Art History: How to Use the Concepts of Impressionism in Your Designs

1. Intro: Art is a tool that influences our worldview. The history of art, transport us to other times, and brings us closer to different types of realities. In this class we will know who were the greatest exponents of Impressionism and Post Impressionism, how they dealt with the criticism of that time and review several points of why these artists revolutionized art and how they laid the foundation for modern art. Because there's before and after them. After this two avant-gardes art was never the same again. Hello, I am Eveling and I'm a graphic designer from Lima-Perú. And my love of art and its history has always been linked around my life and my career. I think understanding art allows us to have new perspectives to create, observe but also to question. This class is great for designers, illustrators, artists. and for all, those who are curious to know how the great change that arose in art during the 19th century originated. And for everyone who wants to extend their knowledge and enquire new concept to create. For your class project, we will see how you can use the concepts and techniques of Impressionists and Post-Impressionism and translate them into the personal style of your creations. Throughout the course, we will see why art is important. You will know about the artistic revolution they generated. We will talk about whether Van Gogh is impressionist or not? And we will review the main artworks that you must know. Because life is full of momentary impressions, know the concepts and techniques of these avant-gardes and apply them to your next illustrations or designs. Let's get start! 2. Introducction - Class Project: Express yourself through art and create a composition with your style, applying the concept of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, This project is ideal to learn about new ways to expand your knowledge and apply it to your design or illustrations. The avant-gardes review in the lessons are styles that changed the turn of art history and revolutionized everything that was know until them. They opening new paths, new thoughts, new concepts and created a new way of making art. The importance of these artists accompanies us to this day because they change the perspective of what art was. So it will be useful and very beneficial to know about this transformation that they originated. For example, there are important contributions to how they use colors and shapes. Get to know them through the following lessons and apply them to your art or compositions. To create this project we will identify the important characteristics shared by ll artists of these two styles and put them into practice when creating a new design or illustration. You can use the technique you like the most and demonstrate it through your creation the skills you will learn in the lessons. You only need to be receptive to information Identify the concept of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and apply them to your design. If you have questions or comments about Impressionism or Post Impressionism Share it in the discussion section of this class. 3. Why Art is Important?: To start thinking about the importance of art pay attention to the following sentence, Van Gogh wrote, I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say he feels deeply, he feels tenderly. A good image is equivalent to good deed. Paintings have a life of their own, born of the painter's soul. There are things in color that come up in me while I paint, big, intense things His brush is at the service of his spirit Art is a difficult concept to define but its importance can be reflected through these phrases we have just seen from Van Gogh. He wanted to reflect feelings through his art, make him feel, create a good deed through his art and be at the service of his spirit and have painting as a way to achieve it. All these actions create value because art lifts and also lifts the soul. But art has not only one goal, because in art there are no limits, but art also helps us feel free art can be a tool to cope with emotions; such as pain, sadness, love, comfort has the power to balance all those emotions. Art can also lead us to feel empathy, to sensitize ourselves, to lead us to different types of realities and even to move to different times. On the other hand, art creates opinions, creates reflection, helps build arguments, asks questions and seek solutions. And all this we will see reflected in the attitude that the Impressionists and post-Impressionists had. In itself, art is important because it is a tool to influence our world view. In the next lesson, we'll talk about the Impressionists how the name came about, how the name came about, and how they started a revolution in art. 4. Impressionism - The Art Revolution: Welcome back. Now we'll talk specifically about the Impressionists and everything important you need to know about them. Impressionism is a pictorial movement that originated in France in the late 19th century. It emerged at the time the photograph was popularized. Before Impressionism was realism, a movement that was based on academic art. Artists spent a lot of time studying at academies to produce realistic art. But Impressionism arose against the artistic formulas imposed by the French Academy of Fine Arts, which set the models to follow and sponsored official exhibitions at the Parisian Hall And in 1970 the fine arts event was organized at the Paris Salon. Many of the Impressionist artists presented the competitions organized by the academy, But academics wanted art to have certain standards that they set. It was the elitist event of the moment and only admitted the best works of the best artists of the time, but that they chose. For this reason, many artists were rejected for lack of technique and compositional perfection. According to the academy, the Impressionists did not know how to paint well and decided to open a separate event for all the artists who were rejected. This exhibition was called "The Hall of the Rejected" The painting that gave Impressionism Its name was Impression of the rising sun. One of the rejected artists was Claude Monet. precisely the name of this movement. arose from Monet's "Impression of the Rising Sun 