Romantic Era: Impressionism and Pre-Raphaelites

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Amongst all the different styles in the Romantic era, I wanted to look more in-depth at Impressionism and the Pre-Raphaelites, and compare their noticeable differences. I found it interesting that both art styles existed during the same era, as their characteristics are very different from each other, and I wanted to learn more from what influenced them.  If I were to choose between the two, I personally prefer the Impressionism style over the Pre-Raphaelites.

Impressionism Style

Originally developed in France around the 1860s, Impressionism is based on the practice of illustrating paintings spontaneously "on the spot" rather than in a studio with sketches. When it comes to Impressionism, it didn't strive for perfection and wasn't interested in painting historical or mythological illustrations, but rather simply their "impression" of how a landscape, individual, or item appears at that given moment. This style also believed that landscapes and genre scene paintings were worthy and important, making realist and impressionist question and challenge the Royal Academy of France's established ranking of subject matters. 

Impression, Sunrise


Claude Monet's Impression, Sunrise (1872)

The famous painting Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet is an 1872 oil painting created from a scene in the port of Le Havre from the view of a hotel window. It is also one of the most prominent impressionism paintings today alongside Van Gogh's 1889 painting The Starry Night.  Oscar-Claude Monet, the famous French painter, was the key figure, founder, and leader of the French impressionist movement in the second half of the 1800s. When it comes to this piece, we immediately see the continuity of Monet's use of a "cool" color palette between the sky, land, and the sea. This work doesn't possess really any discrete brushstrokes that contrast the overall painting, and with its limited array of colors, it sets a very calming atmosphere. In addition, this painting does not necessarily have a specific subject matter, but rather leaves an 'impression" of this scene at this certain given moment in time. Monet's technique is very sketchy, consisting of simple and quick brushstrokes, and in this work, he purposely lacked details to simply illustrate the bare minimum to set the scene. 

The Boulevard of Montmartre at Night


Camile Pissaro  (1897)


Camile Pissaro's The Boulevard of Montmartre at Night is an 1897 oil painting that captures the fashionable life of a Parisian street during nighttime following a downpour. While Pissaro illustrates a city with a late-night atmosphere with his use of dark cool colors, he uses lighter colors to contrast the dark and misty atmosphere, which is the artificial lights that street lamps produce. Pissaro was known for his illustrations utilizing the technique of pointillism, which is the method of painting using colored dots to create an artwork. In this painting he uses quick and short brushstrokes to create the overall scene, illustrating abstract vertical shapes that can represent people, buildings, and other objects (ex. lamp posts, cars, etc). Furthermore, the artist applies strong sketchlike brushstrokes in the sky and roads to draw the audience's eyes towards the street, creating this blurred busyness effect that provides the bustling movement.


Pre-Raphaelites Style

During the realist period, a group called themselves the Pre-Raphaelites was formed, and they consisted of English painters who developed and evolved an interesting art style. As the name suggests, this style's depictions of everyday life were heavily detailed and accurate, in comparison to impressionism that had the opposite intentions. Furthermore, a major characteristic that can be noticed in the Pre-Raphaelites paintings is their depiction of women, especially the illustrations of their faces, which they aim for very detailed and realistic.

The Lady of Shalott

 
John William Waterhouse's The Lady of Shalott (1888)

The Lady of Shallot by John William Waterhouse is an 1888 oil painting with the subject of a young vulnerable red-haired woman in a white dress sitting on a boat in a riverine setting.  This artwork's subject matter is reminiscent of John Everett Millais' works, specifically his 1852 painting Ophelia.  It also was during this time that the lyrical ballad "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred Tennyson, which tells the tragic story of Elaine of Astolat, inspired many Pre-Raphaelite painters by its vivid medieval romanticism and obscure symbolism. Waterhouse painted three different works based on this poem alone. 
Actually, I thought this was an actual photograph! This painting depicts such an accurate representation of real-life and captures every detail of the entire scene with such methodical brushstrokes and color usage. But eventually, as the Pre-Raphaelites style slowly shifted away from ordinary scenes, Waterhouse demonstrates the influence of classical mythology in his artwork and incorporates a more whimsical and somewhat fantastical atmosphere. We can see how Waterhouse used natural colors, such as greens, blues, and browns, to create a serene atmosphere, and the only colors that contrast the neutral tones are on the women (red and white).  Furthermore, we can see how Waterhouse did not idealize the female figure in any way, depicting her sorrowful facial expression and body language as realistically as possible. 


Lady Lilith


Dante Gabriel Rossetti Lady Lilith (1868)

Dante Gabriel Rossetti's Lady Lilith is an 1868 oil painting illustrating a young woman named Lilith, who according to ancient Judaic myth was the "first wife of Adam", and a symbol of seduction, temptation, and power. This can relate to the Pre-Raphaelites ideas that often associated women as powerful figures who tempted men. During the creation of the artwork, Rossetti initially used his mistress Fanny Cornforth as a model and then altered her facial features slightly to show the face of Alexa Wilding (another one of his models). In Lady Lilith, we can see how it possesses the distinct characteristics of the Pre-Raphaelites art style. The painting depicts a young women figure with such detailing, especially in her facial area compared to her surroundings, and making her the focus subject matter in a natural setting.  Similar to Waterhouse's The Lady of Shalott, this painting uses very natural colors to set a very fantastical the surrounding Lilith, who in contrast dons red hair and a white dress, naturally taking the focus of the viewer. 




Works Cited:

Esaak, Shelley. “Romanticism in Art History From 1800-1880.” ThoughtCo, www.thoughtco.com/romanticism-art-history-183442.

Impression Sunrise by Claude Monet, www.impressionists.org/impression-sunrise.jsp.

Boulevard Montmartre at Night by Camille Pissarro, www.camillepissarro.org/boulevard-montmartre-at-night.jsp.

“Impressionism Movement Overview.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/movement/impressionism/.

“The Lady of Shalott.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Mar. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_of_Shalott#Art.

art-mus-thr200. Art 200x, 24 Apr. 2009, art200.community.uaf.edu/2009/04/24/03-visual-arts-3/.

“Lady Lilith.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Lilith.

Impression Sunrise by Claude Monet, www.claude-monet.com/impression-sunrise.jsp.

Pissarro, Camille. “The Boulevard Montmartre at Night.” The National Gallery, 1 Jan. 1897, www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/camille-pissarro-the-boulevard-montmartre-at-night.

Tate. “'The Lady of Shalott', John William Waterhouse, 1888.” Tate, 1 Jan. 1888, www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/waterhouse-the-lady-of-shalott-n01543.





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