Painting is One of the Oldest and Most Important Arts

8/9/2019 Painting is One of the Oldest and Most Important Arts

1/13

Painting is one of the oldest and most important arts. Since prehistoric times,artist s have arranged paints on surfaces in way that ex press their idea aboutpeople and the world. The paintings that artists create have great value forhumanity. They provide people with both enjoyment and informatio n.

People enjoy painting for many reasons. They may think a painting i n beautiful.

People may like the colors that the painter used or the way the artist arrange d thepaint on the surface. Some paintings interest people because of the way the artistexpresses some human emotion, such as fear, grief, happiness, or love. Otherpaintings are enjoyable because they skillfully portray nature. ven paintings ofsuch everyday scenes as people at work and play and of such common objects as foodand f lowers can be a source of pleasure.

Paintings also teach. Some reveal what the artist felt about important subject ,including death, love, religion, and social justice. O ther paintings tell about thehistory of the period during which they were created. They provide information aboutthe custom, goals, and interests of the people of past societies. Painting also tellabout such things as the building, clothing, and tools of the past. !uch of ourknowledge about pre historic and ancient times comes from painting and other arts,

because many early societies left few or no written records. "t would be hard to finda subject that no one has ever tried to paint. #rtists paint the things they seearound them$people, animals, nature, and nonliving objects. They also paint dreamlikescenes that exist only in the imagination. #n artist can reach back into the past andpaint a historical event, a religious story, or a myth. Some artists paint picturesthat show no clear subject matter at all. "nstead, they arrange the paint in someabstract way that expresses feeling or ideas that are important to them.

Since prehistoric times, many artists have painted the subjects that were mostimportant to the ir societies. %or example, religion was particularly important inurope during the !iddle #ges, and most of the paintings created then were religious.# prehistoric artist painted, the animal on a cave wall in %rance, about &'((( ). *.The artist lived at a time when animals served as the main source of food and

clothing for human beings. The #merican artist +obert )echtle painted the picture ofa man and his automobile, called ( %$)ird. The automobile is the most importantmeans of transp ortation in modern #merican life. People have always been a favoritesubject of painters. #rtists have shown people intheir paintings in many differentways. #ll great paintings, regardless of subject matters, share a common feature.They do more than just reproduce with paint something that exists, existed, or can beimagined. They also expresses the painter-s special view about a subject. !anyartists turn to nature for their subject matter. They paint scenes called landscapesand seascapes that they try to capture the many moods of nature. Still$life arepicture of objects. Still$life painters usually make no attempt to tell a story orexpress an idea. "nstead, they are interested in the object themselves their color,shape, surface, and the space within or around them. #rtists often find their subjectmatter in the past. They paint pictures that record real events or myths of long ago.

!any such paintings are instead to recall past deeds of glory or to teach a lesson.!any artists have used paintings to express political and social beliefs and toprotest such things as war and poverty. !ovements of social expression have appearedin painting throughout history.

The way that painters arrange colors, forms, or lines is called composition. Somepainters use no recogni/able subject matter. "nstead, they stress composition for itsown sake. Piet !ondrian-s 01o/enge *omposition in a S2uare0 is an example.


2/13

*omposition is also important in paintings that have recogni/able subject matter.%intoiettos 0Saint !ark +escuing a Slave0 is as important for its composition as forthe story it tells. %intoretto place each figure perfectly to direct attention towardthe floating figure of Saint !ark pointing to the slave on the ground. 3iewers canenjoy the skillful composition even if they do not understand the story.

!any paintings have been created to decorate rooms or buildings. The subjectmatter of most of these paintings is less important than the painting-s place withinthe total scheme of decoration. %or example, the 4aiseraal, a room in a place in5iir/bourg, 6ermany, has a number of outstanding paintings by 6iovanni )attistaPiepolo. )ut these paintings are no more important than the windows, columns, orimitation draperies in the room. !any artists and craftworkers created these objects,and each object became a part of the room-s overall decoration. Paintings consist ofmany artistic elements. The most important elements include 7&8 color, 798 line, 7:8mass, 7;8 space, and 7'8 texture. These artistic elements are as important to apainter as words are to an author. )y stressing certain elements, a painter can makea picture easier to understand or bring out some particular mood or theme. %orexample , an artist can combine to produce an intensely emotional feeling. The sameartistic elements can also be combined in a different way in order to produce a

feeling of peace and relaxation.*olor can help an artist tell a story, express anemotion, or$ as in Picasso-s og0, Picasso used lines to showthe edges of his figures. Some lines are thick and some are thin. The artistemphasi/ed line to make the viewer aware of the roundness of the forms and the andthe delicacy of the slender figures of the young boys and the figure of the dog.