1874. And the term Impressionists was pejoratively imposed on them by critic Louis Leroy when he saw this work. Leroy wrote the following review: "As I looked at the play I thought my glasses were dirty. What does this fabric represent?...the frame had no right or back... Print!, of course, produces impression. In response to this form of mockery they received, hey decided to take this review to turn the name into their artistic movement. They accepted it and took its supposed weakness and added the title of impressionism very proudly. That's how the "Impressionists" movement emerged After that, it was when the change in perspective of what was art began up to that point. The usual was to exhibit in the Official Hall, but the new artists had to look for alternative places where they would be allowed to exhibit their works Thus, the first Impressionist exhibition took place on the fifteenth of April 1874 at the Salon of photographer Nadar. The main figures of this movement were: Degas, Claude Monet, August Renoir, Morisot, Pisarro and Sisley. The art we know now is owed to the Impressionists because they opened the door to a new perspective of making art. To begin this change, the impact of industrialization on its development is essential. Well, this made it up for artists to be able to take the paint tubes outside Before this invention, the artists themselves created their paintings, it was a great work and process that they had to perform to paint. But after the invention of the paint tubes, the Impressionists had the opportunity to take their paintings outdoors with them and start painting what they saw. Another point to consider in this change was that the Impressionists realized that it no longer made much sense to imitate realism through painting because photography already existed for this purpose. They wanted to give a new application to art and capture reality differently. So the Impressionists sought to break with tradition and the way they made art They wanted the painting to no longer to reflect exactly what things were like, but they wanted to show the changing reality of light and colors. The art of being something classic, technical, planned, and perfect, became instant, natural, energetic, and revolutionary. The impressionists aimed to capture nature and what they saw through light and color, they did not paint for symbolism, they transferred to the canvas not in terms of acquired knowledge but in terms of the way they saw things or nature. In this way they expressed the momentary impression it had made on them. They begin to work outdoors, paint landscapes, urban scenes, making loose strokes full of light and joy, and reproducing the nature of life with freshness. Impressionism broke with precise strokes, continuous lines, contours. They transferred free and expressive brushstrokes to the canvas, often using pure, unblended colors. They used primary colors, blue, red, and yellow. and their complementary Orange, green, and violet. handled the painting in a freeway, without trying to hide their fragmented brushstrokes. They removed the details and turned the painting into a snapshot of the reality expressed by themselves. So now his works are masterpieces and revolutionary works. They laid the foundation for all modern art and from them, art was never the same again. "Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand as if it were necessary when it's just love" Monet. It is very fascinating to know the history of this avant-gardes that changed the rules of art at the time. In the next lesson, we'll see if Vang Gogh was Impressionist. What do you think? See you in the next lesson? 5. Is Van Gogh Impressionist?: I seek now to exaggerate the essentials I don't want to reproduce exactly what's in front of my eyes, but I arbitrarily use color to express myself more strongly. Vicent Van Gogh Vicent Van Gogh, was born in 1883 in Holland. He began his career as an artist at the age of 27 his late beginning and lack of academic training are evident in his early work. It would still take several years to establish his style but despite this his work always showed special energy with an intense quality that would increase throughout his life. Van Gogh came to master an innovative technique for his time and went on to build a solid aesthetic proposal, in which Impressionist strokes, surreal contrasts and forms coexist with great expressiveness. He applied the discoveries of Impressionism, such a new theory about light and the divisionist treatment of tones She took dues techniques and took them to another level. Van Gogh is depicted as a continuation and contrast to Impressionism It takes elements of Impressionism, but at the same time rejects the limitations of it He continued to use vivid colors, luminous palettes, distinguishable brushstrokes, and real-life themes but tried to carry more emotion and expression in his paintings with a more subjective view of the world. The colors that Van Gogh began to use were increasingly associated with a symbolic meaning. For example, The House of a Light Yellow and the Deep Blue Sky expressed the artist's satisfaction at the time. this is the Yellow House 1888 As well. The Vicent Room in Arles in 1888 According to what he wrote "It is only my room, only here color does everything and given its simplicity, what it manages to do is give more style to things, here it suggests rest and sleep in general Distinguishing himself in that way from the Impressionists. He added colors that did not correspond to reality but managed to take his works to a more personal and subjective level. By these characteristics, Van Gogh is regarded as a Post-Impressionist artist This style is due to artistic freedom as a whole It is the basis of modern and contemporary styles. And that's what we're going to talk about in the next lesson. The change of art forever. and as we know it today. Post- Impressionism 6. Post Impressionism - Changed Art Forever: In the last years of the 19th-century painters emerged that from Impressionism began to create a more personal painting, his style would be key to the pictorial movements of the 20th century. The term Post-Impressionism was a term created after the death of all his artists. Therefore, artists of this style did not call themselves Post-Impressionists. "A