FILM 12: IMPRESSIONISM / COLLINGS

I prefer last week’s video by Collings because I found the David and Goya comparisons much more interesting. Both videos were presented in a similar way, but it was simply the content of last week’s video that was more interesting to me. The most interesting thing that Collings said this week was that impressionists thought that “art should be real, not false”. I found this interesting because of its truth. When you look at impressionist paintings, nothing is beautified like much of the art we have looked at. It is simply an image of what the artist sees. It is honest and sometimes flawed, but never embellished.

In my opinion, all of the paintings featured in the film are exceptional, but one that I was unfamiliar with was my favorite. Paul Cezanne’s “Mont Sainte Victoire” series was painted in the 1880s using oil paint. These paintings are extremely eye catching. The vibrant colors and the slightly messy brushstrokes make your eye jump all over the canvas. The first thing I notice is the mountain and then I notice the trees in each scene. My favorite of the series is the photo I included. I like this one the most because of the bright colors and the way the trees are painted. These scenes of mountains in France are truly some of Cezanne’s most exceptional work.

Realism was the type of art that preceded impressionism. This art was very much straightforward and slightly boring. The work was as close to reality as the artist could get. Impressionism, on the other hand, painted in an almost messy way with small, quick brushstrokes and when you look closely at the scene, it is not realistic. These paintings are much more pleasing to the eye and were often of beautiful scenes or people outdoors enjoying themselves. I think that the impressionist movement is a step in a positive direction because art does not have to be perfect or exactly how the subject matter appears in real life. I enjoy art that is more of an interpretation of what the artist sees rather than an exact replica of a scene. Impressionism does just that, and for this reason I believe that art was definitely moving in the right direction. These paintings are most definitely “nice”, as Collings said. The softer colors, brushstrokes, and beautiful scenery are what contributes to the overall niceness of impressionism.


Question: Do you prefer realism or impressionism?