Tag: survey 6

Survey 6: Impressionism and Post Impressionism – Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 – 1919)

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The Umbrellas, 1881.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born February 25th, 1841 in Limoges, France. He attended the École des Beaux-Arts and at the studio of Charles Gleyre in 1862. Using these traditional classes as a foundation, he began to experiment with his art after meeting peers that shared his discontent with traditional art. He painted in the forest of Fontainebleau with his peers Claude Monet, Frédéric Bazille, and Alfred Sisley, where they developed their impressionist style. Inspired by the works of Gustave Courbet, Renoir worked on his most notable works, which were portraits and nudes of women. Alongside Monet in 1874, he created an independent artist’s society called The Impressionists, where those rejected by the Salon could exhibit their work. Although, in 1878 Renoir decided that Impressionism was not permanent like the works of old masters, and he left the exhibition to develop his work. This caused his figures to become more distinct, while the background kept its impressionist style.

In his earlier years, Renoir’s portraits seem to have very striking eyes. He gives the pupil and iris a very bold colour compared to the rest of his piece which is softer and more blended. It is interesting that following his study of old masters that his portraits no longer seem to face the viewer with their bold eyes, and their faces are less flat than they previously were. For example, The figures in The Umbrellas compared to the figure in the Dancing Girl with Castanets have much flatter faces and expressions but their eyes immediately catch your attention.

Portrait of Alphonsine Fournaise, 1879.
Two Young Girls at the Piano, 1892.
Reclining Nude, 1883.
Dancing Girl with Castanets, 1909.
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Rise of Colour: Alphonse Mucha’s Art Nouveau Posters (1895 – 1905)

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Zodiac Calendar, Alphonse Mucha, 1896.

Colour printing in the late 19th century was cheaper and easier to mass-produce. This meant that the use of colour in advertisements was suddenly much more common throughout the industry, and in turn it allowed artists and designers to utilize colour more thoughtfully in their work. Combined with a desire to bring art away from the exhibitons and into daily life, bold and colourful designs began to surface in the Art Nouveau movement.

WHO WAS ALPHONSE MUCHA?

Alphonse Mucha was an Austrian designer born on July 24, 1860. He designed costumes, sets, and posters for theatre which allowed is unique approach to poster design to take Art Nouveau to the next level. His work was strongly influenced by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his paintings which subjects were often women.

Lady Lilith, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1873.
HOW WAS COLOUR USED?

The invention of chromolithography allowed designers to make their work colourful and attractive to the eye. Art Nouveau used many colours found in nature because the common motifs used in the style were flowers, organic patterns, and women. The most commonly used colours were mustard yellow, dark red, olive, pink, and brown, and the warm colours created an approachable and idyllic appearance for consumers to want to buy a company’s products. The outlines of the art were often done in brown rather than a harsh black. Light shades of blue and green were often used in the background to contrast with the female figure in the foreground.

HOW DID MUCHA DIFFER FROM OTHER DESIGNERS AT THE TIME?

While other designers used bold and eye catching colours, Mucha stood out from the rest by using pastel colours instead. His work was also heavily influenced by Japanese prints, he copied the long vertical scroll formatting for many of his posters. His work is also timeless, the posters are still admired above others because of his unique pastel and idyllic designs.

Gismonda, Alphonse Mucha, 1894.
Rêverie, Alphonse Mucha, 1897.
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