Impressionism

Academic Painting and the 1863 Salon des Refuses

I get why painters and people would get tired by academic painting because of all the limitations and the fact that the paintings that were published were controlled and some refused.

The 'Salon des Refuses' is actually a clever and simple solution for that problem without causing any more. Even better because I think that more people went that to the other salon with the academics because prohibited thigs always attract more attention.

I don't really understand why Edouard Manet's paintings would be scandalous because, even if it was the first painting depicting harsh nudity or prostitutes, they lived in a society full of that.

I found very interesting the visual relation in 'A bar at the Folies-Bergere', because it must've took him a lot of thinking to accomplish such an angle and for it to be perfectly correct.

Also, I find self-referentiality and painting another paintings in the background very interesting because I think sometimes the background could be filled with hidden things or mysteries and become even more interesting than what is at the front of the painting.

The Barbizon School

Painting outside or "en plein air", in my opinion is a clever thing to do because there is much more going on and more things that could inspire the artist than in an enclosed room with low light. Also I love that melancholy feeling and I think the quieteness and serenity of painting outside is what made them do such melancholic paintings.

•  Jean-Francois Millet

His paintings about peasants working are very well made and they really do fullfil their purpose of giving the idea that the workers didn't have much dignity and were mostly sad. Except, in "The sheepfold, Moonlight", in which I think that would've been a nice place to be

• Camille Corot

For me, implied narrative is sort of annoying because it leaves you waiting for something else or for a conclusion to that hint of story you get, or to find at least something that gives a bit more meaning but they are great paintings.

• Eugene Boudin

In his paintings depicting the sea and seaside they are not like you think of the sea, all sunny and bright and happy. They are sad and not too beautiful instead.

Impressionism

• Claude Monet

I don't like impressionist paintings that much but I can see how it could've been interesting at the time to see a painting that looked completely new and wasn't a thing but only its impression using a lot of light to make the objects. I do like some of the water lillies because they are very nearly abstract but when looked closely you find the forms.

I do like Monet's painting of Venice.

• Camille Pissarro

I like Pissarro's work more than Monet's because it is closer to being the things painted and not only the impressions bordering abstraction.

• Pierre-Auguste Renoir

I love the way he uses blue colors. They way most of the things in the painting have different tones of blue and that do not contrast too much from the background but somehow they do. Seen from very close it looks like its just tones of blue fading into the next but from far away somehow the contrast works and looks very good. For example, in "Girld with a watering can", I wouldn't know she has a watering can in her hand if it didin't say in the title but once you notice it, it is clearly there.

• Women impressionists

I didn't find neither Morisot's nor Cassat's paintings interesting. Few women get to be known as painters or remembered at all, and the little few who did should've been for something more interesting or controversial in my opinion. This just makes me think that they themselves piled on to their stereotype.

• Edgar Degas

I like the cropping of paintings because in most cropped paintings it makes you wonder why, or what can't we see. Also because they are not focused on the center it takes time to find where to look or what is more important.

Impressionism in Music

• Claude Debussy 

Maybe they denied the name impressionists just because they wanted to be recognized as a completely new genre. Also for me it is difficult to imagine how a song would suggest impressions. Maybe the names but not really the songs.

• Maurice Ravel 

I think Debussy was right. He should't be discouraged about people's reaction to his music and much less change it.

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

I liked "Nocturne: Black and Gold, because when a painting is nearly abstract but it really isn't you can imagine a lot of things and find different thing which makes it more interesting but still depicting what the painter felt and wanted to say.

Impressionist Sculpture

• Medardo Rosso 

I just can't find the mother breastfeeding a baby in that scultpture but it is interesting as an abstract sculpture and also the use of light which puts him in the category of impressionist.