Last Name 1 Student s Name Professor s Name Course Date Realism, Impressionism, and Nineteenth-Century Photography Nineteenth-Century Photography One of the most appropriate examples of the nineteenth-century photography is the set of photographs created by Clementina Hawarden. The piece selected for analysis is the photo without title created by Clementina Hawarden depicting her adolescent daughter. It was done around 1850. It is clear that the rise of photography did not start with colorful pictures of landscapes and portraits, whereas the photos made by Hawarden are lively with subtle yellowish undertones. It seems that the photo was taken from a fashion magazine unveiling the new trends of the upcoming season. On the one hand, the adolescent girl depicted in the photo stands almost in the center of the print with the audience seeing only her profile. On the other hand, the other side of her face can be seen in the mirror standing next to her. Such a composition resembles two individuals being depicted instead of one portrait. Modernism was certainly affected by the nineteenth-century photography with the ordinary subject matter, which only in some cases was rather bizarre and unnatural with people depicted in unreal postures. For instance, the group portraits and images of the dead people can be seen in the photographs of that time (middle
Last Name 2 on nineteenth century). However, Clementina Hawarden was taking pictures of her daughters in smart dresses. Their poses were calm, whereas draped skirts were full of dynamics and movement. At the same time, the photograph presented above focuses on the light and shades rather than color, because no options for color photography were available at that time. So, the girl standing in front of the mirror does not look at herself, but rather uses it as a lens to see someone standing on the other side of the room that cannot be seen by the audience. Impressionism Chronological sequence suggests the movement of Impressionism with one of the most vivid examples of this style created by Claude Monet, Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), 1872, oil on canvas, and currently stored at Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris. Sometimes it seems that sunsets and sunrises have no difference when a person looking at the painting does not know the background of the artwork. In the case of Monet, there is no need to think about the sun and its direction of whether it is moving to hide in the waters or rises above the grayish smoke ascending on the water. The movement of Impressionism was a logical way in which artistic styles were developing. Ordinary subject matter and subtle brush strokes as well as some influence of Romanticism can be observed in the artworks by Monet. The Impression, soleil levant can be perceived with the eyes and interpreted through all other senses. As
Last Name 3 such, cold tones selected for depicting the water and the morning fog suggests chilly yet refreshing sense of the cool breeze and some drops of water on the grass. At the same time, the warm tones of the sun suggest a clear contrast to anticipate changes. This is one of the artworks that makes a person observing it feel something rather than think about something. In other words, it is not as thought-provoking as inspiring. For example, after looking at this replica, one may want to get under the warm woolen blanket and have some tea with chamomile and berries. Realism Realism followed the movement of impressionism chronologically, but was rather presented to the general public as a substitute for Romanticism. Though there are may be paintings performed in a purely realistic manner, some details suggest the obvious echo of the romantic movement. One of the examples of Realism is The Song of the Lark performed by Jules Breton in 1884, using oil on canvas. Rather dark and bold, yet warm and calm tones and colors were used by the artist to show the soil and the worker at the period when the sun is rising. The title of the painting suggests that it is the sunrise, which appears to be a feature shared with Monet s Impression, soleil levant. On the one hand, both paintings are performed in different styles under the influence of various events and inspirations. On the other hand, the symbolism of the rising sun is difficult to overestimate, as it means the coming changes, the rise of people to protest, and the beginning of the new life. Composition used for the The Song of the Lark by Breton seems simple and
Last Name 4 complex at the same time, because the artist applied bold colors to make it look like the sun did not rise yet and the darkness prevents us from seeing everything clearly. The worker is depicted turned back from the sun, but she looks like looking toward the future or something that is going to happen. Though realism emerged immediately after the French Revolution, the revolutionary mood is rather vague in this painting.
Last Name 5 Works Cited Breton, Jules. The Song of the Lark. Oil on canvas, 1884. Hawarden, Clementina. No title. Photography, c. 1850. Monet, Claude. Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise). Oil on canvas, 1872.