Famous impressionist. How does Russian impressionism in painting differ from French?

Impressionism is an art movement that emerged in the second half of the 19th century. His main goal there was a transmission of fleeting, changeable impressions.

The emergence of impressionism is associated with science: with the latest discoveries in optics and color theory.

This trend affected almost all types of art, but it was most clearly manifested in painting, where the transmission of color and light was the basis of the work of impressionist artists.

Meaning of the term

Impressionism(French Impressionnisme) from impression - impression). This style of painting appeared in France in the late 1860s. He was represented by Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Berthe Morisot, Alfred Sisley, Jean Frederic Bazille. But the term itself appeared in 1874, when Monet’s painting “Impression. Rising Sun"(1872). In the title of the painting, Monet meant that he was conveying only his fleeting impression of the landscape.

K. Monet “Impression. Sunrise" (1872). Marmottan-Monet Museum, Paris
Later, the term “impressionism” in painting began to be understood more broadly: a careful study of nature in terms of color and lighting. The goal of the impressionists was to depict instantaneous, seemingly “random” situations and movements. To do this, they used various techniques: complex angles, asymmetry, fragmentary compositions. For impressionist artists, a painting becomes a frozen moment of a constantly changing world.

Impressionist artistic method

The most popular genres of impressionists are landscapes and scenes from city life. They were always painted “in the open air”, i.e. directly from nature, in nature, without sketches or preliminary sketches. The Impressionists noticed and were able to convey colors and shades on canvas that were usually invisible with the naked eye and an inattentive spectator. For example, transfer of blue color in the shadows or pink - at sunset. They decomposed complex tones into their constituent pure colors of the spectrum. This made their paintings appear bright and vibrant. Impressionist artists applied paints in separate strokes, in a free and even careless manner, so their paintings are best viewed from a distance - it is with this view that the effect of living flickering of colors is created.
The Impressionists abandoned the contour, replacing it with small, separate and contrasting strokes.
C. Pissarro, A. Sisley and C. Monet preferred landscapes and city scenes. O. Renoir loved to depict people in the lap of nature or in the interior. French impressionism did not raise philosophical and social problems. They did not turn to biblical, literary, mythological, historical subjects that were inherent in official academicism. Instead on paintings an image of everyday life and modernity appeared; an image of people in motion, while relaxing or having fun. Their main subjects are flirting, dancing, people in cafes and theaters, boat rides, beaches and gardens.
The impressionists tried to capture a fleeting impression, the smallest changes in each object depending on the lighting and time of day. In this regard, Monet’s cycles of paintings “Haystacks”, “Rouen Cathedral” and “Parliament of London” can be considered the highest achievement.

C. Monet “The Cathedral of Rouen in the Sun” (1894). Orsay Museum, Paris, France
“Rouen Cathedral” is a cycle of 30 paintings by Claude Monet, which represent views of the cathedral depending on the time of day, year and lighting. This cycle was painted by the artist in the 1890s. The cathedral allowed him to show the relationship between the constant, solid structure of the building and the changing, easily playing light that changes our perception. Monet concentrates on individual fragments of the Gothic cathedral and selects the portal, the tower of St. Martin and the tower of Alban. He is solely interested in the play of light on the stone.

K. Monet “Rouen Cathedral, Western Portal, Foggy Weather” (1892). Orsay Museum, Paris

K. Monet “Rouen Cathedral, portal and tower, morning effect; white harmony" (1892-1893). Orsay Museum, Paris

K. Monet “Rouen Cathedral, portal and tower in the sun, harmony of blue and gold” (1892-1893). Orsay Museum, Paris
Following France, impressionist artists appeared in England and the USA (James Whistler), in Germany (Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth), in Spain (Joaquin Sorolla), in Russia (Konstantin Korovin, Valentin Serov, Igor Grabar).

About the work of some impressionist artists

Claude Monet (1840-1926)

Claude Monet, photograph 1899
French painter, one of the founders of impressionism. Born in Paris. He was fond of drawing since childhood, and at the age of 15 he showed himself to be a talented caricaturist. TO landscape painting it was introduced by Eugene Boudin, a French artist, a predecessor of impressionism. Later, Monet entered the university at the Faculty of Arts, but became disillusioned and left it, enrolling in the painting studio of Charles Gleyre. In the studio he met the artists Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Frédéric Bazille. They were practically peers, held similar views on art, and soon formed the backbone of the impressionist group.
Monet became famous for his portrait of Camille Doncieux, painted in 1866 (“Camille, or Portrait of a Lady in a Green Dress”). Camilla became the artist's wife in 1870.