!ass allows an artist to express the feeling of weight in a painting. Picassocreated 0!other and *hild0- largely in terms of mass. The bulky, solid appearance offigures in the painting impresses the viewer. The artist made the figure look as ifthey are made of stone or some other heavy materials. )y stressing mass, Picasso madethe figures seem like monuments that will last a long time.

Space. )y arranging lines, colors, and light and dark areas in certain ways,painters can create an appearance of great space$even though they really paint on asmall, flat surface. #n artist can make an object look flat or solid, and eitherclose or far away. "n some paintings, space plays just as important a part as thesolid forms. Picasso-s


3/13

plaster is still damp. %resco artists decorate both inside and outside walls. Theirworks contribute greatly to the beauty of buildings and homes. %resco painting isespecially well suited to decorating large walls in churches, government buildings,and palaces. # fresco, unlike many other painting techni2ues, has no glossy shining.# shine would make a fresco difficult to see from certain angels. %resco paintingreached its greatest popularity from the &9((0s through the &'((-s. "taly was thecenter of fresco painting during that period.

1eading fresco painters included 6iotto , #ndrea !antegna, !asaccio, and!ichelangelo. >uring the &?((-s, !exican artists revised fresco painting. Theyincluded @ose *lemente Oro/co and >iego +ivera . !exican artists decorated manypublic buildings with large frescoes that show scenes from !exican history.

5ater color painting can be done in two major techni2ues, 7&8 transparent watercolor and 798 gouache. Transparent water color are paints made of pigments combinedwith a gum$#rabic binder. #n artist using this techni2ue lightens the color by addingwater to them. "n most other techni2ues, the artist adds white paint to lightencolors. The viewer can see the support through a layer of transparent water color.6ouache paint is also made with a gum arable binder. )ut during the manufacturing

process, a little white pigment or chalk is added to make the paint opa2ue. Opa2uemeans that the viewer cannot see through a layer of the color. #n artist using thegouache techni2ue makes the color lighter by adding white paint to them. !ust stylesof modern transparent and gouache water color painting grew out of techni2uesdeveloped in ngland, %rance, and the Aetherlands during the &B((-s and &C((-s. )utwater color paints had been used to decorate walls and ornamental objects in ancientgypt and #sia, and in urope during the !iddle #ges.

ncaustic painting involves the use of melted wax as the binder. Pure beeswax isthe best kind of wax for this purpose. ncaustic painting was widely used in 6reeceas early as the ;((-s ). *. )ut by about #. >. C((, the techni2ue had been abandoned.>uring the &C((-s, artists attempted to use wax paints for outdoor murals. Somepainters of the &?((-s have used the techni2ue for easel picture.

Pastels are colored chalk sticks. They are made of pigment and a small amount ofweak adhesive. !any artists who draw especially well like to work in pastel becausethey can use the stick like a pencil while producing brilliant effects of color.

Two %rench artists of the &B((-s @ean *hardin and !aurice Duentin de 1a Tour, madeexcellent pastel portraits. Outstanding %rench artists of the &C((-s, includingdouard !anet, @ean %rancais !illet, and Pierre #uguste +enoir, often worked in

pastel. They captured the visual effects of light and atmosphere in pure pastelcolors. dgar >egas, another %rench artist of bather, dancers, and people working .>egas-s well drawn, brilliantly colored works proved that pastel could be a majorpainting techni2ue.

Tempera is a techni2ue in which egg yolk is used as the binder. !ost egg temperapaintings are done on wood.

# painter usually applies tempera in fine crisp strokes with a painted brush. Thepaint dries almost immediately into a thin, water$resistant coasting. Tempera dries2uickly, and so the brushstrokes do not blend easily. Aormally, the artist developsthe tones of the picture through a series of thin strokes laid over each other. "n atempera painting, most shapes are sharp and clear. Tones are bright, and details areexact and strong.


4/13


5/13

became a bridge between gyptian art, which emphasi/ed death, and ancient 6reek and+oman art, which dealt with life.

