Art History Online- Final Exam
Art Impressions Gallery is located in downtown Redlands, California. The gallery is curated and run by Rachel Buiter. It is our goal to showcase impressionist art from all artists and time periods.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Art Impressions Gallery
Art Impressions Gallery is located in downtown Redlands, California. The gallery is curated and run by Rachel Buiter. It is our goal to showcase impressionist art from all artists and time periods.
"Dreams and Impressions" Exhibition
The "Dreams and Impressions" exhibition shows many
variations on Impressionistic art. The thread that connects all of the
following pieces of art is their connection with the dream world. Each piece
shows the mood, setting, outcome, or hope of a dream. Impressionism fits well
with this theme of dreams. We usually remember only impressions of the scenes
in our dreams, and the Impressionist style of painting is a depiction of the
general impression of a scene. Each artwork was picked based on its
Impressionist style and its relevance to the dream world.
Contributing artists:
Claude Monet
Alfred Sisley
Berthe Morisot
Karen Tarlton
Edgar Degas
Iris Scott
Camille Pissarro
Pierre Auguste Renoir
Robert Hagan
Leonid Afremov
"Twilight, Venice" by Claude Monet
Media: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 28.7”x 36.2”
Date: 1908
Claude Monet
was one of the founders of French Impressionistic painting. In fact, the term
Impressionism itself comes from one of his paintings, Impression, Sunrise. Monet spent most of his life in France, but
also lived in England and the Netherlands. He lived at the turn of the century
from 1840 to 1926.
”When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have before
you, a tree, a house, a field or whatever” Monet explained to a fellow artist,
“merely think here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a
streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact color and
shape, until it gives you your own naïve impression of the scene before you”.
Twilight,
Venice is also known as Dusk, Church of San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight, or
Crepuscule a Venice. Monet created this painting while staying at the Hotel
Britannia in Venice in the autumn of 1908 with his wife Alice.
I chose this painting because it has the dreamy impressionistic feeling that I
was looking for in all of my choices. This painting could be a scene from a
dream, with its vibrantly bright colors with hazy atmosphere.
"Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne" by Alfred Sisley
Media: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 19.5”x 25.75”
Date: 1872
Alfred
Sisley, although of English parents, was born and spent most of his life in
France. After an unsuccessful attempt at the business world, Sisley’s parents
supported his artistic career. He studied art in Paris, painting with such
artists as Renoir and Monet. Sisley was deeply influenced by the emerging
Impressionist movement, eventually associating himself completely with
Impressionism. After the wars destroyed his family’s fortune, Sisley became
poor and remained so until nearly the end of his life, when he finally received
some of the acknowledgment that his work deserved.
Art historian Robert Rosenblum has judged Sisley’s work as “strongly
invoking atmosphere and his skies are always very impressive,” compared to many
of the Impressionist painters.
The
then state-of-the-art suspension bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne on the banks
of the Seine River appears in two of Sisley’s paintings. The short flat
brushstrokes are typical of Sisley’s paintings. He gives special attention to
the sky, as he does in many of his works, also reflecting the blue of the sky
in the glistening water of the river.
"At the Ball" by Berthe Morisot
Media: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 20.5”x25.6”
Date: 1875
Berthe
Morisot was a female leader of the Impressionist movement in the late 19th
century. She displayed her work in the Salon de Paris and the exhibitions of
the Impressionists. Her painting focused on domestic life and portraits.
Morisot later married Eugène Manet and became the sister-in-law of the famous
artist Édouard Manet.
Morrisot’s teacher Camille Carot wrote of her and her sister, “With
characters like your daughters, my teaching will make them painters, not minor
amateur talents. Do you really understand what that means? In the world of the grande bourgeoisie in which you move, it
would be a revolution. I would even say a catastrophe."
Because
Morrisot was a woman, she was restricted in the subjects she was allowed to
paint. Ballroom scenes were one of the genres open to Morrisot. This painting
is now held at Musée Marmottan in Paris, France.
The subject of Morisot’s painting is not paying attention to her surroundings. She is slowly moving her fan, but mostly just daydreaming. Her dreams show in her eyes. This painting has both the dreamlike and impressionistic thread that ties all the art pieces in this exhibition together.
"Sailing Between the Pines" by Karen Tarlton
Media: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 20”x 24”
Date: 2000
Karen Tarlton
is originally from California. She has studied art at the University of
California at Davis and the Corcoran School of Fine Art in Virginia. Tarlton
travels extensively and still continues to study art. For the last ten years
she has been a full time professional artist.