C. Monet “Camille” (“Lady in Green”) (1866). Kunsthalle, Bremen

C. Monet “Walk: Camille Monet with her son Jean (Woman with an Umbrella)” (1875). National Gallery of Art, Washington
In 1912, doctors diagnosed C. Monet with double cataracts, and he had to undergo two operations. Having lost the lens in his left eye, Monet regained his sight, but began to see ultraviolet light as blue or purple, causing his paintings to take on new colors. For example, when painting the famous “Water Lilies,” Monet saw the lilies as bluish in the ultraviolet range; to other people they were simply white.

C. Monet “Water Lilies”
The artist died on December 5, 1926 in Giverny and was buried in the local church cemetery.

Camille Pissarro (1830-1903)

C. Pissarro “Self-Portrait” (1873)

French painter, one of the first and most consistent representatives of impressionism.
Born on the island of St. Thomas (West Indies), in a bourgeois family of a Sephardic Jew and a native of the Dominican Republic. He lived in the West Indies until he was 12 years old, and at the age of 25 he and his entire family moved to Paris. I studied at school here fine arts and at the Suisse Academy. His teachers were Camille Corot, Gustave Courbet and Charles-François Daubigny. Started with rural landscapes and views of Paris. Pissarro provided strong influence on the Impressionists, independently developing many of the principles that formed the basis of their painting style. He was friends with the artists Degas, Cezanne and Gauguin. Pizarro was the only participant all 8 impressionist exhibitions.
He died in 1903 in Paris. He was buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery.
Already in early works the artist paid special attention to the depiction of illuminated objects in the air. Light and air have since become the leading theme in Pissarro's work.

C. Pissarro “Boulevard Montmartre. Afternoon, sunny" (1897)
in 1890, Pizarro became interested in the technique of pointillism (separate application of strokes). But after a while he returned to his usual manner.
IN last years During his life, Camille Pissarro's vision noticeably deteriorated. But he continued his work and created a series of views of Paris, filled with artistic emotions.

C. Pissarro “Street in Rouen”
The unusual angle of some of his paintings is explained by the fact that the artist painted them from hotel rooms. This series became one of highest achievements impressionism in the transmission of light and atmospheric effects.
Pissarro also painted in watercolors and created a series of etchings and lithographs.
Here are a few of him interesting statements about the art of impressionism: “The Impressionists are on the right track, their art is healthy, it is based on sensations and it is honest.”
“Happy is he who can see the beauty in ordinary things, where others see nothing!”

C. Pissarro “The First Frost” (1873)

Russian impressionism

Russian impressionism developed from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. It was influenced by the work of the French impressionists. But Russian impressionism has a pronounced national specifics and in many ways does not coincide with textbook ideas about classical French impressionism. In the painting of Russian impressionists, objectivity and materiality prevail. It is more loaded with meaning and less dynamic. Russian impressionism is closer than French to realism. The French impressionists focused on the impression of what they saw, and the Russians also added a display internal state artist. The work had to be completed in one session.
A certain incompleteness of Russian impressionism creates the “thrill of life” that was characteristic of them.
Impressionism includes the work of Russian artists: A. Arkhipov, I. Grabar, K. Korovin, F. Malyavin, N. Meshcherin, A. Murashko, V. Serov, A. Rylov and others.

V. Serov “Girl with Peaches” (1887)

This painting is considered the standard of Russian impressionism in portraiture.

Valentin Serov “Girl with Peaches” (1887). Canvas, oil. 91×85 cm. State Tretyakov Gallery
The painting was painted at the estate of Savva Ivanovich Mamontov in Abramtsevo, which he acquired from the daughter of the writer Sergei Aksakov in 1870. The portrait depicts 12-year-old Vera Mamontova. The girl is drawn sitting at a table; she is wearing a pink blouse with a dark blue bow; there is a knife, peaches and leaves on the table.
“All I was striving for was freshness, that special freshness that you always feel in nature and don’t see in paintings. I painted for more than a month and exhausted her, poor thing, to death; I really wanted to preserve the freshness of the painting while being completely complete, just like the old masters” (V. Serov).

