Why did the public ridiculed the work of the Impressionists and how did it all end (Part 1)

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The movement, which sought to capture modern life, light and moment, has become one of the favorite genres of the 21st century. But the Impressionists were strongly rejected by the artistic establishment and the public in the 1860s and 1870s. Many of them struggled to make ends meet. And at times, some of them even caused a storm of indignation, showing the world their works, which are always condemned and rejected by society.

1. Edouard Manet: Breakfast on the grass

Presented by Edouard Manet at the Salon des Beaux-Arts (an annual exhibition organized by the influential and conservative Academy of Fine Arts), Breakfast on the Grass was rejected by the jury. Instead, the painting was exhibited in another exhibition, held in 1863 under the title "Salon of Refusals" (or Exhibition of Refuses), open to more than three thousand works, which were rejected by the Salon jury, where it received hostile reactions from both the public and side of the reviewers. People in droves visited the exhibition to make fun of and laugh at the work in the open.

Reviewers said that Breakfast on the Grass was so devoid of finesse that it could be painted with a floor mop, and the people in the painting looked like a puppet reviewer. The problem was that this painting was not art. the way the French knew him. After all, Manet did not depict Greek mythology, Roman history, or a religious scene. On top of that, the painting was not painted with fine blended brush strokes that produced an almost photographic effect. Instead, he used bold colors, broad, unmixed brushstrokes, and portrayed a risky modern scene at the time. As a result, the French could not appreciate such paintings for another two or three decades.

As for the work itself, in the foreground, she depicts a pretty naked woman chatting with two well-dressed young men, while the second woman is bathing a little further from them. The gaze is immediately drawn to the nude, but upon closer inspection, a number of questions arise. Why are men fully clothed when a woman is naked? Is she confused? Why is the bathing female figure dressed? What is she doing (washing her feet, fishing …)? Does the painting have a real problem with perspective? While interesting, this debate misses the point. Manet made a controversial statement with this work. He challenged orthodoxy and demonstrated his new methods. And it worked: all of Paris started talking about him. Le Dejuner Sur l'herbe is in the permanent collection of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. There is a smaller earlier version of this work in the Courtauld Gallery in London.

2. Claude Monet, Rising Sun, 1872

By 1873, the group, known as the Impressionists, finally became disillusioned with the Salon and decided to organize their own exhibition. And despite the fact that most of them did so, Manet refused to join the independent exhibition, as he feared that it would further oust him from the French art establishment. The group's first exhibition, held in 1874, included works by Monet, Cézanne, Renior, Degas and Pissarro, and was organized on the Rue de Capuchins.

The group formed a company in which they each owned shares and charged an entry fee of one franc. Attendance was good (about three and a half thousand people came), but the bad impressions of the Salon were repeated again, because the audience came to scoff, and the reviews were hostile. One reviewer said that the exhibition was the work of a joker who amused himself with the fact that, “dipping brushes in paint, smeared it over the yards of the canvas, signing them with different names.”But the most famous and long-discussed review was left by Louis Leroy, who spoke unflatteringly about Monet's painting“Sunrise”:.

Unfortunately, the public for a long time did not understand and did not accept that the Impressionists were trying something new; paintings that reflected how they felt about the scene, not paintings that were close to the photographic image. So what exactly is "Sunrise" and why was it received with hostility? Sunrise is actually a painting of the port at Le Havre, Monet's hometown, at sunrise. The eyes are drawn by two small rowing boats in the foreground and the red sun reflected in the water. Behind them are the chimneys and clipper masts that give structure to the work. It still remains a mystery why such a harmless work for a long time succumbed to harsh criticism and ridicule. As a result, despite the unflattering reviews, in 1985 this painting was stolen by five masked bandits and did not return for five years (after being hidden in a small Corsican villa). Today, Sunrise is housed in the Musée Marmottan-Monet in Paris, a small museum that exhibits over three hundred works by the great impressionist painter.

3. Edgar Degas, Dance Class

Edgar Degas, the son of a wealthy banker, was a complex man. Degas's father (unlike Manet's father) did not mind his son's artistic ambitions. But Degas started out as a classical painter, copying paintings by the old masters in the Louvre and in Italy, Holland and Spain. It was only in the early 1870s that he turned his attention to impressionism. Edgar exhibited in a number of eight Impressionist exhibitions in and after 1874. Indeed, he played a key role in their organization. But his involvement has always been controversial: he was demanding, harsh and disliked being called an impressionist. Degas was difficult in other ways as well. From time to time he accepted invitations to dinner, but only if a long list of conditions was met: do not cook in oil, do not put flowers on the table, do not smell of perfume, do not keep pets in the room, dinner should have been served exactly at 7:30 and the lights should be dimmed. The artist refused to paint on the street and really did not like landscapes very much. This is what made the opera house and its ballet practices ideal.

Degas's Dance Classes series ticks all the Impressionist works: these are contemporary scenes that use vibrant colors to give the viewer a sense of movement. In addition, they, like Edgar's personality, are devoid of any sentimentality. Interesting is the moment that the paintings are not captured by the children of the rich elite. The dancers depicted are the offspring of the poor and the Parisian half-lights, seeking to earn their living. They trained for long hours under the austere tutelage of the famous and domineering dancer Jules Perrot, who was often depicted in a standing position, leaning on a large stick.

Degas's main motive in the painting of ballet dancers was finance, because such a plan sold well. And by the 1870s, the artist was in need of money because his brother started a family business. Versions of Degas' Dance Class can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

4. Claude Monet, Gare Saint-Lazare

In 1877, Monet had a very good idea - he decided to paint fog. But he didn't want to wait for the right moment and the weather. Then he came up with another very good idea: to draw the steam and smoke of the railway station. But that was also a bit tricky: he needed to gain access to the platform and he would have to fight the trains coming and going. As a result, the artist went to the station to the master of the station and, as Renoir later explained, it looked something like this:

Monet told the stationmaster that he was weighing the competing merits of the Gare du Nord and Saint-Lazare, opting for Saint-Lazare. For his part, the stationmaster knew little about the art and therefore did not dare to challenge Monet's credentials. And, thinking that he had an advantage over Gare du Nord, he gave Monet everything he wanted: the platforms were closed, the trains were full of coal, the departures were delayed. After a few days of painting, Monet left with half a dozen canvases. And then … it was a colossal success: the viewer almost physically feels the heat, noise and smell of the station. As one reviewer has noted, the paintings recreate the impression made on travelers by the noise of trains approaching and leaving.

Even Albert Wolff, one of the most conservative commentators of the time, complimented in the opposite direction: the painting produced "an unpleasant impression of several steam locomotives whistling at the same time." Paul Durand-Ruel, the most reliable impressionist gallery owner, bought this lot from Monet and gave small sums to the rest of the group. In total, Monet painted twelve paintings "Gare Saint-Lazare", which are located around the world, including in London and Paris museums.