Henry Matisse left many valuable paintings, but the Joy of Life (“Bonheur de Vivre”) stands out as his most important
Henry Matisse left many valuable paintings, but the Joy of Life (“Bonheur de Vivre”) stands out as his most important
Claude Monet was an impressionist painter who would later influence the movement of modern art and create one of the most famous paintings Water lilies (Oscar 1). This has been recreated many times by artists all over the world. Claude Monet was born in Paris France on November 14, 1840. In his early life he loved to be outdoors and would always draw in his school books. At the age of five he lived in the Normandy Region with his siblings and later on moved back to Paris after the death of his mother to become an artist; his father wanted him to study business, but he still chose to pursue his dream (Oscar 1). Georges Seurat was part of the Neo-impressionist movement. He was born in Paris France on December 2, 1859; he started to gain interest in art because of his uncle and soon began to take lessons from him. He was enrolled at the famous Ecole de Beaux-Arts Paris. He was fairly interested in work from Monet (Georges 1). They both have their similarities and differences; they both wanted to capture more natural scenery of what everyday life is like. Seurat used a new method called Pointillism, which can be seen in his Sunday afternoon painting (Thomas 162). Monet was mainly known for using brush strokes to show urgency/movement in his paintings. Monet used pastels; they were colors that were better to work with when trying to mimic nature (Oscar 124). Seurat used colors that were undiluted and layered on top of one another. Water…
Impressionism was an art movement that originated in Paris in the 19th Century, during a time of confusion. The second Industrial revolution and the French society were being undermined by the Francco-Prussian war and the siege of Paris. (mind-edge). Art was loaded with political significance. Rulers used art as a way to portray their ideas of beauty ensuring values which in their eyes made a stable and civilized society. A group of Parisian artists, also thought of as radicals, refused to acknowledge the academicism that dominated French at the time. Despite having multiple submissions rejected by the Salon jury the group decided to exhibit their artwork independently. They did not follow the accepted art, their views of the here and now as well as paintings of commoners were not well received. Art that didn’t follow the classical way was seen as an object of contempt, fear or repression.…
Impressionism is a historical art period that took place during the late 19th century in France. Paintings from this period were usually of everyday outdoor scenes. The artists of this period wanted to develop their own technique where what was painted was not the actual focus of the art, but light itself was considered to be the focus. (Janaro & C, 2009) Paintings from this period were done in quick movements and with vibrant and light colors. Impressionist also used thick strokes of paint and left brush strokes adding a new dimension to the art. The first artists recognized as Impressionist include Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, and Paul Cezanne. (Impressionism, 2000)…
Fauvism started as a loosely associated group of artists who used explosive colors to portray emotion. They were not constrained by the Realists color palette and used this new found freedom to explore and experiment with other styles, helping to cut a path to 20th Century Modernism. Fauvism respected expression on a individual basis. An artists’ emotional response to all things natural, or intuition were far more important than classical training or lofty subjects.…
Henri Cartier-Bresson is among some of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. His photographs appear in most popular magazines such as, Life, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and also co founding Magnum Photo Agency. Cartier-Bresson pursued photography with an impulsive passion that he refined into a photojournalistic art form. He is also well know for coining the phrase “The Decisive Moment” in photography, which is capturing the moment something is happening creating a photograph that leaves the viewer waiting. In better terms the decisive moment is “the one that fixes forever the precise and transitory instant.” It is important to keep in mind each picture was exposed on film and could only be viewed after the film was developed;…
Impressionism started out in Paris around the 1860's, it is often referred to as one of the first modern painting movements. It started in Europe but quickly caught on and spread to the United States. The painting that started the movement was a painting by Claude Monet, Impressionism: Sunrise, this particular piece by Monet, was the first of its kind. This new style of painting allowed the artists to take their work outdoors, this allowed them to create more realistic landscapes and actually experience many of the elements they were trying to portray. Impressionist paintings put an emphasis on the visual sensations and were a more accurate portrait of what the artist was actually seeing and experiencing. Different painting techniques…