6ree k painting. The ancient 6reeks made greater achievements in architecture andsculpture than in painting. Aearly all surviving 6reek paintings appear on pottery.The 6reeks made beautifully shaped pottery and painted it with scenes from everyday

life and from stories about their gods and heroes.

6reek artists of the late ((-s and the '((-s ). *. Painted black figures onnaturally red pottery. This method became known as the black figure style. # painternamed xekias was a master of the style. #bout ':( ). *. 6reek artists developed thered figure style, the reverse of the black figure style. These artists painted thebackground of their pottery in black and let natural red show through to form thefigures. The red figure painters, like the 6reek sculptors of the same period,created extremely lifelike figures. This < ideal sty le= became the chief 2uality ofthe so$called classical art of the 6reek and +omans.

6reek sculptors made realistic figures and indicated emotion by facial expressionor bodily pose. This was the style copied by +oman sculptors and relearned by

+enaissance sculptors. "t serve d as the basic style for uropean sculpture until thelate &C((-s. The 6reeks thought of their gods as being like people, and sculptorsportrayed gods as people in such works as the < 6reek 6od Poseidon= or < Eeus= . Theyshowed people as godlike beings. The earliest important classical sculpture appearedon the Temple of Eeus at Olympia. The high point of the classical style is generallyconsidered to be the sculptures on the Parthenon in #thens. Sculptures decoratedsarcophagi with reliefs. Portrait sculpture also began during this period.

5e know more about +oman painting than 6reek painting because a wider selection of+oman paintings has survived. +oman artist

were strongly influenced by the 6reeks. They gave the figures in their paintingsthe same lifelike 2uality. +oman artists added to the reality of their works bypainting convincing illusions of depth, shade, shadow and reflected light. Some ofthe best examples of +oman painting have been %ound in the ruins of the city ofPompeii. The house of two brothers named 3ettius contains frescoes portraying storiesabout lxion, a mythical hero. These frescoes consist of elaborately designed paintedpanels.

+oman sculptures. The finest work of +oman sculptors was probably their mass$produced portrait sculpture. To meet the large demand for portrait busts, the +omansdeveloped a set of standard symbols for hair, eyes, nose, and mouth. # studentlearned to carve by reproducing these details accurately, rather than by copying aliving model. #rt schools used this method of teaching until as recently as the&?;(-s.

The +omans were deeply religious, and many reliefs from altars show ceremonies orsymbolic stories. # famous example of such sculpture is the #ra Pacis 7#ltar ofPeace8 in +ome.

The +omans also were particularly interested in showing historical events, a themethat the 6reeks had avoided. +eliefs of commemorative arches and columns tell thestory of complete military campaigns. The best$known columns are TrojanFs *olumn andthe *olumn of !arcus #ureoles.


6/13

Oriental painting, the painting of #sia, has three main branches "ndian,*hinese, and "slamic.

"ndian painting, is primarily religious art. "ndian painters create their works tohelp the people communicate with their gods. Their main subject include gods andstories about the gods and holy people. "ndian artists paint on manuscripts of holy

texts, on banners and wallhangings, and on walls. They direct all the elements oftheir pictures toward increasing the religious experience of the viewer. very objectand figure in their paintings has a specific meaning. 6ods are usually portrayed asred and fierce in order to show their great power. Their many arms let them displayall the symbols of their power at once. The god appears warlike and full of motion,which shows that he can con2uer his enemies. The artists do not attempt to show godsand the other figures in real space. #ll the figures seem to float in a heavenlyatmosphere. They are seated on clouds or lotus plants. *louds and a ring of flame which symboli/e the universe encircle the chief figure and fill the background withswirling movements and color.

*hines painting. The major *hinese religions al stressed a love of nature. Partlyas a result, tree major kinds of subject matter dominate

*hinese painting. They are birds and flowersG figuresG and landscapes of thecountryside, mountains, and sea. *hinese landscape painters tried to create a feelingof union between the human spirit and the energy of the wind. water, mist, andmountains. Such pictures express the *hinese belief that there is an inner harmonyand balance among all things in the world. *hinese painters use black ink that couldproduce different tones and a brush that could many kinds of lines. #rtists createdmany paintings in black ink only. ven when they added color, the ink drawingremained the basis of the design. The *hinese paid more attention to the brushstrokesthan to the subject matter. !ost surviving *hinese painting are painted on silk or anabsorbent paper. !any artists painted on walls or a large screens. #ll thesepaintings re2uire special study. The artist intended their works to be examined onlyif the viewer had time to enjoy them without distraction.

