Essay about Modernism: History of Painting and Short Brush Strokes

Submitted By Beth611
Words: 555
Pages: 3
Open Document
Modernism and Impressionism Modernism was the movement in Western art that rejected traditional Victorian standards and the conservative values of realism. This period in art history is characterized by innovation and experimentation. The movement was driven by the political, economic and social pressures of the industrial age (Samu, 2004). Abstract artists began to experiment with color and shapes making them the subject of their paintings verses painting a subject. Schoenberg believed that by ignoring harmony he had discovered a new way of organizing sound (Samu, 2004). In literature poems were created that defied clear interpretation ( Feiro, 2011). In Architecture many traditional styles were thought absolute. New styles were created for the purpose of the building verses including angelic cherubs or religious symbols. The styles of modernism are Impressionism, Post-impressionism, Dadaism, Cubism, Fauvism, and Futurism. The Impressionism is a style of painting that began in Paris, France in the mid-1800’s (Rahn).
Impressionists would take their supplies outdoors and paint the world around them. If the painting included people, they would look like actual people you see in everyday life. For example the local store keeper, a child eagerly waiting for a play to begin. Often family and friends were used as subjects in their paintings. The style was called impressionism because the artist did not focus on making the painting realistic. An impressionist painter used many short brush strokes, applied the paint thickly, to create the impression of a subject. The paint is often so thick that the painting almost looks 3D. Another characteristic of an impressionist painting is the study of light (Rahn). The way light changes the shadows and colors of subjects were very important to the impressionist. For example, Claude Monet would paint in series, making many pictures of the same subject during various times throughout the day and in various seasons (Fiero, 2011). Monet also enjoyed painting sunsets using vivid colors and short brush strokes creating a glorious effect. Although composers are generally not as accurately described as an impressionist several are recognized as such. Composures Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel are considered to be impressionists. Musical Impressionist style tends to make more use of dissonance and more uncommon scales such as whole-tone scale. Another popular scale is the pentatonic
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about Modernism: History of Painting and Short Brush Strokes

Harlem Renaissance Artist Essay

Impressionism: a style of painting developed during the late 19th century which consists of short brush strokes of bright colors. It emphasizes aspects of the particular object without attention to details. Modernism: A style or movement in the arts that aims to break with classical and traditional forms.…

Words 545 - Pages 3

Essay on French Imresionests

rejected the traditional composition rules by keeping their style open for experimentation. They would omit details and focus on overall painting effects as a way of capturing a particular moment. This research paper seeks to provide a detailed insight into impressionist movement. Impressionism defied rules of conventional and traditional classical-paintings in relation to both style and content (David, 37). The traditional movement placed greater emphasis on portraits, religious themes and historical…

Words 1007 - Pages 5

Modern Art in New York Essay

the beginning of winter, likewise the various pictures that hang on the wall in the Museum of Modern Art also send a message, although not a change in weather, but a change in the style and content of art, as artist of the 1930’s began to reject modernism and European art movements began to influence art work in New York. Over Thanksgiving break, two close friends exploring 53rd Street in New York decide to escape the chill of dawn and find themselves wandering into an art museum, known as the Museum…

Words 2663 - Pages 11

Essay on Summary of History of Graphic Design by Meggs

Chapter 1: The Invention of Writing - From the early Paleolithic to the Neolithic period (35,000 BC to 4,000 BC), early Africans and Europeans left paintings in caves, including the Lascaux caves in Southern France. - Early pictures were made for survival and for utilitarian and ritualistic purposes. - Petroglyphs are carved or scratched signs on rock. - These images became symbols for what would be the first spokenlanguage. - Cuneiform – Wedged shaped writing, created in 3000BC. Started…

Words 14951 - Pages 60