÉDOUARD MANET, Bar at the Folies-Bergère, 1882. Oil on canvas, 3‟ 1” x 4‟ 3”. Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery, London.
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12. EDGAR DEGAS, Ballet Rehearsal, 1874. Oil on canvas, 1‟ 11” x 2‟ 9”. Glasgow Art Galleries and Museum, Glasgow
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13. BERTHE MORISOT, Villa at the Seaside, 1874. Oil on canvas, 1‟ 7 3/4” x 2‟ 1/8". Norton Simon Art Foundation, Los Angeles.
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14. Japonisme and Later Impressionism
• Examine issues of other Impressionist, such as the influence
of the Japanese print and concerns with formal elements.
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15. Left: EDGAR DEGAS, The Tub, 1886. Pastel, 1‟ 11 ½” X 2‟ 8 3/8”. Musee d‟Orsay, Paris.
Right: TORII KIYONAGA, detail of Two Women at the Bath, ca. 1780. Color woodblock,
full print 10 ½” X 7 ½”, detail 3 ¾” X 3 ½”. Musee Guimet, Paris.
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16. MARY CASSATT, The Bath, ca. 1892. Oil on canvas,
3‟ 3” x 2‟ 2”. The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
(Robert A. Walker Fund).
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17. JAMES ABBOTT MCNEILL WHISTLER,
Nocturne in Black and Gold (The Falling Rocket),
ca. 1875. Oil on panel, 1‟ 11 5/8” x 1‟ 6 1/2”.
Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit
(gift of Dexter M. Ferry Jr.).
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18. HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC, At the Moulin Rouge, 1892–1895. Oil on canvas, 4‟ x 4‟ 7”. Art Institute of Chicago,
Chicago (Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection). 18

19. Discussion Questions
 In what ways did the Modernist art of the later 19th century
break from the past?
 Why did the public find the subjects, forms, and techniques
of the Impressionists shocking?
 How did Modernist artists call attention to the „facts‟ of art
making?
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