Examining the Artistic Styles of Impressionism and Expressionism

Art

Impressionism was a radical departure from previous forms of painting. It is a style that in a sense was a response to the change in technology, the invention and growth of photography (Soltes, "From Realism to Impressionism"). Photographs offered incredible detail and perspective of the world outside the lens, this prompted artists to reimagine what the objectives of art should be. Artists wanted to record a moment, an impression, of a moment, focusing on how it is perceived, specifically through the use of colors. Soltes explains that Monet's Haystacks series is a study on how light and colors changes the object. The series looks at the same object at different times during different seasons, making not the haystacks the subject but light and color. The series allowed Monet to show the subtleties of perception as seasons, time, and weather changes. Haystacks at Sunset and Haystacks: End of Summer show how light and color changes the object. Not only is the object presented differently but the background as well. Monet was thought to have chosen haystacks as a mundane object, a simple decision. According to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, scholars recently believe that Monet carefully picked his subject and chose haystacks as a symbol of Normandy, as it focused on the beauty and prosperity of the countryside. Haystacks were used as a way to cover the wheat, protecting them from nature's elements. Monet noticed these haystacks and wanted to capture the effects of weather and daytime had on the objects (Soltes, "From Realism to Impressionism"). Slowly, he realized he wanted to capture different impressions, focusing on the different visual nuances. He continues his study of light, color, and weather through subsequent series.

According to Soltes, Jozef Israels was a genre painter, painting slices of middle class life, at work and play. He painted them in the impressionist style, with loose and free brush strokes (Soltes "From Paris to the East"). After his trip to Paris, Israels, focused his genre paintings on the fishing folk of the Netherlands. The Toy Boat was a painting by Israels that focused on the experience of children playing on the beach, enjoying their leisure time. Soltes points out how Israels displays an expert handling of the shadow and light to the texture of the three figures in the water. The three figures are a sister and a brother who is holding up a baby sibling. All three are focusing on the toy boat in the water, which is swaying in the water. It leads the eye in a rhythmic series of horizontals towards the horizon where the sea and sky are barely distinguishable (Soltes, "From Paris to East").

On other end of the visual spectrum was Vincent Van Gogh, an intense representation of one's emotions on the canvas. This style of painting is called expressionism. Van Gogh's first major work, The Potato Eaters, is an example of an expressionist painting. It depicts five figures sitting around a table, with only a single light bulb as a source of light, a little girl with her back to the viewer. The figures are almost caricatures, elongated fingers, distorted faces, depicting the harsh reality they live in. The painting focuses on despair, showing how the figures only have potatoes and coffee to eat. Soltes explains how it contains quick, intense brush strokes, evidence of the emotion Van Gogh invested into the artwork. After traveling to Paris, Van Gogh intensified the transference of emotions into his artwork. He said that colors can be used to depict such passionate feelings, particularly red and green. In 1889, he traveled to the south of France, where he painted over 200 works (Soltes, "From Paris to East"). His broad strokes became more pronounced which is evident in Self-Portrait with Cut-off Ear and Bandage. He uses green to depict the strong emotions he was feeling after cutting his ear, certainly a low point in his life. The strong brush strokes are evidence of his anguish at not finding a place in the world.