This document provides an overview of Impressionism including its prominent artists and techniques. It discusses how Monet sought to capture the effects of light and atmosphere in his series paintings. It also describes Morisot and Pissarro's emphasis on dissolving figures and never fully capturing views in their works. The document then covers Renoir, Degas, and Caillebotte's depictions of leisure and work, as well as Manet's adoption of Impressionist techniques. Key Impressionist works are also referenced.

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Édouard Manet. The Barricade. ca. 1871.
18-1/4" × 12-3/4”.

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Édouard Manet. The Execution of Maximilian. 1868-69.
99-1/4" × 120”.

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Henri Fantin-Latour. A Studio in the Batignolles. Salon of 1870. 1870.
6’ 8-1/4" × 8’ 11-3/4”.

4. What is Impressionism?
• Monet’s Escape to Giverny — Monet continually sought to escape
the city for the pleasures of the countryside. In 1883 he moved to
Giverny. Monet began painting the same subject at different times of
day and in different atmospheric conditions. Each painting in the series
became a fragment in the duration of the whole.
• Morisot and Pissarro: The Effects of Paint — Morisot painted
figures in clothing that is often barely distinguishable from the
background; her paintings seem to dissolve into a uniform white light.
Pisarro’s landscapes give us the impression of a view never quite fully
captured by the painter.
French Impressionism

5. • Leisure and Work: Renoir, Degas and Caillebotte — Renoir
and Degas preferred to paint the crowd in the cafes and restaurants, at
entertainments of all kinds, and in the countryside. Renoir’s work is
tightly composed and show a geometric symmetry. Degas also cared
carefully constructed his paintings. Work was the theme of the first
painting Caillebotte exhibited with the Impressionists. His theme in
The Floor-Scrapers is the monotony of repetition, the rhythm of parallel
lines of flooring reinforcing the theme.
• Manet’s Impressionism — Manet increasingly adopted
Impressionist techniques, particularly the loose application of paint and
the emphasis on capturing the effects of light. Manet’s Impressionism
incorporates the viewer into its “atmosphere,” which is actually
impenetrable.
• Discussion Question: What are the prominent features of
impressionism?

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Claude Monet. The Regatta at Argenteuil. ca. 1872.
19" × 29-1/2”.

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Claude Monet. Impression: Sunrise. 1873.
19-5/8" × 25-1/2”.

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Claude Monet. Boulevard des Capucines. 1873.
24" × 31-1/2”.

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Claude Monet. Grainstack (Snow Effect). Also, Haystack. 1891.
25-3/4" × 36-3/8”.

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Berthe Morisot. Summer's Day. 1879.
18" × 29-3/4”.

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Camille Pissarro. Red Roofs, or The Orchard, Côtes Saint-Denis at
Pontoise. 1877.
21-1/2" × 25-7/8”.

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Auguste Renoir. Oarsmen at Chatou. 1879.
31-15/16" × 39-7/16”.

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Edgar Degas. Dance Class. ca. 1874.
32-3/4" × 30-1/4”.

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Auguste Renoir. Closer Look: Luncheon of the Boating Party. 1880-81.
51-1/4" × 69-1/8”.

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Auguste Renoir. Closer Look: Luncheon of the Boating Party. 1880-81.
51-1/4" × 69-1/8”.

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Gustave Caillebotte. The Floor-Scrapers. 1875.
40-1/8" × 57-1/2”.

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Edgar Degas. Aux Ambassadeurs. 1877.
14-1/2" × 10-5/8”.

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Édouard Manet. A Bar at the Folies-Bergère. 1881-82.
37-3/4" × 51-1/8”.

19.  Closer Look: A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
MyArtsLabChapter 31 – Hope and Possibility in Late Nineteenth-Century Europe

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Jules Chéret. Aux Folies-Bergère. 1875.

21. Russian Realism and the Quest
for the Russian Soul
How was Russian nationalism reflected in literature, art, and
music?
• The Writer and Artist under the Tsars — Under the rule of
Nicholas I, literary culture was severely stifled. Dostoyevsky
considered the question, “Can we love the damned?”. The complexity
of psychological guilt is the theme of Crime and Punishment where he
asks, “Can immoral means justify worthy ends?” Tolstoy’s realism
turned outward, to the epic stage of Russian history. War and Peace
surveys Russian life in the early nineteenth century. The Travelers was
a group of 13 visual artists dedicated to presenting art exhibitions
throughout the country.

22. • Russian Nationalistic Music and Ballet — The quest to express
the fundamental essence of Russia was reflected in music. Slavic pride
was expressed through the incorporation of Russian folklore, folk
songs, and instruments. Tchiakovsky’s nationalism is apparent in his
1812 Overture. His real fame came from his ballet music such as Swan
Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and the Nutcracker.
• Discussion Question: What are the two factions within nineteenth-
century Russian society?

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Ilya Repin. Leo Tolstoy Ploughing. 1887.

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Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy. Ivan I. Shishkin. 1880.
46" × 33-1/2”.

25.  Active Listening Guide: Tchaikovsky: 1812
Overture
MyArtsLabChapter 31 – Hope and Possibility in Late Nineteenth-Century Europe

26. Britain and the Design of Social Reform
How did the Crystal Palace and Pre-Raphaelite artists express the
spirit of social reform?
• Morris, the Guild Movement and the Pre-Raphaelites —
Morris longed to return to a handmade craft tradition, in which workers,
as with the medieval craft guilds, would no longer be alienated from
their labor. In his designs, Morris constantly emphasized simplicity and
utility. He hired many of his artist friends such as, Rossetti, and Burne-
Jones. Rossetti was the leader of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, who
denounced contemporary art. He championed the spiritual values of
medieval and early Renaissance culture. Burne-Jones illustrated many
of the books produced by Morris’s press. The influence of Morris’s
design company fostered a guild movement throughout England intent
on producing quality handcrafted goods.

27. • The Fight for Women’s Rights: Mill’s Subjection of Women
— Many reformers felt that women were inherently conservative, unduly
controlled by the clergy. Mill was an advocate of utilitarian theory, and
on that basis felt that in assigning an inferior role to women, society was
wasting an enormous resource. Mill wrote The Subjection of Women in
collaboration with his wife.
• Discussion Question: What are some of the late-nineteenth-century’s
attitudes towards women as expressed through philosophy and art?

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Joseph Paxton. Crystal Palace, London (lithograph by Charles Burton).
1851.
Length: 1848' Width: 408’.

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Joseph Paxton. Crystal Palace, London: Interior, showing glass vaulting.
1851.
Length: 1848' Width: 408’.

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Morris and Company. The Woodpecker. Design of William Morris. 1885.

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Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Mariana. 1870.
43-1/4" × 35-5/8”.

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Edward Burne-Jones. Laus Veneris (In Praise of Venus). 1873-78.
48-3/4" × 74-1/4”.

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May Morris. Bed Hangings (Two Curtains). 1917.
Each panel: 76-3/4" × 27”.

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Kitagawa Utamaro. Continuity & Change: Shaving a Boy’s Head. Signed
Utamuro hitsu. 1801.
14-15/16" × 9-13/16”.

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Mary Stevenson Cassatt. Continuity & Change: The Bath. 1890-91.
12-3/8" × 9-3/4”.