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| Impressionism
Birmingham Art Gallery has numerous, excellent examples of impressionist
artwork on show. Further investigation of these paintings would be especiallly
suited to support topics of light and colour.
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What is Impressionism?
Impressionists painted what they saw instead of focussing on detail.They didn't
use black paint and earth colours. They believed that the darkest colours in
nature were indigo, dark green or deep violet. |
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Paint primary
colours are the colours closest
to those we see in nature -
lemon yellow, magenta red and
cyan blue. By mixing these
three in pairs all the colours
of the spectrum can be made.
The Impressionists used primary,
secondary and complementary
colours to achieve the effects
of shimmering light on surfaces.
Complementary colours complete
each other - they appear opposite
each other on the colour wheel.
For example red and green are
complementaries. Their brightness
is increased when seen together
and can create a dazzle effect.
It is part of Impressionist
theory that every primary colour
has its complementary colour
in the shadow cast by it. Therefore
a yellow object will have violet
in the shadows. For example,
the violet shadows cast on
a yellow road in Guillaumin's
'Les Environs de Paris'
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History
At the beginning of the nineteenth century the annual salon in Paris, at the
Royal academy in London, held the only public exhibitions of pictures. An elderly
and old fashioned jury selected the exhibits. Artists needed to show at the
salon in order to become known enough to make a living, so this jury was very
powerful.
Discontented artists began to organise their own exhibitions. In 1874 a group
of these forward thinking artists displayed their work. It was dismissed as a
mere 'impression' by a critic - Impressionism was born! |
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Sir
George Clausen (1852
-1954), Building
the Rick (1907)
Location: Gallery 20
In the late 1870s, Clausen
visited Holland and
Paris and was converted
to
painting in the open
air. This he practised
for a time but later
composed in the studio
from open air studies
and developed a modified
Impressionist technique.
Clausen
was one of the first members of the
New English Art Club
founded in 1886. He
became a Royal Academician
and
Professor of Painting
at the R.A. Schools
in 1908.
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Armand
Guillaumin (1841-1927), Les
Environs de Paris (1874)
Location: Gallery 21
The brightness of the
colour, unfinished distinctness
of the brushstrokes and
the informality of the
composition all made
pictures like this shocking
when they were first
exhibited. They appeared
raw and unskilled, while
the views depicted were
far from conventionally
picturesque.
This scene on the outskirts of Paris shows a newly built road flanked
by saplings. It reflects the Impressionists' interest in the suburban
landscape of the Paris region, which was changing rapidly in the wake
of industrialisation. Guillaumin is one of the least well known Impressionists.
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Camille
Pissarro (1830-1903), Le
Pont Boieldieu a Rouen,
soleil
couchant (1896)
Location: Gallery 21
Pissarro was, with Monet
and Renoir, at the centre
of that movement towards
plein-air (open-air)
paintings using clearly
visible dabs of high-toned
colour to capture the
ever-changing effect
of light and weather,
which became known as
Impressionism.
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Walter Richard Sickert
(1860-1942) Dieppe Races
Location: Gallery 20
English artist Sickert was the his generation to base his style and artistic
outlook on French painting. He spent most of his time in Dieppe from 1898-1905
when he returned to England.
His working method during
this time was not entirely
Impressionist; control
of broader areas of tone
were more important than
dashes of pure colour.
He recommended a canvas
primed with grey and
varnished.
He also recommended a strong concentrated light, in the studio as well as out
of doors, since, unlike the Impressionists, he normally finished pictures in
the studio from drawings taken on the spot
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Word
Impressionism Teachers'
Notes (228 KB) or
Acrobat
Impressionism
Teachers' Notes (38.9
KB) |
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