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of color and originality. He is also commonly regarded, along with Picasso, as one of the two greatest artists of the 20th century. In addition Matisse was one of the great initiators of the modern art movement, which uses the combination of bold primary colors and free simple forms. His most notable paintings that comes to mind after visiting Moma is Blue Nude, Le Luxe II, Bathers with a Turtle, and La Danse. Collectively, these paintings have various similarities as well as differences from each other.…
He studied the work of the modern artists, exploring their techniques and styles to see how they suited his own ideas. He liked the style of post-impressionist Paul Cezanne and Vincent van Gogh. He had began painting in the style of impressionism an pointillism at the academy. He then started to paint in his own style of art. Matisse's painting, "The Green Stripe", a portrait of his wife he painted in 1905, was given very bad critiques. An art critic called his work, "The nastiest smear of paint I have ever seen" and another thought it was "the work of an insane person." Matisse's friends entered his art in a show and the critics called the show, the fauves show, which means "wild beasts" in French. Henri and his friends didn't mind. To this very day, Henri is considered among the greatest figures and his artworks are considered among the greatest masterpieces of twentieth century art. Matisse's artwork was different than many other artists at the time, because he worked rapidly and used more vivid colors. He had used colors that were unrealistic to show his emotions through his art…
During a visit to Brittany, Matisse discovered Impressionism (Essers 8). The works of Cezanne and Van Gogh influenced him.…
Georges Seurat’s most commemorated painting, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte-1884, deemed him the father of Pointillism and Neo-Impressionism. As a French post-impressionist artist, he was noted for his innovative style and painting techniques. Seurat’s artistic personality was very disparate when compared to his counterparts of the post-impressionist era. Other artists of that time period, such as Paul Cézanne or Henri Rousseau painted what may be considered more traditional art at that time, using the set standard of blending colors on canvas, rather than through optical illusions. Georges Seurat possessed qualities that were usually deemed incompatible with the creativity needed in art.…
It was the late summer of August 19, 1988 the terribly young, Jean-Michel Basquiat died tragically of a heroin overdose in his art studio located in Manhattan, New York. There laid Basquiat asleep in a huge bed covered in television noise. Beneath the window of his bathroom were bloody syringes and words written “Broken Heart” with his favorite copyright sign.…
Henri Matisse is a French artist who had a six-decade career in being an artist. His artworks were traditional, however; his usage of different exaggerated emotion and brilliant colours made him an artist who became very influential in the 20th century. Matisse born and raised in France, as his family worked in the grain business. When Matisse was around his 20’s or so, he had taken up working as a legal clerk, and after that he had studied for a law degree. He then began working in a law office, as he also, at the time, had started taking up drawing classes before going to work, which only further influenced his passion for becoming an artist.…
Impressionism can be said to be one of the first modern art movement in painting as started and developed in Paris in the period of 1860. Its influence was significant as it spread in Europe and the United States. These artists were turning away from the old artistic impressions of fine finish and detail that inspired most artists at that time.…
"What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject-matter, an art which could be for every mental worker, for the businessman as well as the man of letters, for example, a soothing, calming influence on the mind, something like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue." – Henri Matisse-…
However, early on in his career Matisse was viewed as a Fauvist, and his celebration of bright colors reached its peak in about 1917. In 1905, Henri Matisse, created The Joy of Life painting and to the audience this is a remarkable vision upon the eye. Matisse used symbols that were bold, flat, contrasting colors to create a work with much impact on the audience. He simplified figures with strong outlines in which they are all finding their own peace in their own way. This celebration consist of some dancing, others relaxing, while the couple in the lower right are embracing each other. I have a particular interest in this painting because I appreciate the message that Matisse sends in this painting which was very heroic of him during this time era. Joy of Life, which is clearly very dreamlike and playful, while it seemingly illustrates a wonderful celebration that invites anyone in the world to join. When people gather to celebrate, there is normally music, dancing, and talking. In which, in my opinion, Matisse portrayed in this painting (a hidden message). This was Matisse way of exposing women, not as villains, predators, prey, or victims, but as nurturers and caregivers. This painting indicated that women should not be look upon as dark sexual images, but as a celebration of life that should be honored…