Journal
Impressionism
I found a definition from www.artlex.
com, which seems to define
impressionism perfectly:
An art movement and style of painting that started in France during
the 1860's. Impressionist artists tried to paint candid glimpses of their
subjects showing the effects of sunlight on things at different times of
day. The leaders of this movement were: Camille Pissarro (1830-1903),
Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Claude Monet (1830-1903), and Pierre Renoir (1839-
1906). Some of the early work of Paul Czanne fits into this style, though
his later work so transcends it that it belongs to another movement known
as Post-Impressionism.I think that my personal favorite impressionist work is a work
entitled Absinthe, by Edgar Degas.
In this work, we are presented with a
very dismal picture of a woman and man sitting at a table in what appears
to be some sort of a bar. The expression on the woman's face is enough to
tell a thousand stories. The colors are of a very dark value with high
contrast between the figures and the background. This painting illustrates
very clearly the psychedelic effects of the now illegal drink absinthe. To
me, if a painting can truly capture an expression, and make you understand
how that person must have been affected.