"n *hina, painters, like poets and scholars, were considered persons of learningand wisdom. *hinese paintings were closely associated with poetry. !any *hinesepaintings combine certain objects, such as a particular bird or flower, because theobjects are associated with a famous poem.

*hinese painters produced many great landscapes painted on long scrolls. Theviewer unrolls the scroll slowly from right to left, revealing a continuoussuccession of scenes of the countryside. These hand scrolls are in a uni2uely *hineseart form. #ppreciation of them re2uires much patience and thought.

Hia 6ui and !a Iuan created a style of ideali/ed landscapes that greatlyinfluenced *hinese and @apanese painting.

Juman figures were also important in *hinese painting. #rtists painted portraitsof both real and imaginary people. They painted scenes that illustrate stories andhistorical subjects. !any paintings show the elegant, refined life at court. Some ofthese pictures show furniture and decorations in great detail. Others have a plainbackground. #ll these paintings are remarkable for a delicacy of line.


7/13

@apanese painting is included in the tradition of *hinese painting because @apan-sart was greatly influenced by *hina-s. Jowever, the @apanese changed the *hinesestyles to suit their own taste. The @apanese use of the color and abstract design hadtransformed the art into a new form of expression. @apanese artists were interestedin the time and place in which they lived. Their paintings show their fondness forstorytelling as well as for art that appeals to the emotions and the senses.

%rom the &'((-s to the &C((-s, @apanese artists painted in a style that stronglyemphasi/ed color and design. These artists were called decorators. The decoratorsomitted detail from their pictures and stressed only outlines. They applied theircolor evenly with no shading. The decorators often added gold leaf to their paintingsfor an effect of luxury. The finest decorative paintings were pictures of nature,particularly animals, flowers, and landscapes.

Throughout most of its history, @apanese painting has reflected the taste of theupper classes. )ut the @apanese style most familiar in the 5est is an art of thecommon people. The style is called ukiyo$e 7the floating world8. The floating worldis a world of pleasure and entertainment, and of great actors and beautiful women.

"slamic painting is primarily the creation of beautiful books through calligraphyand illustration. *alligraphers copied texts in elegant handwriting, and artistsadded illustration to increase the beauty of the books. *alligraphers copied thetexts of 4oran, the "slamic holy book, on pages that were then covered with goldleaf. arly "slamic artists decorated the pages with complicated patterns becausetheir religion prohibited the making of images of human beings and animals. Jowever,as time passed, many "slamic artists especially those living in Persia $ beganpainting human and animal figures.

"n addition to the 4oran, Persian artists illustrated collections of fables,histories, love poems, and scientific works. These illustrations have jewel likecolor, the most important element in "slamic painting. The artists did not try toportray the real world, but instead tried to create a luxurious, ideal setting to

delight the eye and simulate the imagination.

!edieval painting refers to most of the art produced in urope during a period ofabout &(( years. This period began with the fall of the +oman mpire in the #> :((-sand ;((-s and ended with the beginning of the +enaissance in the &:((-s. #lmost allmedieval artists dealt with religious subjects, they developed several styles. One ofthese styles, called )y/antine, became the most important tradition among *hristianartists of eastern urope and the Aear ast.

)y/antine painting. Starting in the #> :((-s, eastern *hristians graduallyseparated from the western *hristians, who were ruled by the pope in +ome. astern*hristians art is called )y/antine because the religion centered in the city of)y/antium 7now "stanbul, Turkey8. )y the '((-s, the )y/antine artists had developed aspecial style of religious painting. The )y/antine painting style has remainedlargely unchanged to the present day. )y/antine pictures portray colorful butunlifelike figures that stand for religious ideas rather than flash$and$blood people.The artists were not interested to techni2ues that would help show the world as itwas. They generally ignored perspective and gave their works a flat look. They madewide use of symbols in their works in order to tell stories.

The *@Teat age of +ussian #rt.


