Class Notes (Wk 2)

Week 2 Homework Notes
"They Eyes of the Poor" by Charles Baudelaire
- emotionally superior/sensitive, self-serving observation of the poor
- disconnect with lover; him being so compassionate
- unapologetic towards lover, being in a way superior because of his compassion
- speaker in first person, directly placing oneself into the excerpt
"The Pre-Human in the Human" by Charles Darwin
- excerpt came after his publication of his "On the Origin of Species"
- certain traits of animals being more "heroic" than even the Fuegians who were human

Week 2 Class Notes

impressionism following romanticism:
romanticism was followed by a backlash succeeded with a a newer generation of artists
characteristics of impressionism -
no objective point of view, what I see is when I see it,
meaning no depiction/representation,
this is the likeness of it, this is the impression of
with views romanticism being amateur,
thus wanting to return to painting what they see
lacking emotional level of romanticism
(but not to say impressionists were stiff and emotionless)
simple purposes of impressionism -
simple taking in of reality, capturing a moment
the stressing the importance of a point of view
impressionist artists were extremely fascinated with light and passage of time
composition was in a sense lacking in composition, or wasn't planned
Claude Monet (1840-1926):
Impression: Fog, 1872
title format/indication of title is new
similar to titling Painting: Queen Elizabeth (like, no way?!)
Boulevard des Capucines, 1873
lack of tones,
over-saturation of light
impression of crowds indicated simply by brushstrokes
Rouen Cathedral 1892-94
Auguste Renior (1841-1919):
Nude in Sunlight, 1876
more attention to dabbles/spots of light peering through
the leaves than the nude figure herself
Le Moulin de la Galette, 1876
Georges Seurat (1859-1891)
The Bridge at Courbevoie, 1886-87
Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La GrandeJatte, 1884-86
Berthe Moriscot (1841-1895)
female impressionist painter
Dining Room, 1875
optical mixing occurs when the eyes are able to mix colors together
when the painter applies paint to canvas without mixing colors due to
the theory complimentary colors

in-class exercise
write an article in the 1870's...
group 1 - against impressionism
group 2 - defending impressionism
- no objective view of any one scene
- purpose of capturing a moment, and as time is always passing,
our paintings should be a representation of it, being quick and light
- purpose is not to depict beauty and emotion as much as reality
- not commissioned by a patron to paint a subject in the most flattering way
- anti-impressionists being the older generation play conservative,
while impressionists, represent change
- art itself is subjective, who are anti-impressionists to say impressionists can't paint?
impressionists themselves don't try and play the role of elitist