“This original oil conveys a sense of light and air and the joys of a
fantastic mountain lake, with expressive textured brush and palette knife work.
I have many memories of Lake Tahoe, my childhood home, and its beauty never
ceases to amaze me. . . A vibrant and sophisticated piece to add to any fine
art collection, or the perfect stand out work of art to start one!”
Karen
Tarlton painted Sailing Between the Pines
with oil paints in the palette knife method, like many of her other paintings.
This method of applying several layers of paint causes a three dimensional
appearance. This painting is available for sale as a print from Karen’s Fine
Art online.
Sailing Between the Pines is the
artist’s fond recollection of her childhood memories. It is hazy, without
distinct boundaries or features. It is the impression of a memory, of a dream
from the past.
"The Star" by Edgar Degas
Media: Pastel on Paper
Dimensions: 23 5/8”x 17 3/8”
Date: 1878
Edgar Degas
was another key member of the French impressionism art movement. Like Monet, he
also worked at the latter half of the 19th century and the first
part of the 20th. Human figures are the main subject of Degas’ work.
He is best known for his many studies on ballerinas, which comprise more than
half of his artwork.
Degas said, "People call me painter of dancing girls. It has never
occurred to them that my chief interest in dancers lies in rendering movement
and in painting pretty clothes."
Edgar
Degas’ model for The Star was Rosita
Mauri, a talented young ballerina who debuted in 1878 at the Paris Opéra.
Rosita was identified because Degas had described her features and gestures so
accurately.
There is a dreamlike quality to ballet, with the ballerinas floating and
soaring across the floor in their light and airy clothing. Degas captures this
quality well in his impressionistic piece, not only in the ballerina, but
also in the blurring of the stage and bystanders.
"Colleen" by Iris Scott
Media: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 28”x 28”
Date: 2012
Iris Scott is
a 28 year old American painter. She graduated from Washington State University
with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in 2009, and has been traveling the world and
painting since. Scott developed a unique painting method- finger-painting with
surgical gloves on her hands while living in Taiwan. Her paintings are inspired
by her travels through Taiwan, Thailand, Nicaragua, and other parts of the
world.
The artist statement that Iris wrote for this paintings is as follows:“Stress is not my friend, I avoid it all costs. On the rare occasion that
something comes up that truly shakes me I try hard to find my way to the
studio. Smooshing colorful oils from a tube and smearing them on a white canvas
with your fingertips is, by no surprise, a soothing pass time. “Colleen” is one
of the only paintings which I can recall being made under such circumstances.
This might explain the intensely bright “happy” colors I reached for that day.”
This
particular piece was created by Iris Scott during a period of stress. As Scott
herself said, making this painted was a calming exercise. While painting, Iris
Scott puts the oil paints directly on her fingers, and then uses all her
fingers to spread the paint.
Colleen is a spellbound autumn moment.
Colleen walks down an idyllic path lined with deciduous trees and autumn leaves
swirling around. This art piece shows the extent of the artist’s imagination.
"Landscape with Two Figures, Éragny, Autumn" by Camille Pissarro
Media: oil on linen on board
Dimensions: 10.75”x 8.5”
Date: 1902
Camille
Pissarro is known as the “Father of Impressionism.” He was the oldest of the
French Impressionistic group, and mentored many other artists including Paul Cézanne
and Paul Gaugin. For most of his life, Pissarro faced severe criticism for his
innovative work, but today his works and style are recognized. Most of his
paintings are outdoor, or en-plein-air.
“Camille Pissarro has been a revolutionary through the revitalized
working methods with which he has endowed painting,” wrote art critic Octave
Mirbeau.
Pissarro painted many pictures of the landscape, peasants, and
buildings of Éragny. This is one of many that Camille Pissarro completed in his
life.
I chose this painting because of its peaceful atmosphere. The two figures
wander the garden, surrounded by nature. The painting is an impression of the
scene, without minute details, with more of a dreamlike intent.
"City Dance" by Pierre Auguste Renoir
Media: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 70.9”x 35.4”
Date: 1883
Pierre Auguste Renoir was
another French Impressionist artist. He was born in 1841 as the son of a
working-class family. As a boy he painted designs on the china in a porcelain
factory. He began studying art in Paris and eventually gained fame and
recognition as an Impressionist artist. Renoir died in 1919 at his home in
France.
