1. Impressionism
Europe and America, 1870 to 1900
Gardner‟s Art Through the Ages, 13e,
Chapter 31
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2. Industrialization of Europe and U.S. about 1850
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3. Goals
• Understand why the Industrial Revolution, Darwinism, Marxism
and sociopolitical changes altered ideas about the nature and
subject matter of art in the later 19th century.
• Examine the meanings of “Modernism” and “Realism”
philosophically and in the appearance of art and architecture.
• Understand the formal and content issues of the Impressionists.
• Examine experiments in materials and form in art at the turn of
the century.
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4. Impressionism
• Understand the formal elements and subject choices of the
Impressionist artists.
• Examine the Impressionists‟ interest in sensation,
impermanence, and the “fleeting moment” as it was
expressed in their art.
• Understand the importance of light and color theory in the
work of the Impressionists.
• Recognize representative Impressionist artists and works.
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5. CLAUDE MONET, Impression: Sunrise, 1872. Oil on canvas, 1‟ 7 1/2” x 2‟ 1 1/2”. Musée Marmottan, Paris. 5

6. CLAUDE MONET, Rouen Cathedral: The Portal (in Sun),
1894. Oil on canvas, 3‟ 3 1/4” x 2‟ 1 7/8”. Metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York (Theodore M. Davis Collection,
bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915).
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7. CLAUDE MONET, Saint-Lazare Train Station, 1877. Oil on canvas, 2‟ 5 3/4” x 3‟ 5”. Musée d‟Orsay, Paris.
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8. GUSTAVE CAILLEBOTTE, Paris: A Rainy Day, 1877. Oil on canvas, 6‟ 9” x 9‟ 9”. The Art Institute of Chicago,
Chicago, (Worcester Fund). 8

9. CAMILLE PISSARRO, La Place du Théâtre Français, 1898. Oil on canvas, 2‟ 4 1/2” x 3‟ 1/2”. Los Angeles County Museum
of Art, Los Angeles (the Mr. and Mrs. George Gard De Sylva Collection). 9

10. PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR, Le Moulin de la Galette, 1876. Oil on canvas, 4‟ 3” x 5‟ 8”. Musée d‟Orsay, Paris. 10

11. ÉDOUARD MANET, Bar at the Folies-Bergère, 1882. Oil on canvas, 3‟ 1” x 4‟ 3”. Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery, London.
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12. EDGAR DEGAS, Ballet Rehearsal, 1874. Oil on canvas, 1‟ 11” x 2‟ 9”. Glasgow Art Galleries and Museum, Glasgow
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13. BERTHE MORISOT, Villa at the Seaside, 1874. Oil on canvas, 1‟ 7 3/4” x 2‟ 1/8". Norton Simon Art Foundation, Los Angeles.
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14. Japonisme and Later Impressionism
• Examine issues of other Impressionist, such as the influence
of the Japanese print and concerns with formal elements.
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15. Left: EDGAR DEGAS, The Tub, 1886. Pastel, 1‟ 11 ½” X 2‟ 8 3/8”. Musee d‟Orsay, Paris.
Right: TORII KIYONAGA, detail of Two Women at the Bath, ca. 1780. Color woodblock,
full print 10 ½” X 7 ½”, detail 3 ¾” X 3 ½”. Musee Guimet, Paris.
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16. MARY CASSATT, The Bath, ca. 1892. Oil on canvas,
3‟ 3” x 2‟ 2”. The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
(Robert A. Walker Fund).
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17. JAMES ABBOTT MCNEILL WHISTLER,
Nocturne in Black and Gold (The Falling Rocket),
ca. 1875. Oil on panel, 1‟ 11 5/8” x 1‟ 6 1/2”.
Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit
(gift of Dexter M. Ferry Jr.).
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18. HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC, At the Moulin Rouge, 1892–1895. Oil on canvas, 4‟ x 4‟ 7”. Art Institute of Chicago,
Chicago (Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection). 18

19. Discussion Questions
 In what ways did the Modernist art of the later 19th century
break from the past?
 Why did the public find the subjects, forms, and techniques
of the Impressionists shocking?
 How did Modernist artists call attention to the „facts‟ of art
making?
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