Unit 5 Art Part 1 Evolution Lead-in

In 1839, the French artist and inventor Louis-Jacques Mande Daguerre developed a method of reproducing images by a photochemical process. The process was soon improved upon, and became known all over Europe. A remarkable technical feat, photography led to a profound ideological and cultural revolution that was to transform the art of painting.

1. In the retrospect of time, can you explain the essence of the evolved crisis, and how was the art of painting to overcome it?

2. Ability to see and discuss art is often perceived as the currency of social conversation. This requires an insight into different aspects of the artwork as well as the ability to put the subtleties of your perception into words. Below are excerpts from picture descriptions. Match the lines with the pictures and memorise the key aspects that come under analysis (e.g. composition, representation of details, etc.).

1. The composition and the handling of the paint reveal the uncertainty evident in artist's early work. (Paul Gauguin, Undergrowth); (See pronunciation transcript for the names on the next page.)

2. This 1881 work portrays Gauguin's home in Paris. Placing the flowers in the foreground and leaving the characters in the background was a brave and nonconformist choice. As in many other still lifes of this period, the brushstrokes are short and thick, while the colours are melted together to increase the impression of depth. The palette is made up of warm homely colours. The influence of Gauguin's Realist and Naturalist mentors is demonstrated by the careful and conventional representation of small details. (Paul Gauguin, Interior, Rue Carcel);

3. Pissarro's paintings transmit his profound love of rural France where life was dictated by the slow rhythm of the seasons. (Camille Pissarro,Haymaking at Eragny);

4. Although he was a good land­scape painter, Renoir best expressed his art in portraits of sensual, voluptuous women in the tradition of Titian and Rubens and in representations of everyday scenes. This famous painting portrays a cheerful dancing party in Montmartre. (Pierre Auguste Renoir, The Moulin de la Galette);

5. Degas was intrigued by the world of the theater, especially by ballerinas, whom he portrayed with grace and elegance. He seldom represented them while dancing, however, preferring to show a glimpse of an intimate moment of their life behind the scenes. (Edgar Degas, The Dance Class).

Paul Gauguin	pəul ɡəu ́ɡæn	Rubens	́́ ́ru:bənz	Paul Cezanne	pəul si: ́zæn
Camille Pissarro	ka ́mij pisɑ ́rəu	Montmartre	mɔ:n ́mɑ:rtr	Guillaumin	ɡilɔ: ́mæn
Pierre Auguste Renoir	pjer əu ́gust rən ́wɑ:r	Degas	də ́gɑ	Gustave Courbet	ɡu:st ́ɑ:v ku:r ́be
Titian	́ti:ʃən	Claude Monet	kləud mɔ: ́ne	Ferdinand Delacroix	fe:di ́nɑ:n dəlɑ:krwɑ:

3. All of the pictures above represent early Impressionism. Read the text below, familiarise yourselves with this artistic trend and answer the questions that follow.