Mastering Light and Emotion: Impressionism, Symbolism, Manet, Monet, Renoir

Impressionism: Capturing Ephemeral Reality

Impressionism seeks to capture the ephemeral reality. Artists painted en plein air (outdoors) to grasp the variations of light. Key topics included landscape scenes of nature and urban scenes. Characterized by quick, energetic brushstrokes, Impressionism explored the relationship between space, time, and light.

Characteristics of Impressionist Painting

• Composition: Diversity of frames (influenced by photography), multitude of views, and free distribution of volumes and voids.
• Color: Pure, light, and bright colors.
• Technique: Fast and loose touch, with the juxtaposition of highly saturated color patches and no distinct profiles.

Impressionism's Influence on Sculpture

The renovation of sculpture in the second half of the nineteenth century occurred under the influence of painting. Pioneers of this new direction included painters like Géricault and Daumier, with their respective forays into scale and modeling.

Symbolism: Expressing Dreams and Emotions

Pictorially, the most important features of Symbolism are the following:

Key Features of Symbolist Painting

• Color: Sometimes used to highlight strong colors and pastels by some artists, often with a blurring effect, pursuing a similar goal.
• Theme: A continued interest in the subjective and the irrational, reminiscent of Romanticism. Symbolist painters and poets did not aim to depict the external world but rather their dreams and fantasies through symbolic references.

Symbolist Themes and Artistic Goals

Symbolist painters aimed to provide visual expression to emotional experiences. They preferred color and line as essential tools to convey their ideas, often tending toward flat shapes and large areas of color, consistent with Post-Impressionism. Notable figures who fit this description include William Blake and Goya. Symbolists advocated for painting with poetic content.

Iconic Artists of the Era

Édouard Manet: Bridging Realism and Impressionism

Édouard Manet can be considered a figure straddling two worlds: Realism and Impressionism. His travels to Spain provided the opportunity to study the art of painters such as Velázquez and Goya, which definitively influenced his work.

To capture reality and its inevitable transience, Manet employed rapid brushwork and impasto. For his nudes, he did not require gods or muses, as in the Renaissance and Baroque periods, nor the subtle refinements of Ingresque lines. Instead, he presented a naked prostitute, a woman of contemporary life. Where some saw only mockery, Manet depicted modernity and authenticity.

Claude Monet: The Essence of Impressionism

Claude Monet has always been regarded as the highest representative of Impressionism. In his themes, light and color generate form. His keen eye skillfully captured light reflected everywhere: on a water surface, a snow-covered ground, or the façade of a cathedral. His favorite subjects included the sea, river scenes, and landscapes.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Sensual Impressionist

Pierre-Auguste Renoir has always been considered the most sensual representative of Impressionism. He began his artistic journey painting porcelain in a china shop in Paris. Here, he started depicting subjects that emanated sweetness and sentimentality, inherited from the Rococo period. Afterward, he went to study at Gleyre's studio, where he connected with fellow Impressionist painters such as Monet and Sisley.

Renoir possessed a vibrant and bright palette that made his Impressionist style very personal. His themes included flowers, scenes of children, and women. The sweet female nude was a subject that obsessed him; his voluptuous forms can recall Rubens, and his loose brushstrokes and high chroma evoke Titian.