Impressionism in other forms of art

In literature

In literature, impressionism as a separate movement did not develop, but its features were reflected in naturalism And symbolism .

Edmond and Jules Goncourt. Photo
Principles naturalism can be traced in the novels of the Goncourt brothers and George Eliot. But Emile Zola was the first to use the term “naturalism” to refer to his own work. The writers Guy de Maupassant, Alphonse Daudet, Huysmans and Paul Alexis grouped around Zola. After the release of the collection “Medan Evenings” (1880), with frank stories about disasters Franco-Prussian War(including Maupassant’s story “Pyshka”) the name “Medan group” was assigned to them.

Emile Zola
The naturalistic principle in literature has often been criticized for its lack of artistry. For example, I. S. Turgenev wrote about one of Zola’s novels that “there is a lot of digging in chamber pots.” Gustave Flaubert was also critical of naturalism.
Zola supported friendly relations with many impressionist artists.
Symbolists used symbols, understatement, hints, mystery, enigma. The main mood captured by the symbolists was pessimism, reaching the point of despair. Everything “natural” was represented only as an “appearance” that had no independent artistic significance.
Thus, impressionism in literature was expressed by the author’s private impression, the rejection of an objective picture of reality, and the depiction of every moment. In fact, this led to the absence of plot and history, the replacement of thought with perception, and reason with instinct.

G. Courbet “Portrait of P. Verlaine” (circa 1866)
A striking example of poetic impressionism is Paul Verlaine’s collection “Romances without Words” (1874). In Russia, Konstantin Balmont and Innokenty Annensky experienced the influence of impressionism.

V. Serov “Portrait of K. Balmont” (1905)

Innokenty Annensky. Photo
These sentiments also affected dramaturgy. The plays contain a passive perception of the world, analysis of moods and mental states. The dialogues concentrate fleeting, scattered impressions. These features are characteristic of the work of Arthur Schnitzler.

In music

Musical impressionism developed in France in the last quarter XIX V. – early 20th century He expressed himself most clearly in the works of Erik Satie, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.

Erik Satie
Musical impressionism is close to impressionism in French painting. They not only have common roots, but also cause-and-effect relationships. Impressionist composers sought and found not only analogies, but also expressive means in the works of Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Puvis de Chavannes and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Of course, the means of painting and means musical art can be connected with each other only with the help of special, subtle associative parallels that exist only in consciousness. Looking at the blurry image of Paris "in autumn rain” and the same sounds, “muffled by the noise of falling drops,” then here we can only talk about the property artistic image, but not the real image.

Claude Debussy
Debussy writes “Clouds”, “Prints” (the most figurative of which, a watercolor sound sketch - “Gardens in the Rain”), “Images”, “Reflections on the Water”, which evoke direct associations with the famous painting by Claude Monet “Impression: Sunrise” " According to Mallarmé, impressionist composers learned to “hear light,” to convey in sounds the movement of water, the vibration of leaves, the blowing of wind and the refraction of sunlight in the evening air.

Maurice Ravel
Direct connections between painting and music exist in M. Ravel in his sound-visual “Play of Water”, the cycle of plays “Reflections”, and the piano collection “Rustles of the Night”.
The Impressionists created works of refined art that were at the same time clear in their means of expression, emotionally restrained, conflict-free and strict in style.

In sculpture

O. Rodin “The Kiss”

Impressionism in sculpture was expressed in the free plasticity of soft forms, which creates challenging game light on the surface of the material and a feeling of incompleteness. The poses of the sculptural characters capture the moment of movement and development.

O. Rodin. Photo from 1891
This direction includes sculptural works by O. Rodin (France), Medardo Rosso (Italy), P.P. Trubetskoy (Russia).

V. Serov “Portrait of Paolo Trubetskoy”

Pavel (Paolo) Trubetskoy(1866-1938) – sculptor and artist, worked in Italy, USA, England, Russia and France. Born in Italy. Illegitimate son Russian emigrant, Prince Pyotr Petrovich Trubetskoy.
Since childhood, I have been independently engaged in sculpture and painting. He had no education. In the initial period of his creativity, he created portrait busts, works of small sculpture, and participated in competitions for the creation of large sculptures.