8/13

5hen +ussia received *hristianity from )y/antium in the late &(((-s, an importantpart of the culture transplanted onto +ussian soil was the early medieval art that)y/antium had brought to a level of great sophistication. %or the Orthodox *hurch,icons 7images of holy personages or events8 where an integral part of worship andtheology, testifying to the reality of the incarnation. *haracteristically icons werepainted in tempera on wooden panels, though they may be of other materials, and thefresco wall paintings 7occasionally mosaics8 with which early churches were alwaysadorned are e2ually escent into Jell, it isreasonable to see in this an effect of Jesychast mysticism.

"con painters had singular opportunities in the early &' ((-s as a result of thedevelopment of the iconostasis, a wooden screen closing off the altar area of achurch and clad with tiers of icons, often life$Osi/e or greater. The central tier7the eisis=8 represented holy figures interceding with *hrist on behalf of theworshipers. The iconostasis as a gallery of representations of saints compares withthe great sculpted portals of 5estern medieval cathedrals, while the opening and

closing of its central doors enhance the drama of the liturgy. The impact of thewhole ambience is increased by the frescoes covering all interior walls and ceilings.6ood examples of these survive, though fragmentarily in Aovgorod 75orld 5ar "" took aheavy toll here8, and include paintings by Theophanes. There are wall paintings by+ublyov in the >ormition *athedral at 3ladimir. # small number of very fineilluminated gospels books of the period have been attributed to the circles of bothartists.


9/13

)eginning about &;((, uropean painting flourished as never before. This era ofgreat painting took place during the period of history called the +enaissance. The+enaissance began in "taly about &:(( and spread northward. )y & ((, it had effectednearly all urope.

One very important aspect of the +enaissance was a great revival of interest in

the art and literature of ancient +ome. This revival had an enormous influence onpainting. +eligious subject matter remained important. )ut artists included elementsof +oman architecture in their pictures. The "talian city of %lorence and thenorthern urope an region of %landers became the major centers of painting in theearly +enaissance.

Sandro )otticelli, one of the greatest %lorentine masters, became the leadinginterpreter of Aeoplatonism. Aeoplatonism was a complicated religious theory thatcombined ancient mythology, 6reek philosophy, and *hristianity to explain 6od,beauty, and truth. )otticelli-s 1eonardo, as he is almost always called, was trained to e a painter. )ut he becameone of the most versatile geniuses in history. Jis interests and achievements spreadinto an astonishing variety of fields, such as anatomy, astronomy, botany, andgeology. 1eonardo-s paintings made him famous, and his more graceful approach markedthe beginning of the Jigh +enaissance Style.

1eonardo finished painting


10/13

moving into or out of a smile. Je arranged her folded hands so that the figure formeda pyramid design. 1eonardo-s techni2ue solved a problem that had faced earlierportrait painters. These artists had shown only the head and upper part of the body,and the picture seemed to cut off the subject at the cheat. 1eonardo-s placement ofthe hands of the

)y the early &'((-s, +ome had replaced %lorence as the chief center of "talianpainting. The popes lived in +ome, and they spent great sums on art to make +ome themost glorious city of the *hristian world. "n addition, two of the greatest artistsin history $ +aphael and !ichelangelo $ worked there. The style of painting thatcentered in +ome during the early &'((-s is called Jigh +enaissance. "t combinedelements of many earlier styles, including graceful figures, classical +oman realism,and linear perspective. The works of +aphael and !ichelangelo best show the Jigh+enaissance style of painting.

+aphael painted balanced, harmonious designs that express a calm, noble way oflife. This style appealed to "talians of the early &'((-s. >uring this period, the

+oman *atholic *hurch was sure of its supreme position in urope, and leading"talians were convinced that the great classical +oman civili/ation had been rebornand was flourishing in "taly.

+aphael was strongly influenced by 1eonardo da 3inces style of arranging figuresto form a pyramid. Je used this compositional form often in a series of paintings ofthe !adonna 7the 3irgin !ary8. "n these paintings !adonna is as graceful as agoddess. Jer manner suggests the +enaissance ideal that a good woman should befaithful, humble, and pure.

+aphael-s


11/13

The texture of the paint itself interested some 3enetian artists more than thesubject matter. These painters brushed on their paint in thick strokes. Sometimesthey seem almost to have painted their pictures in sweeping brushstrokes. Thesepictures are often full of motion and action, and invite the viewer to an imaginaryworld where he can relax in the presence of beautiful women and lovely nature.

