Neoclassical And Impressionism: The Effects Of Modern Art

When talking about such a diverse subject as Art, opinions on the matter of influences, and even the title of “The First…”, begins to become a bit touchy. When it comes to being the ‘first, true modern art style”, Impressionism usually comes to everyone’s mind, although that can often be greatly debated. I, myself am at a toss-up of whether or not I fully agree or disagree with this argument, however, for the sake of this discussion, I will say that my opinion lies in favor of agreement. Before Impressionism came to be a major movement (around 1870-1800s), Neoclassical and Romanticism were still making their impacts. Remembering last week’s lesson, we know that both those styles were different in the fact that one was based on emotion, while the other was practical and serious. However, one thing they both shared was the fact that the artists were trying to get a message across; mostly having to do with the effects of the French Revolution, and/or being ordered to do so. With Impressionism, there is a clear difference from its predecessors.

This group ran their own exhibition, and over time, became some of the famous names we know today, such as: Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Alfred Sisley. However, it was not all fame and fortune from the beginning. Most patrons who came to the exhibition were so used to the classic, disciplined style that they often criticized the artists’ works, calling them “unfinished” and offended that they could showcase “sketches” as finished pieces. But this is exactly what these artists embraced; letting go of formality and embracing the “freedom of technique” (“Impressionism”,