P. Trubetskoy “Monument Alexander III", Saint Petersburg
The first exhibition of works by Paolo Trubetskoy took place in the USA in 1886. In 1899, the sculptor came to Russia. Takes part in a competition to create a monument to Alexander III and, unexpectedly for everyone, receives first prize. This monument has caused and continues to cause conflicting assessments. It is difficult to imagine a more static and ponderous monument. And only a positive assessment of the imperial family allowed the monument to take its appropriate place - in the sculptural image they found similarities with the original.
Critics believed that Trubetskoy worked in the spirit of “outdated impressionism.”

Trubetskoy’s image of the brilliant Russian writer turned out to be more “impressionistic”: there is clearly movement here - in the folds of the shirt, the flowing beard, the turn of the head, there is even a feeling that the sculptor managed to capture the tension of L. Tolstoy’s thought.

P. Trubetskoy “Bust of Leo Tolstoy” (bronze). State Tretyakov Gallery

Bold strokes, bright colors, everyday scenes life, candid poses and, most importantly, an accurate description of the light... Just a small fraction of the characteristics of one of the most popular artistic movements. Impressionism appeared in France in the mid-19th century. Before its emergence, authors usually created still lifes, portraits and even landscapes in their studios. The first impressionists broke traditional canons and literally went out into the fields - they began to create in the open air, capturing realistic scenes of contemporary life. Although Impressionism was initially heavily criticized, it soon led to a similar movement in music and literature. We invite you to admire the most famous paintings of this revolutionary movement in art.

Bar at the Folies Bergere, Edouard Manet, 1882

Manet's last major work and simply greatest work art. The canvas depicts the famous cabaret of Paris, which the artist himself often visited. To convey the atmosphere of the period and make the scene more complex, he depicted a mirror in the background, which reflects the huge number of people filling the room. Opposite the crowd and the viewer, in contrast, behind the counter stands a lonely barmaid, absorbed in her own thoughts. One of the researchers of Manet’s work notes that the oranges in the painting are direct evidence that we're talking about about a prostitute. The date and signature of Manet himself is displayed on the label of one of the bottles, which is in the lower left corner.

Professionals call Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies” series nothing more than “ Sistine Chapel impressionism". The cycle consists of approximately 250 paintings that were created by the artist during the last thirty years of his life on the site of his house in Giverny. Today they are exhibited in museums around the world. It is amazing that Monet wrote most of them when he suffered from cataracts and lost his left lens.

Ball at the Moulin de la Galette, Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1876

The famous masterpiece of impressionism is often characterized by art historians as “the most beautiful artistic canvas of the 19th century.” The painting depicts a typical Sunday afternoon at the Moulin de la Galette in Montmartre. Under open air Renoir painted a dance floor and a cafe near his home - the artist liked to watch happy, graceful couples. For him it was an ideal environment for creativity. “Ball at the Moulin de la Galette” is a skillful group portrait, still life and landscape at the same time. In addition, this is Renoir’s most ambitious work: never before had the artist depicted aspects Everyday life on a canvas of this scale - 131x175 cm. The smaller version of the painting is among the ten most expensive works of art sold.

Impression. Rising Sun, Claude Monet, 1872

An iconic painting that gave its name to the entire artistic movement (from the French impression - “impression”) and became its quintessence. Initially, the canvas created by Monet in the port of Le Havre was torn to smithereens by critics, and the term “impressionism” arose in a satirical review by journalist Louis Leroy, who wrote: “Wallpaper, even those would have looked finished, not like this “Impression”!” Interesting detail: If you make a black and white copy of this piece, the sun will disappear almost completely.

Luncheon on the Grass, Edouard Manet, 1862-1863

The scene, depicting a naked woman having lunch with two fully clothed men, was initially considered an insult - the artist was accused of decadence and bad taste. The film was not allowed to participate in the Paris Salon. It was truly a bold statement in favor of the artist's personal freedom.

Parisian street on a rainy day, Gustave Caillebotte, 1877

It is considered one of the most celebrated works about city life in the 19th century. The painting depicts Dublin Square near its intersection with Moscow Street near the Paris Saint-Lazare train station. The lantern pole and the horizon line seem to divide the picture into four quadrants. All the people here are moving in different directions, as if emphasizing their impersonality, isolation, loneliness in a developing city. In addition, Caillebotte masterfully conveys the feeling of rain with the help of lighting and the absence of strong shadows on the street.