The *ounter +eformation, the +oman *atholic *hurch-s response to the Protestant+eformation, and the rise of nationalism in many uropean countries helped bringabout a major painting style $ baro2ue, )aro2ue and a related style, rococo,dominated uropean painting during the & ((-s and &B((-s. The +eformation forced the+oman *atholic *hurch to organi/e against Protestantism. *hurch officials wanted touse art in order to spread *atholic ideas and teachings. The church told artists thatthey should create religious paintings that would be realistic and easy to understandand $ most importantly $ would inspire religious emotional reactions in viewers.These 2ualities formed the basic of the baro2ue painting style.

Peter Paul +ubens of %landers was one of the greatest of the painters who adoptedthe baro2ue style. Je skillfully combined realism and classical style. +ubens wasalso influenced by the 3enetian techni2ue of painting in thick oils.

The < levation of the *ross= shows +ubens- baro2ue style. This painting is ahighly emotional religious scene. Several half$naked bodies strain to lift @esus intothe cross as spectators look on in sorrow and fear. +ubens intensified the feeling ofaction and struggle by drawing his composition in diagonal lines. Je furtherheightened the picture-s lights appeal by painting the highlights in thick masses ofpigment and the dark colors in semitransparent brownish gla/es. The painting shows+ubens- remarkable ability in drawing the studio and employed many assistants, ofwhom #nton 3an >yck was the most famous. >iego 3elka/2ue/, who painted at the Spanishcourt, was another master of baro2ue. )oth 3an >yck and 3ela/2ue/ gained theirgreatest fame as portrait painters. Their portraits showed rulers in aristocraticposes. Such portraits were intended to display the vertues and dignity of the rulers.This type of elegant portrait is called a state portrait, and became popular during

the & ((-s. #nyhow, 3ela/2ue/- portraits seem more like personal pictures from afamily album than paintings advertising the rulers.

>utch painting. )y the late & ((-s, the Aetherlands had become one of the world-smajor commercial and colonial powers. #s the country gained wealth, the >utch peoplebecame interested in luxury goods, including works of art. They liked almost anysubject that

reminded them of their own comfortable middle$class lives. >utch paintersdeveloped a distinct style during the baro2ue period. !any >utch artists speciali/edin painting specific subjects, such as domestic scenes or tavern scenes. Paintingthat deals with such ordinary, everyday subjects is called genre painting.

@an 3ermeer probably ranks as the greatest >utch genre painter of the & ((-s.3ermeer and other >utch genre artists painted small pictures, most of which hadsmooth, gla/ed surfaces. 3ermeer, a master of painting interior scenes, usuallyportrayed women working at 2uiet household tasks. Jis art is particularly noted forits treatment of sunlight as it floods into a room or falls on objects.

+ococo was a painting style that developed out of baro2ue. +ococo artists gavetheir paintings the decorative 2uality of baro2ue. )ut they painted most of theirpictures on a smaller scale than did the baro2ue painters. !uch baro2ue painting was


12/13

energetic and heroic. +ococo painting communicated a sense of relaxation. "t also waslight$hearted and had none of the seriousness of baro2ue painting. #ntone 5atteau andJonore %ragonard are the most famous rococo artists.

Aeo$classicism was a movement in painting which reflected political changes inurope. The %rench +evolution, which began in &BC?, stressed the virtues of +oman

civili/ation. These virtues included discipline and high moral principles. Aeo$classical artists helped educate the %rench people in the goals of the newgovernment. They painted inspirational scenes from +oman history to create a feelingof patriotism. They are @ac2ues 1ouis >avid and @ean #uguste >omini2ue of %rance.

+omanticism was a reaction against the neo$classical emphasis on balanced, orderlypictures. +omantic paintings expressed the imagination and emotions of the artists.The painters replaced the clean, bright colors and harmonious compositors of neo$classicism with scenes of violent activity dramati/ed by vigorous brushstrokes, richcolors, and deep shadows.

Two nglish painters $ @ohn *onstable and @oseph !. 5. Turner $made importantcontributions to romanticism. *onstable was a master of landscape painting. Je

developed a style of rough brushstrokes, and broken color to catch the effected oflights in the air, trees bent in the wind, and pond surfaces moved by a bree/e. "nhis works he tried to capture in oil paintings the fresh 2uality of water colorsketches.

Turner was increasingly concerned with the effects of color. "n his late workscolor became one da//ling swirl of paint on the canvas. The influence of *onstableand Turner appeared during the late &C((0s in the works of the %rench impressionists.