“The work of art must seize upon you, wrap you up in itself and carry you
away. It is the means by which the artist conveys his passion. It is the
current which he puts forth, which sweeps you along in his passion”
Renoir
painted City Dance and Country Dance as twin pieces. The first
is sophisticated, with the elegance of city dancers in a ball room. Country Dance is more loose and
disorganized, with a discarded hat and a table full of dirty dishes. But the
composition of each is almost identical, with the two pairs of dancers in the
same position as if dancing the same song.
In City Dance, the lady seems to
float in the arms of the gentleman as they dance. This dance, like the ballet
of Edgar Degas, has a dreamlike quality. Dancing in each other’s arms is
perhaps the fulfillment of the lady and gentleman’s dreams as well.
Study for "Thoughts" by Robert Hagan
Media: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 24”x24”
Date: 2011
Robert Hagan
is a native of Australia. He taught himself to paint, a process he describes as
“the most frustrating period ever.” He has experimented in a wide variety of
subjects, including beach, equestrian, western, romantic, and portrait
painting, in the Impressionist style. Hagan has written several books on
painting and appeared on a few televisions shows, most notably hosting his own
show, the Splash of Color. Today
Robert Hagan’s paintings are sold internationally.
“In this one I really did push the color and seem to have got away with
it...or did I? Lot of jump in there and proportionally the figure is less than
in the previous two. That may have been a mistake. It may have let the color
out of the bag. . . But I really DID explore the colors in a stream didn't I?
And maybe that’s what it should have been! That’s the fun in fooling around
with colors...," said Robert Hagan.
This
particular piece of art is a sketch, a study for another piece. As Robert Hagan
stated, he was experimenting with color in this sketch, trying to get it just
right for the finished product.
In this painting, the focus is on the girl as she looks into the water. Like in our dreams, when we see and the thing we see and remember most is in clearer focus, the girl has the most detail. The surrounding vegetation and water are blurred and out of focus, merely an impression without every detail.
"When Dreams Come True" by Leonid Afremov
Media: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 30”x40”
Date: 2013
Leonid
Afremov is a modern impressionistic artist. He was born in the Soviet Union and
lived there until he was 35. He then lived in Israel for 12 years and Florida
for 8 and now resides in Mexico. His true success came when he started selling
his paintings on eBay instead of through galleries. Afremov has developed his
own distinct technique with a palette knife and oils and bright colorful style.
Leonid Afremov said, “Kids know how to dream. Adults almost
don’t. Grownups want to own many things but as soon as they get one, they start
to dream about having another one. Kids can dream just for fun and it will be
hard to find any grownup, which can be as happy as a kid. The kid happiness is
like a Vulcan. The Vulcan of joy, laugh, emotions, screams, noises, sun and
brightness. In one second the kid can dive into a fountain of smiles and fun
and it can jump around you until it gets tired.
Let’s dream more like kids. This painting is full of
children laugh, joy and happiness. When the magic road in the fairy forest
leads the hero to his dream, the whole world stops for a while, letting the
full taste of the fulfilled dream is filling every corner of the dreamer`s
heart. The then whole Universe sings along.
The dreams are coming true.
Let’s dream. Probably the more we will be dreaming, the faster our dreams will
be fulfilled. Dream on and follow your dreams."
This
particular painting is a recreation of the first When Dreams Come True. Each of Afremov’s recreations is 100% hand
painted by him with oil paints and a palette knife, just like the original.
Each recreation is also slightly different than the first because of the
difference in knife strokes, and so is one of a kind.
This
painting is the culmination of the exhibit. Leonid Afremov portrays a dream
come true, a couple in love walking off toward the horizon holding hands. Dreams Come True inspires us to believe
in dreams and believe that dreams can be fulfilled.
Conclusion
What I learned is that the
process of organizing an exhibition is not an easy one. Although it may sound
easy to find ten pieces of art that fit under one theme, it requires a
tremendous amount of research to find connecting art pieces and all the
information about them. There are many paintings online that may fit a theme,
but many of them do not have even the basic information such as title and date.
The easiest part was finding
potential painting that might work with the theme. There were many prospective
choices, but further investigation knocked many paintings out of the running. The
most challenging part was to actually choose individual paintings that
connected with the theme. It was also difficult to describe my thoughts on how
each piece of art connects to the theme and actually get what I mean across.
Curators have a difficult job. Organizing
an exhibition of various works that are all unique and bring a different thing
to the exhibition and yet all connect to the same theme is very challenging. Curators
would have to be very knowledgeable about art in general and good at arranging
art to be successful.
Many works of art have a
connecting thread, but it is not always the most obvious thing about the painting.
Many connections are more subtle. Finding these connections and then gathering
the art pieces into an exhibition takes a tremendous amount of work.
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