Luncheon of the Rowers, Pierre Auguste Renoir

Luncheon of the Rowers, Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1880-1881

Romanticized portrait of Renoir's friends enjoying an evening on a balcony along the Seine River. Among the people in the picture you can see the future wife of the author (model Alina Sharigo - a lady with a dog), and another famous impressionist- Gustave Caillebotte (on the right in a straw hat). The painting represents the changing nature of French society at the end of the 19th century as a result of the Industrial Revolution.

Pont Boieldieu in Rouen on a rainy day, Camille Pizarro, 1896

This famous painting Degas is an artistic representation of social isolation in Paris during a period of rapid growth. The painting depicts a woman who indifferently looks at the glass of absinthe in front of her, and clearly not the first. Next to her sits a man who looks like an alcoholic. In fact, the roles of the “humiliated and insulted” characters were played by the artist Marcelin Deboutin and the actress Ellen Andre. At first, critics were shocked by the atmosphere of degradation and decadence that reigned on the canvas. And some saw this as a warning against excessive alcohol consumption.

Parquet workers, Gustave Caillebotte, 1875

One of the first paintings depicting the urban working class. Caillebotte illustrates an abiding interest in everyday life. Notice how accurately the artist captured the light coming through the window and the shadows. The painting is as realistic as a photograph, but nevertheless was rejected by the most prestigious art exhibitions and salons: depictions of half-naked working-class men were considered "vulgar subject matter".

Impressionism

is the newspaper of the soul.

Henri Matisse.

Impressionism is a movement in painting that arose and developed in France in the second half of the 19th century - the first quarter of the 20th century. It was art school, which put in the foreground “to convey impressions, but in such a way that it is perceived as something material.” The task of the impressionist artist was to depict his own feelings from objects.

It is well known that the very word “impressionism” in relation to artists was first used by the journalist Louis Leroy, who was inspired by the title of a painting by Claude Monet “ Impression. Sunrise", where the port of Le Havre is depicted in the bluish pre-dawn haze.

The painting is in the Marmottan-Monet Museum in Paris. There are more than three hundred paintings by the Impressionists and Neo-Impressionists, which means that once you visit the museum, you will come away with some understanding of the ideas of Impressionism. And you can continue at the Musée d’Orsay, whose collection is the envy of many.

Impressionist artists transferred onto their canvases only their perception of reality and its various manifestations, and not what they knew: for example, the earth in their paintings could be purple, lilac, blue, pink or orange, but never black or dark brown.

Impressionism, so criticized by its contemporaries, was appreciated fifty years later, and today the Impressionists are considered and appreciated as masterpieces of world painting. We present to your attention the most memorable representatives of impressionism.

Renoir, Pierre Auguste (1841 - 1919).

Art critics say that Renoir’s important achievement was the use of the theory of the impressionists and their technique not only when painting landscapes and still lifes or people in the open air, but also when painting nude models and portraits.

Renoir often turned to the image of a naked female body. He conveyed the play of light and sun on the skin, which seemed alive in his paintings. He wrote nudes female body, with frozen drops of water, pearlescent sparkling skin, pink, tanned, and at the end of life - orange, shimmering in the fire of the sun's rays.

Renoir rejected all theories, saying: “ Theories do not help paint a good picture; most often they are used to cover up the lack of expressive means».

It is interesting that Renoir's first works were made in a realistic manner. For example, “Diana the Huntress” and “Mother Anthony’s Tavern”.

Renoir was friends with Monet, an impressionist artist, who will be discussed below. This friendship, in fact, led to the fact that Renoir would use the Impressionist technique.

However, art critics and painting historians draw attention to the fact that, following the example of the Impressionists, Renoir refuses dark tones, but from time to time he still makes small inclusions in his paintings. Among the works of this period, first of all, one can name “Pont Neuf”, “Grand Boulevards”, “Pathway among the Tall Grass”.

The artist, suffering from attacks of rheumatism, spent the last years of his life in the south of France in Cagnes-sur-Mer at the Colette estate. Works of this period, from 1903 to 1919. permeated with sensuality, Renoir’s canvases are dominated by warm colors - pink, red, orange.