+ealism. #s neo$classicism and romanticism declined , a new movement $ realism $developed in %rance. 6uctave *ourbet became the first great master of realisticpainting. *ourbet painted landscapes, but his vision of nature was not so ideali/edas that of other painters. Je recorded the world around him so sharply that many ofhis works were considered social protests. "n one painting, for example, he portrayedan old man and a youth in the agoni/ing work of breaking rocks with hammers. Theartist implied that something is wrong with a society that allows people to spendtheir lives at such labor. The neo$classicists called *ourbet-s paintings low andvulgar. )ut *ourbet-s works helped change the course of art. The paintings were basedon the artist-s honest. Mnsentimental observations of life around him. %rom *ourbet-stime to the present day, many painters have adopted his approach.

The Pre$+aphaelite )rotherhood was an nglish art and literary movement founded in&C;C. The leading painters of the movement were 5illiam Jolman Junt, Sir @ohnverett, !illais, and >ante 6abriel +ossetti. The Pre$+aphaelite painters stood apartfrom the major art movements of their century. They wanted to return to what theybelieved was the purity and innocence of painting before +aphael. !ost Pre$+aphaeliteart has a strong moral message through religious paintings.

dward !anet was a %rench artist who revolutioni/ed painting in the mid$&C((-s. Jedeveloped a new approach to art. Je believed that painting do not have to expressmessages or portray emotions. !anet was chiefly interested in painting beautifulpictures. To him, beauty resulted from a combination of brushstrokes, colors,patterns, and tones. Since !anet-s time, most painters have emphasi/ed the pictureitself, rather than its storytelling function. Jis 01uncheon on the 6rass0illustrates lack of concern for story.


13/13

"mpressionism was developed by a group of %rench painters who did their major workbetween about &CB( and &?&(. The impressionists included *laude !anet, Pierre #uguste+enoir, and dgar >egas. 1ike !anet, the impressionists, they chose to paint scenesfrom everyday life, including buildings, landscapes, people, and scenes of citytraffic. !ost of the people in their pictures were ordinary middle$class citydwellers $like the painters themselves.

The impressionists developed a revolutionary painting style. They based it on thefact that nature changes continually. 1eaves move in the wind, light transforms theappearance of object, reflections alter color and form. #s the viewer moves, theperspective of what is seen changes. The impressionists tried to create painting thatcapture ever $ changing reality at a particular moment $ much as a camera does.

Postimpressionism described a group of artists who attempted in various ways toextend the visual language of painting beyond impressionism. The most influentialpostimpressionists were Paul *e/anne, Paul 6auguin, and 3incent van 6ogh. #ll were%rench except van 6ogh, who was >utch . Mnlike the impressionists, who emphasi/edlight, *e/anne stressed form and mass. The distortion in his pictures add force tothe composition and give the subject an appearance of permanence and strength.

6auguin-s pictures are highly decorative. 6auguin-s pictures are highly decorative.6auguin stressed flat color, strong patterns, unshaded shapes, and curved lines. Jeconstantly searched for purity and simplicity in life. Jis search led him to theSouth Seas, where he settled on the island of Tahiti. 1ike 6auguin, van 6ogh wantedto express his innermost feelings through his art. Je believed he could achieve thisgoal through the use of brilliant color and violent brushstrokes. Je applied his oilcolors directly from the tube. without mixing them. The result was an art ofpassionate intensity. #rtists of the &?((-s have continued the search for newapproaches to painting that characteri/ed the work of the impressionists andpostimpressionists. !any art movements appeared during the &?((-s. ach lasted only afew years but added to the richness and variety of modern art. They are fauvism,cubism, futurism, expressionism, dadaism, surrealism, etc. #s time passed, paintersof the &?((-s increasingly emphasi/ed purely visual impact rather than recogni/able

subject matter or storytelling.

Some art critics say that too much of today-s painting is concerned only withoriginality and novelty. These critics agree that artists should discard traditionsthat no longer meet their needs. )ut they point out that most great advances in styleand techni2ue were achieved because artists believed they needed new methods toexpress beliefs or ideas. Sometimes artists strive only to create original paintingstyles. )ut originality for its own sake becomes boring unless the painting has2ualities that help it remain significant and interesting after its novelty has wornoff.

Painting is One of the Oldest and Most Important Arts

Documents

Transcript of Painting is One of the Oldest and Most Important Arts