work of art that didn't start in emotions is not a work of art" Paul Cezanne. This phrase by Paul Cezanne, one of the artists of Impressionism, perfectly sum up the feeling of Post-Impressionism. Post-Impressionism does not refer to a stylistic current in the strict sense, but a set of varied trends, technique and styles The first common ground among all authors is that they based their style on Impressionism. From that, everyone had a personal style. Everyone agreed to represent an image of reality without being obligatory similar to that same reality, because the goal they had was not to represent the object but to record the feeling received in capturing it with their senses. They agreed to regard the work of art as an autonomous world in which they are given a new creative role over copying objective reality. They presented a subjective view of the world and refused to reflect it faithfully, abandoned reality as the main theme, and began to prioritize emotions. The main feature is that they conceived the objects reflected in their works as a way to convey feelings An emotional symbolism, they thought that a work of art did not have to be focused on a particular process, aesthetic approach, or style. The important thing for them was that the painting had an emphasis on the artist's subconscious thoughts. Another characteristic was that they cared not only about capturing light, but also about the expressiveness of human people, objects, and figures. Differences Impressionism vs Post-Impressionism. Eye-catching colors One difference between impressionists and Post Impressionists was the use of color. The Post-Impressionists used a new use of color relating it more to the experience of the artist using pure colors with great emotional charge While the Impressionists tried to reflect how natural light acted by influencing objects Post-Impressionists applied an artificial color palette to represent their sentimental perception of reality. The result was works with saturated hues, shadows with various shades and a variety of striking colors. They also used color in more contrasting way, thereby defining flat shapes and creating a sense of estrangement. Brushstrokes. The Post Impressionists were characterized by their thick brushstrokes that distinguished the naked eye, thus adding texture and great depth to their works. Gauguin: Born in France in 1848 Interestingly he lived in Lima Peru during his childhood and then traveled to France and then settled in Tahiti. It highlights the expressive use of color, it does so through strong and vivid tones. His sense of color would later influence the Fauvists and Expressionists. Cezane He was born in France in 1839 In life he was an ignored painter and rarely exhibited his art. In his art the volume is recovered thanks to the geometry and definition of the shapes through their brushstrokes. Without giving up the high-intensity color, add contrasts and color. His painting influenced Cubism and has influenced artists such as Picasso and Matisse. Van Gogh. He was born in the Netherlands 1853 He began his serious career as a painter around the age of 32 but went on to paint some 900 paintings and more than a thousand and six hundred drawings. Passionate about color as a vehicle to express his emotions with thick and sinuous italic strokes It opens the doors to expressionism of the 20 century. Toulouse-Lautrec. He was born in France in 1864 He was more than anything else an illustrator, tasks with which he was able to subsist by commissioning posters for cabarets, shows and advertising His oil paintings are scarce. but in them, one can see the same taste for bohemian environments and characters, spontaneity and movement and unusual framing taken from photography and Japanese prints. As we've seen, Post Impressionism artists no longer have all the same characteristics and all differ from each other. They tried to take emotion and expression a step further and all presented a particular view of nature and a subjective view of the world. Therefore, each of the artists of this style is very different. They were generally not appreciated in life, however, they managed to lay the foundations of modern art and now their paintings are the most expensive in history. In the next lesson, we will see the most important works of these two avant-gardes 7. Artworks You Should Know: Breakfast on grass Edouard Manet this painting was painted in 1863 and was exhibited under the name Le bain at the Salon of the Rejected in Paris. The subject immediately caused a great scandal, and although precedents such as the works of Raphael and Titian could be he painting received a hostile reception. The protest was mainly due to the presence of the nude although it was not a novelty in artistic works, on this occasion was not present the mythological or literary context that could justify it, but in a contemporary setting. Although his art was more realistic than impressionistic Manet's style creates wide spaces from the juxtapositions of brushstrokes that convey different degrees of light and the lines that determine the contours have been abandoned been abandoned It. And this is precisely the outstanding technique of the Impressionists. Edgar Degas - The Dance Class The Impressionists were the painters of contemporary life and as such, they did not conform to the standards of the academy. In this paint Degás directly copies the compositional patterns of Japanese engravings. In this way the author gets very expressive foreshortenings. Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette. Pierre- Auguste Renoir 1876 Renoir painted this work in 1876 and presented it the following year in the third Impressionist exhibition. The first two sketches of the painting were executed by Renoir outdoors. What Renoir is trying to achieve is a careful study of the chromatic and light effects reflected in a crowd of people and the landscape around them at the very moment the artist looks at them. Blue Water lilies - Claude Monet, 1916 Musing museum of Orsay, Paris Monet had a strong preference for the dynamic use of brushstrokes together with striking colors, which allowed him to transfer to the canvas a genuine and frank impression of a reality observed very carefully. The idealized and artificial view of nature that existed before Impressionism changed, in favor of a much closer and more direct relationship with reality. What attracted Monet and the other Impressionists so much was the light The challenge faced by artists was to represent on the canvas that luminous and atmospheric condition of a landscape. especially when trying to reflect ephemeral and changing moments Monet was fascinated by the mutability of light in an outdoor scene at distant times and liked to reproduce in a picture the thousands of color modulations and the multiple reflections that happened over the course of the day. Therefore, he loved to paint the water lilies because they were constantly moving on the water, without fixed shape or color, Monet could always reflect the changing light. Starry Night - Vicent Van Gogh, 1889. Moma, New York "I have painted a landscape with olive trees and I have here a studio of a starry night" These are the words used by Van Gogh in a letter to his brother Theo commenting that the starry night is over. One of his most famous works. The blue tones and the only flashes of light come from the golden stars. The paint used is dense and thick The brushstrokes that look like furrows drawn on earth and swirls of light in the sky are in emotional tension, tension that the same artist felt throughout his life. Women of Tahiti on the beach - Paul Gauguin, 1891, Musing of Orsay, Paris If initially, his style owed much to the teachings of the Impressionists. Gauguin soon developed a new vision of painting and art in general, in which copying nature and respecting faithful imitations were no longer the criteria to be followed. Each of these important paintings in art history, both by Impressionist and post-impressionist artists, opened the foundations for all art as we know it now. In the next lesson, we will see specifically their concepts and features and how you can use them in your creations. 8. How To Use the Concepts Of Impressionism in Your Art/Design/Illustration: There are some important observations and techniques that characterize impressionists and that we can take into account for our future designs. Impressionist technique and aesthetics They used pure or saturated colors. They gave rise to the law of chromatic contrast all color is relative to the colors that surround it. They used the law of complementary colors, they used the use of pure colors under contrasts. Generally cold and warm The shadows went from being composed of dark colors to being composed of complementary colors and creating illusion of depth The main feature is the use of complementary. Use of saturated colors for lights and shadows. Like this Monet Cathedral Gestals brushstroke They used the techniques of what would later be gestalts theory. They used small brushstrokes of pure colors Although the brushstrokes in isolation did not completely obey a certain shape or the corresponding color of the model, it can be perceived globally and a defined whole. They didn't hide his brushstrokes. Form. They relegated the shape to the background. They are diluted and mixed inaccurately They dispensed with the particular conditions of the lighting They sought to capture the change in luminosity, instantly Thought - Broadly capture light and instant. Objects are not defined, but visual printing is painted. The Post Impressionists. They used vivid colors, unre discreet brushstrokes. They added emotion and expression to the painting. They used subjectivity when transmitting emotions through the use of color. How to use the concepts of Impressionists or Post Impressionism? In your next creations get inspired using saturated colors, add chromatic contrast choose a complementary color palette and add these colors to the shadows as well. Use saturated color for lights and shadows as well. When creating a new part, review the gestalt laws and choose the one that best takes your project. Relay the shapes to the background. Exercise your creations with different types of light depending on the time of day and observe the differences. Create through subjectivity and the emotions that invade you. And most importantly, add your identity. The artists of this period left us and we can take advantage of their techniques and capture them and add them to our creations and thus expand our style and experience new ways of visualizing and performing our creative process. 9. Conclusions and Basic Concepts: These avant-gardes are characterized by being an attitude This attitude had some common ground among each of the artists For example, To begin with, most artists were rejected They all share this condition of rejection before the Academy which were places where artists were taught what art was and how it should be done. But we know from the lessons seen, that they began to question these standards demanded and imposed to create a new way of making art adding modern topics about everyday life topics that were not valued before they appeared. They painted the impression of the moment. Obviating the rules imposed by the Academy, they learned to look at the world with their own eyes. They didn't paint a subject, but a time of day. They challenged the world to go out into the world and paint nature and quickly capture the changing conditions of light. That car not about detail was a possession as a whole. It is important to consider that his brushstrokes were short and juxtaposed to quickly capture the entire composition of his paintings. Color and perception theory are the basis for Impressionists' paintings They used the rules of the primary and complementary colors. They did not use black to add shadows instead they created an intense color palette. I am very happy to have shared this class with you, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have and learned something new. If so, feel free to share your class project with me. Upload it to the Project section If you liked the class Follow me. you will be notified when my new class is out. You can also follow me on Instagram to see what other types of my art I love creating 3D designs. Like the one I created for my project of this kind If you want to learn how to start creating compositions and wrap yourself in an amazing world I suggest you follow these classes I hope you learned something new and enjoy the class. See you next time.