The influence of the masters of the past is very noticeable - Rubens Boucher and others. For example, “ Judgment of Paris», « Bather wiping her foot" The best and last job The painting “Bathers”, painted in 1918, is considered. Today his estate, in the shade of an olive and orange grove, is open to visitors. You can look into the living room and dining room, go upstairs to the artist’s bedroom, which preserves the atmosphere of his last days: wheelchair, easel and brushes. On one of the walls in his wife’s room hangs a photograph of Renoir’s son Pierre, and from the window there is an amazing view of Antibes and Hautes Cannes.

Thanks to French cinema, you can immerse yourself in the last period of Auguste Renoir's life, meet his son and see the struggle of art with harsh reality. In March, the film by French director Gilles Bourdot “Renoir: Last Love” will be released on wide screens. The artist is just finishing “Bathers”.

Cote d'Azur, great artist, his muse... the French are masters of their craft, and the opportunity to actually see with your own eyes a great master at work, and then see the result of his work, is worth a lot. It was this picture that closed the last Cannes Film Festival.

Monet Claude (1840 - 1926).

Claude Monet called the father of impressionism. Future artist was born in Paris, but his childhood and youth were spent in the north of France, in the city of Le Havre. Big influence Monet was influenced by Eugene Boudin, a French artist considered the forerunner of Impressionism. It was he who taught him to work in the open air (in the lane, in the open air).

Cezanne said: " Monet is just an eye, but what an eye!» It’s hard to argue and not fall in love with the Parisian streets, coastlines and landscapes of Normandy, on Monet’s canvases.

His famous painting “Breakfast on the Grass” was painted in 1863. in the village of Chailly-en-Bières, located on the outskirts of the Fontainebleau forest; its central part, damaged by dampness and cut out by the author, is kept in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, and a repetition of the painting in the museum fine arts them. A. S. Pushkin in Moscow.

Autumn 1908 and 1909 the artist spent time in Venice, captivated by the charm of the city, its constantly changing reflection on the water surface of the canal. Here Monet painted Venice: The Doge's Palace and Venice: The Grand Canal. The genius Monet incredibly managed to depict the city as if covered in a light pre-dawn haze.

At sunset creative path Monet created sophisticated paintings inspired by the water lilies in the pond at his home in Giverny.

When the artist moved in 1883 in search of a quiet place in Giverny, it is unlikely that he suspected how much life would change the sleepy village in Normandy. Soon after his arrival, the city, eighty kilometers from Paris, was flooded with young artists from different parts Europe.

Nowadays, artists and art lovers in search of inspiration come to take a walk in the gardens of Giverny and visit the restored house. Therefore, if you fell in love with the beautiful paintings of Monet in the d'Orsay, Marmottan and Orangerie museums, then Giverny will be in first place on your must-see list.

Sisley Alfred (1839 - 1899).

Being an impressionist Sisley He paid particular attention to conveying nuances and sensations. He loved to paint the water surface, sky, fog, snow. “The painting needs to evoke in the viewer the same feelings that overwhelmed the artist when he looked at this landscape,” said Sisley.

Notice how light, almost weightless the houses, the surface of the water with light ripples, the pastel sky and the foliage of the trees seem. His paintings, written with thin, airy strokes, set the mood for a poetic, romantic mood.

A significant collection of the artist’s paintings is in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Don't ignore it when you're in the capital of France. You'll enjoy not only Sisley's work, but also paintings by other Impressionist artists on display at this museum on the banks of the Seine.

Pissarro Camille (1830 - 1903).

Art critics write that if Claude Monet and Sisley most loved to imagine water and changing reflections on its surface in their paintings, then Pissaro gave preference to land. His art is free from fleeting impressions - everything about it is more thorough. Notice how often scenes from rural life. The artist used it this way color scheme that when studying his paintings, it seems as if they are filled with light from within. Pissarro loved to paint orchards and fields, amazingly conveying the changes of nature.

Pissarro knew Monet, with whom they loved to paint together in the vicinity of Paris. “Gare Saint-Lazare”, “Pavilion of Flore and Pont Royal”, “Place de Comedie-Française”, “View of the Louvre, Seine and Pont Neuf” were written here.

Cezanne called him “modest and great”, quite deservedly, what do you think?

Seurat Georges (1859 - 1891).

One of Seurat's characteristic features was the desire to bring a fresh spirit to impressionism.

