Romantic Era Blog

 By: Cooper Irinaga

        This blog will consist of two different styles of art from the Romantic era. I will be comparing Impressionism and Art Nouveau styles because I think that they both portray the Romantic era very well. I strongly think that the Impressionism art style works a lot better compared to the Art Nouveau style, the style uses a lot more elements that bring out more emotion than what the Art Nouveau style does. The Art Nouveau style also fails to show the importance of the given moment when the art was created, I can feel more significance with Impressionism. 

Impressionism

The Boulevard Montmartre at Night

By: Camille Pissarro

Created in 1897, Sydenham, London

 

Impression, Sunrise

By: Claude Monet

Created in 1872, Le Havre, France

The boulevard of Montmartre at Night and Impression, Sunrise

        The first time I was introduced to the Impression style of art I was very impressed with the amount of detail each painting holds but still has some loose elements that make the artwork very eerie which creates an exciting vibe. There are many very exquisite elements of Impression art that give these pieces such high value, one of my favorite elements being the depiction of light. The depiction of light seen in both the Impression, Sunrise and The Boulevard Montmartre at Night encase of how important light is, in both of these paintings we see the light being the center of the piece, portraying how magical the setting was and encapturing the essence of the light showing in either the sunrise or the nightlights of the city. Another element that plays a massive part in how the Impression style artwork looks are the brush strokes, which are the main way for Monet and Pissarro to convey the energy and interest of their paintings. The brush strokes seen in both Impression-style paintings are calm and peaceful, giving off almost soothing energy. Open Composition is an element that is very important in these two paintings, an open composition is when shapes in the painting work together to distribute where the eye looks, creating a dynamic look to the artwork. Open composition is very critical to the flow of each Impression-style artwork, as seen in both pieces of art the detail is distributed evenly to the point where my eye moves freely across each piece.

        My aesthetic reaction to the Impression style is very positive, the paintings do a very good job of eerie realism, where you are looking at a view directly through a filter which adds a lot of value to the artwork. I get an almost nostalgic feeling when I look at the art pieces, almost as if I'm dreaming, quite a comforting emotion. Presentation preferences also have to do a lot with how aesthetically appealing the artwork is. The Impression, Sunrise does a great job of showing the figures in the background but with little detail which is very fun to decipher the shape of the object. Impressionism style of art is one of my favorite types of Romantic era art and is very aesthetically interesting. 

Art Nouveau

Zodiac

By: Alphonse Mucha

Created in: 1896, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Kiss

By: Gustav Klimt

Created in 1907, Vienna, Austria

 

 The Kiss   

        Art Nouveau's style of artwork is very interesting and uses a lot of elements that encase the importance of this style of art. There are many different elements used in Art Nouveau's works that give them a very unique style. Art Nouveau's main element is its Organic Composition seen in The Kiss. The organic composition makes The Kiss looks very free and creative thanks to its composition, it has a very natural feel which completely encases the criteria of Art Nouveau. The half-split of rectangles and multi-circles that split up between the woman and the man also brings out that very free and balanced organic composition. 

        

Zodiac

        Zodiac created by Mucha uses asymmetry which is a very commonly used element in Art Nouveau and makes the background look extremely organized. The face is also seen looking to the left which adds to the asymmetrical value of the image. Another very common element seen in Zodiac is natural motifs, seen in the background there are many plant-based figures seen in the top two corners of the painting. The natural motifs bring out a positive and lively effect that encompasses Art Nouveau basics.

       

        Overall, I wasn't too impressed with the majority of Art Nouveau artwork, I think symmetry looks a lot cleaner than asymmetry. Another reason why I do not see Art Nouveau as not visually appealing compared to other artwork is because of the organic composition, I do not believe inconsistency and improper placement is the key to aesthetically appealing artwork. Even though I do not have a high opinion of most Art Nouveau paintings I do think there are some that fit my criteria for visually appealing artwork. I really enjoyed the Zodiac painting, I was very pleased when looking at it, it has a very calming effect to it with all the natural motifs incorporated within the image. The Painting also did a great job with the background, it was very cool seeing a lot of abstract objects intertwined with natural leaves, branches, and flowers. I had quite a different reaction to The Kiss artwork, I dislike the bland background and how difficult it is to see the two different people when their attire seems to almost converge into one humanoid shape. 

Comparison

        Both Impressionism and Art Nouveau were major aspects of the Romantic era. The intention of Impressionism was to paint and visualize what impression the object/person/landscape looked like to them, impressionism heavily portrayed directly what the artist saw. Art Nouveau was aimed at refashioning early historical styles of art, Art nouveau heavily gained inspiration from geometric and organic forms. Both art styles shoot for different objectives, one for a sheerly perspective-based design and the other to redesign art as a whole. Impressionism started around 1860 while Art Nouveau started in the 1880s, I think that it makes sense the art style intended to change historical art came after art set out to be viewed entirely through perspective.  

        Impressionism philosophically argues that we as people do not see objectively what the "real" world is because everything that we perceive is filtered through our minds. The human mind holds many memories that can alter reality, Impressionism sees life as we see it not technically as it is. Art Nouveau revolves around the belief of decorative art is as important as the fine arts of painting and sculpting. The Art Nouveau style also heavily focused on vases, lamps, and furnishings. 

        I really enjoy what Pissaro and Monet tried to accomplish when creating The Boulevard Montmartre at Night and Impression, Sunrise, they viewed a scenery and painted it exactly as how they saw it, directly through their own lens. I really respect that type of art style. Art Nouveau's style of art I don't think is too admirable, actively trying to change the way art is can sometimes be very forceful and counterproductive. Mucha and Klimt are both extremely talented artists but I feel like trying to force something that best comes naturally. 

Sources 

Impressionism, https://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/engl_258/Lecture%20Notes/impressionism.htm#:~:text=Taken%20as%20a%20whole%2C%20Impressionism,minds%20perceives%20the%20world%20differently.

Tate. “Impressionism.” Tate Kids, https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/explore/what-is/impressionism.

Wolf, Justin. “Art Nouveau Movement Overview.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/movement/art-nouveau/#:~:text=Summary%20of%20Art%20Nouveau&text=Art%20Nouveau%20was%20aimed%20at,stems%20and%20blossoms%20of%20plants.

“What Was the Art Nouveau Movement?” Mayfair Gallery, 11 Dec. 2020, https://www.mayfairgallery.com/blog/art-nouveau-style-guide/#:~:text=The%20Art%20Nouveau%20philosophy%20considered,vases%2C%20lamps%20and%20other%20furnishings.