Impressionism vs. Post-Impressionism

Dans les oliviers, 1878 by John Singer Sargent

Impressionism

If I had to pick between Impressionism or Post Impressionism, I would pick Impressionism. Impressionist paintings have characteristics which include a fluidity of movement, short, thin visible brush strokes, various angles, and show the play of light on the subject matter. ("Impressionism"). One of the Impressionist painters I really like is John Singer Sargent. Though he is in the Impressionism category, I find his paintings to be slightly different than those of Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. His depictions are still clearly defined, without losing his images in the soft painted colors. The painting pictured to the left is one of my favorites, among many, of his. The colors are muted, almost dull with the soft and quick strokes of the brush, depicting the Impressionist style. I also liked how he painted the woman from behind, as if she doesn't know he is there, which showcases the Impressionist style of capturing a quick moment, as if he took a picture just as she leaned against the branch. It has a dream-like quality which I like. Another painting by Singer, which is slightly different in composition, is Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth, 1889, pictured below on the left. 

Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth, 1889 by John Singer Sargent

The Impressionist style shown here is that of capturing a moment, an impression of Ellen Terry in the midst of performing. Looking at how she has her hands raised high, the impression is one of the movement of the act. She is placing the crown upon her head, majestically. He uses this same style in many of his portraits, where you will find his subjects posing for the painting as if in motion, or caught in the act of a movement. I can see some Pre-Raphaelite influence from him because this painting reminds me of the painting Ophelia by John Everett Millais, not just because of its similar Shakespearean theme, but also the similar colors and movement it possesses. The greens in both, especially, are vibrant and warm. The theme of antiquity, mythology and biblical themes found prevalent in the Pre-Raphaelite movement is not really seen with Sargent, but I think the similarities are his use of colors.

Ophelia, 1851 by John Everett Millais

Bedouins, 1905-06 by John Singer Sargent

 Another painting that shows the versatility of Singer's Impressionistic style is the Bedouins, 1905-06, pictured on the right. The difference between this painting and that of the other two examples is he used watercolors instead of oil-based paints. This allows for a more visible loose brush stroke style, and shows the contrast of the lighter colors from the darker ones. He is quoted as describing the use of water colors as "an act of making the best of an impending disaster" ("Paul Cezanne's Approach to Watercolors"). Watercolors had to be used quickly, the individual brush strokes and colors so vibrant and loose that every stroke was distinguishable from the last. The absence of color, in other words, the white of the paper was utilized as a contrasting factor to the colors used.

Post Impressionism

My feelings on Post-Impressionism is that I do not care for the way they are painted. I find them to be too simple for my taste, especially the focused used on shapes to distort form and opening up the picture to a more personal interpretation. I find my dislike to these Post-Impressionist painters funny when compared to the sentiments of landscape painter and art teacher Joseph Vincent on his initial "impression" of Renoir's The Dancer, quoted in the french magazine Clarivari as saying, "What a pity-that the painter, who has a certain understanding of color, doesn't draw better; his dancer's legs are as cottony as the gauze of her skirts" ("How the impressionists got their name").

The Dancer, 1874 by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

 I feel the same when I look upon some of the Post-Impressionist work that Vincent did looking upon Impressionist work for the first time. For me, the colors are too primary, there is no discern-able hues showing deeper lines and the plays of lights and shadows. An example of one painting I do not care for is The Yellow Christ by Paul Gauguin.

The Yellow Christ, 1889 by Paul Gauguin

Though the level of skill needed for Gauguin to paint this might have been seen as high at an artistic level, when I look upon this painting I don't see it. I see a child's painting, and that might be why I prefer Impressionism over Post-Impressionism. However, I will say that I do like some of the paintings done by George Seurat.

Bathers at Asnières, 1883-84 by George Seurat

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of la Grand Jatte, 1886 by George Seurat

Though the subject matter is depicted simply, with no distinct facial features or lines, his use of color and the style in which he applied it to the canvas appeals to me. Its simplistically, yet artistically, done. I can see individual layers of colors and how it blends together, almost in a pixelated fashion.

Aesthetics

I think my personal aesthetic taste prefers artworks with depth, colors, and detailed lines and features. Sargent's use of colors in both oils and watercolors and the way he provides motion to his subjects, Renoir's soft mix of colors and hues, and George Seurat's ability to use colors and extremely tiny brushstrokes to create crisp lines all show a difficult skill of workmanship. One of the modern works I researched was similar to the Post-Impressionist movement because of its use of shapes and short strokes, which is used by just a palette knife instead of a brush.

City by the Lake, Boca Raton n.d., Leonid Afremov

I find these colors in City by the Lake, by Leonid Afremov, to be reminiscent of the watercolor picture of the Bedouins by Sargent. You can see the sharp square strokes of the knife, and how the images are strongly defined against the canvas. Breathtaking.

Works Cited

"Bathers at Asnières." georgeseurat.org. georgeseurat.org. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. http://www.georgesseurat.org/Bathers-At-Asnieres-1883-84-large.html 

"Bedouins." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 May 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bedouins_John_Singer_Sargent.jpeg

"City by the Lake." afremov.com. afremov.com. 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. http://afremov.com/CITY-BY-THE-LAKE-PALETTE-KNIFE-Oil-Painting-On-Canvas-By-Leonid-Afremov-Size-30-x40.html

"Dans les oliviers." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Dec. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dans_les_oliviers.jpg

"Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Nov. 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ellen_Terry_as_Lady_Macbeth.jpg 

"How Impressionists got their name." khanacademy.org. Khan Academy, 8 May 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/avant-garde-france/impressionism/a/how-the-impressionists-got-their-name

"Impressionism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism

"Ophelia." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Jan. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Everett_Millais_-_Ophelia_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

"Paul Cézanne's Approach to Watercolor." khanacademy.org. Khan Academy, 8 May 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/avant-garde-france/post-impressionism/v/paul-cezanne-approach-watercolor

"Sunday Afternoon on the Island of la Grand Jatte." georgeseurat.org. georgeseurat.org. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. http://www.georgesseurat.org/Sunday-Afternoon-on-the-Island-of-la-Grande-Jatte--1886.html

"The Dancer." National Gallery of Art. NGA.gov, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. https://images.nga.gov/en/search/do_quick_search.html?q=%221942.9.72%22

"The Yellow Christ." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gauguin#/media/File:Gauguin_Il_Cristo_giallo.jpg