His work - both drawings and paintings - is based on the theory of contrasts. The most famous painting, of course, is familiar to you, this is the masterpiece “Sunday Stroll on the Island of La La Grande Jatte,” kept at the Art Institute of Chicago. This painting became an expression of new trends in art, an expression of the ideas of neo-impressionism. A feeling of complete peace was achieved by combining cold and warm tones, light and shadow.

“Cancan,” a no less famous painting by the artist, on the contrary, conveys a feeling of joy and movement, using warm shades and bright colors.

I would like to end with the words of Claude Monet “ People discuss my art and pretend to understand as if it were necessary to understand, when it"s simply necessary to love ». ( People discuss my paintings, trying to understand. Why do you need to understand if you can just love??)

Impressionism is a movement in art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The birthplace of the new direction of painting is France. Naturalness, new methods of conveying reality, and ideas of style attracted artists from Europe and America.

Impressionism developed in painting, music, literature, thanks to famous masters– for example, Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro. Artistic techniques, used for painting, make the canvases recognizable and original.

Impression

The term "impressionism" initially had a disparaging connotation. Critics used this concept to refer to the creativity of representatives of the style. The concept first appeared in the magazine “Le Charivari” - in a feuilleton about the “Salon of the Rejected” “Exhibition of the Impressionists”. The basis was the work of Claude Monet “Impression. Rising Sun". Gradually, the term took root among painters and acquired a different connotation. The essence of the concept itself has no specific meaning or content. Researchers note that the methods used by Claude Monet and other impressionists took place in the work of Velazquez and Titian.

One of the largest movements in art of the last decades of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth is impressionism, which spread throughout the world from France. Its representatives were engaged in the development of such methods and techniques of painting that would make it possible to most vividly and naturally reflect real world in dynamics, to convey fleeting impressions of him.

Many artists created their canvases in the style of impressionism, but the founders of the movement were Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, Edgar Degas, Frederic Basil, Camille Pissarro. It is impossible to name their best works, since they are all beautiful, but there are the most famous ones, and they will be discussed further.

Claude Monet: “Impression. Rising Sun"

The canvas with which you should start a conversation about the best paintings of the Impressionists. Claude Monet painted it in 1872 from life in the old port of Le Havre, France. Two years later, the painting was first shown to the public in the former studio of the French artist and caricaturist Nadar. This exhibition became fateful for the art world. Impressed (not at all) in the best sense) by Monet, whose title in the original language sounds like “Impression, soleil levant,” journalist Louis Leroy first coined the term “impressionism,” denoting a new direction in painting.

The painting was stolen in 1985 along with works by O. Renoir and B. Morisot. It was discovered five years later. Currently “Impression. The Rising Sun" belongs to the Marmottan-Monet Museum in Paris.

Edouard Monet: "Olympia"

Painting "Olympia" created by French impressionist Edouard Manet in 1863, is one of the masterpieces of modern painting. It was first presented at the Paris Salon in 1865. Impressionist artists and their paintings often found themselves in the center high-profile scandals. However, Olympia caused the largest of them in the history of art.

On the canvas we see a naked woman, her face and body facing the audience. The second character is a dark-skinned maid holding a luxurious bouquet wrapped in paper. At the foot of the bed there is a black kitten in a characteristic pose with an arched back. Not much is known about the history of the painting; only two sketches have reached us. The model was most likely Manet's favorite model, Quiz Meunard. There is an opinion that the artist used the image of Marguerite Bellanger, Napoleon's mistress.

During the period of creativity when Olympia was created, Manet was fascinated Japanese art, and therefore deliberately refused to work out the nuances of dark and light. Because of this, his contemporaries did not see the volume of the depicted figure and considered it flat and rough. The artist was accused of immorality and vulgarity. Never before have Impressionist paintings caused such excitement and mockery from the crowd. The administration was forced to place guards around her. Degas compared Manet's fame gained through Olympia and the courage with which he accepted criticism with the life story of Garibaldi.

For almost a quarter of a century after the exhibition, the canvas was kept out of reach of prying eyes by the artist’s studio. Then it was exhibited again in Paris in 1889. It was almost bought, but the artist’s friends collected the required amount and bought “Olympia” from Manet’s widow, and then donated it to the state. Now the painting belongs to the Orsay Museum in Paris.

