Art History of Nineteenth Century Essay

Analysis of 19^th-century impressionist Painting

Claude Monet’s painting “Sunrise” is perhaps the most discussed artwork of the 19^th century because it became the pioneer of the impressionist art movement. Painted in 1872, the artwork depicts an illuminated Le Havre Harbor, France, in ‘Oil on Canvas.’ It is considered a masterpiece of the artist, particularly because he broke away from the traditions by using various colors on a single piece to transcribe the feelings initiated by natural scenery. In addition, the use of color to depict illuminated scenery was relatively unique, creating an effect of ‘Impression.’ Thus, this piece of Monet’s artwork gave rise to the Impressionist movement.

The painting measures 48 cm and 63 cm in length and breadth, respectively. The original piece is exhibited in Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris, France. The painting portrays the activities at the harbor in a misty morning. The sun is rising, giving a slight illumination on the foreground. The focus of the subject is the calm feeling of the morning scenery (Dunstan 2006). The center of the painting depicts the cool waters of French maritime scenery.

Below the center of the scenery, two boats are seen floating on the cool waters. Each of the boats is under the control of a standing person, but their identities are indistinct because of the mist, the morning dusk, and the distance between the viewer and the subjects (Gunderson 2009). At the port, a number of ships and small boats are shown, with the sun rising to the horizon on the background of the picture. This indicates that the viewer is standing on the western side of the port, facing towards the eastern side. The bright colors used to develop the background attract the eye of the viewer (Dunstan 2006). In addition, the painter used a number of other colors to develop the effects of light and shade, which was a popular aspect of the impressionist movement.

Modern condition in the works of David, Canova, and Goya

Modernism or aspects of the modern condition are observed in some artistic works of David, Goya, and Canova, although the impression is relatively different in the three individuals’ works. In David’s prerevolutionary works such as ‘Leonidas,’ conditions of modern are evidently expressed to impress the viewer and provide information on the current issue rather than telling the history of the subject and the artist. For example, the painting shows little engagement in historical aspects, indicating that he had given up on the reinvention of history and took a new focus on the modern era.

However, Antonio Canova shows a greater degree of modernity than David does. However, it is worth noting that Canova was a Kantian sculptor, unlike David, who was a French revolutionist painter (Dunstan 2006). Canova is associated with the foundation of modernity in the 19^th century. In his works, Canova reinvented classical sculpture through a new focus on luminous and sensual aspects of sculptures. In fact, this was a common aspect of the 19^th-century subjectivity in modernism.

However, Goya displays more emphasis on modernism than both David and Canova. For instance, he had an explicit degree of artistic maturity, which gave him the freedom to make a choice of subject matter (Honour & Fleming 2009). Goya dealt with contemporary issues and themes and did not confine his work to myths and religious aspects. His work was centered on humans and humanity.

The changing characters from Rococo to post-modernity

The use of rococo contributed to the decline of the demand for baroque in the late 17^th and early 18^th centuries (Lessing 2006). However, unlike baroque and stone, Rococo sculptures were small and light. Nevertheless, a number of other movements, including cubism and futurism, replaced Rococo. In particular, cement making advanced sculpture because it was easy to maneuver and model into any shape and figure with little concern of breaking the object. Male and female figures changed progressively, taking romanticism state as people appreciated nudity.

References

Dunstan, B, 2006, Painting Methods of the Impressionists, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York. Web.

Gunderson, J, 2009, Impressionism. Creative Education, Mankato. Web.

Honour, H & Fleming, J, 2009, A World History of Art, Laurence King Publishing, London. Web.

Lessing, LK, 2006, Presiding Divinities: Ideal Sculpture in Nineteenth-Century American Domestic Interiors, Verlag, New York. Web.