Auguste Renoir: "Great Bathers"

The picture is painted French artist in 1884-1887 Taking into account all the currently known Impressionist paintings between 1863 and the beginning of the twentieth century, "Great Bathers" is called the largest painting of nudes. female figures. Renoir worked on it for more than three years, and during this period many sketches and sketches were created. There was no other painting in his work that he devoted so much time to.

On foreground the viewer sees three naked women, two of whom are on the shore, and the third is standing in the water. The figures are painted very realistically and clearly, which is a characteristic feature of the artist’s style. Renoir's models were Alina Sharigo (his future wife) and Suzanne Valadon, who in the future became a famous artist herself.

Edgar Degas: "Blue Dancers"

Not all famous Impressionist paintings listed in the article were painted in oil on canvas. The photo above allows you to understand what the painting “Blue Dancers” represents. It was made in pastel on a paper sheet measuring 65x65 cm and belongs to late period creativity of the artist (1897). He painted it with already impaired vision, so paramount importance is attached to decorative organization: the image is perceived as large spots of color, especially when viewed close up. The theme of dancers was close to Degas. It was repeated many times in his work. Many critics believe that in terms of the harmony of color and composition, “Blue Dancers” can be considered the artist’s best work in history. this topic. Currently, the painting is kept in the Museum of Art. A. S. Pushkin in Moscow.

Frédéric Bazille: "Pink Dress"

One of the founders French impressionism Frédéric Bazille was born into a bourgeois family of a wealthy winemaker. While still studying at the Lyceum, he began to become interested in painting. Having moved to Paris, he made acquaintance with C. Monet and O. Renoir. Unfortunately, the artist was destined for a short life path. He died at the age of 28 at the front during the Franco-Prussian War. However, his paintings, albeit few in number, are rightfully included in the list of “ Best paintings Impressionists." One of them is “Pink Dress,” painted in 1864. By all indications, the canvas can be attributed to early impressionism: color contrasts, attention to color, sunlight and a frozen moment, the very thing that was called “impression.” One of the artist’s cousins, Teresa de Hors, acted as a model. The painting currently belongs to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

Camille Pissarro: “Boulevard Montmartre. Afternoon, sunny"

Camille Pissarro became famous thanks to his landscapes, characteristic feature which is the drawing of light and illuminated objects. His works had a significant influence on the genre of impressionism. The artist independently developed many of his inherent principles, which formed the basis for his future creativity.

Pissarro loved to write the same passage in different time days. He has a whole series of canvases with Parisian boulevards and streets. The most famous of them is “Boulevard Montmartre” (1897). It reflects all the charm that the artist sees in the seething and restless life of this corner of Paris. Viewing the boulevard from the same place, he shows it to the viewer on a sunny and cloudy day, in the morning, afternoon and late evening. The photo below shows the painting “Montmartre Boulevard at Night”.

This style was subsequently adopted by many artists. We will only mention which Impressionist paintings were written under the influence of Pissarro. This trend is clearly visible in Monet’s work (the “Haystacks” series of paintings).

Alfred Sisley: "Lawns in Spring"

“Lawns in Spring” is one of the latest paintings by landscape painter Alfred Sisley, painted in 1880-1881. In it, the viewer sees a forest path along the banks of the Seine with a village on the opposite bank. In the foreground is a girl - the artist's daughter Jeanne Sisley.

The artist's landscapes convey a genuine atmosphere historical region Ile-de-France and retain the special softness and transparency of natural phenomena characteristic of specific seasons. The artist was never a supporter of unusual effects and adhered to a simple composition and a limited palette of colors. Nowadays the painting is kept in National Gallery London.

We have listed the most famous Impressionist paintings (with names and descriptions). These are masterpieces of world painting. The unique style of painting, which originated in France, was initially perceived with ridicule and irony; critics emphasized the outright carelessness of the artists in painting their canvases. Now hardly anyone dares to challenge their genius. Impressionist paintings are exhibited in the most prestigious museums in the world and are a coveted exhibit for any private collection.

The style has not sunk into oblivion and has many followers. Our compatriot Andrei Kokh, French painter Laurent Parselier, Americans Diana Leonard and Karen Tarleton are famous contemporary impressionists. Their paintings were made in best traditions genre, filled with bright colors, bold strokes and life. In the photo above is the work of Laurent Parselier “In the Rays of the Sun”.