The Magpie by Claude Monet, 1869
Impressionism came to prominence around 1870. Impressionism focuses on the accuracy of lighting art, as well as odd angles of view, and thin brush strokes. The term Impressionism itself came from Monet’s work Impression, soleil levant, completed in 1872. “Claude Monet, the artistic descendant of Claude Lorrain, Turner, and Monticelli, has had the merit and the originality of opening a new road to landscape painting by deducing scientific statements from the study of the laws of light. His work is a magnificent verification of the optical discoveries made by Helmholtz and Chevreul. Through the power of his faculties the artist has happened to join hands with the scientist. His work supplies not only the very basis of the Impressionist movement proper, but of all that has followed it and will follow it in the study of the so-called chromatic laws” (Mauclair 38). Claude Monet was an integral component of the Impressionist movement.
The Magpie is an oil on canvas painting by Claude Monet, completed in 1869 in Étretat, France. The painting is one of Monet’s first attempts at showing snows effect on lighting, which creates the blue shadows in The Magpie. Realistic depictions of shadows were a hallmark of the Impressionism movement. I personally enjoy the scientific aspects of this piece with the color of the shadows. I also find that the impressionist brush style suits snow quite well as seen in this piece, making the snow look particularly fluffy. The lone magpie also gives a sense of life to the picture, making everything seem more alive. Overall the piece feels like a scene one might find after waking up and walking outside after snow fell throughout the night, a very calming and serene scene.
The Stone Breakers by Gustave Courbet, 1849
Realism also began around the same time as Impressionism in the mid 1800s. Realism focused on depicting, well, reality, in a realistic way. Realist works of art often included scenes of everyday life, especially the working or lower class. Realism did not really focus on the science of lighting like Impressionism did, but used lighting more like it was used before, to bring attention to certain aspects of a piece. At the forefront of the Realist movement was Gustave Courbet. “As the standard-bearer of a new “realism,” which he defined as the representation of familiar things as they are, he would become one of the most innovative and influential painters of mid-19th-century France. His dedication to the portrayal of ordinary life would decisively shape the sensibilities of Manet, Monet and Renoir a generation later” (Berman 1). Gustave Courbet was incredibly important to the Realist movement.
The Stone Breakers is an oil on canvas painting by Gustave Courbet, completed in 1849 in Paris, France. The painting depicts two men, one young, and one old, breaking rocks. The scene is a perfect depiction of poverty, and as a result realism. I personally like that the two men as depicted facing away from the viewer, as if they are insignificant. The man of the left also has a large hole in the back of shirt, and frayed pants. The man on the right also appears to working with a relatively inefficiently sized tool for the task at hand. There is some degree of shadow play in this piece, but for the most part the lighting is used to highlight the two men and what they are doing.
Impressionism vs. Realism
I enjoy Impressionism quite a bit, mainly due to it’s focus on lighting and the way brush strokes were used. Impressionism also focuses on the larger picture, as seen by the careful consideration of lighting all throughout the piece. The brush stroke style makes it hard to pick apart minuet details, and forces the viewer to view the image as a whole. in The Magpie exemplifies this through how the snow blends together, even when lying on tree branches or a fence. Realism on the other hand seems quite boring to me, I feel like if I really wanted to see something realistic I would just look around me. For the most part, I also like art that can take me away from reality, even if only by looking at reality through a different lens. Where Impressionism focuses on the overall lighting of a scene, Realism focuses on the subject matter and smaller details that make the scene look incredibly realistic. This can easily be seen in The Stone Breakers, the viewer is drawn to the details of the two men’s clothing, and the tools they are working with. There could be an ocean in the background instead of a mountain and the picture wouldn’t seem all that different. I prefer looking at things in a larger context, as opposed to having to also think about all small details present in a piece. If an identical scene were painted in Realist, and Impressionist styles, the two resulting paintings would look completely different, as they both focus on different aspects.
Works Cited
Berman, Avis. “Larger than Life.” . Smithsonian, 1 Apr. 2008. Web. 12 July 2014. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/larger-than-life-31654689/?no-ist=&page=1
Mauclair, Camille. The French Impressionists (1860-1900). : Gutenberg Project, 2004. eBook. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14056/14056-h/14056-h.htm
The Realm of The Page Master 
Conversation starter – here’s an Impressionistic work with similar subject matter to “The Stone Breakers”. http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/painting/commentaire_id/the-floor-planers-7164.html?cHash=1cc3a5e574 My question – is it the style, or is it the subject matter that makes a difference?
I really enjoy both of the art pieces that you selected, however I disagree on the perspective you present with realism. I understand what you are saying, but to me, when I look at realism style painting I enjoy admining the intimate and intricate details. To me, a realistic painting is a marvel. A non-realistic painting is based on whatever the artist is thinking, and we have no way of knowing or judging the artists skill of portraying their idea, but a realistic looking painting we can judge from our everyday experience. I can look at a scene and tell usually within moments without terribly intense study if the image looks right. Now identifying why takes a lot longer and much more skill, but that to me is the fun.
The Magpie is probably my favorite impressionistic piece that I found when looking at art from this era, I also enjoy it quite a bit. To me, the painting seems to bring about feelings of tranquility; everything in the scene is incredibly peaceful and relaxing. I definitely agree in that the lighting in impressionism style paintings is fantastic, probably my favorite aspect of that style. I have not looked enough at realism paintings to agree or disagree with your viewpoint, but I also enjoy looking at paintings that are, in a way, out of this world.
Monet was a major contributor to the impressionist period. I chose one of his works to explain this period where painting changed, brush works and color were used in a different way. I really enjoyed some of the landscape art as well.http://www.claudemonetgallery.org/ This link goes to a complete gallery my Monet.
Good blog, I found it really neat to find out that Claude Monet was a descendant of Claude Lorrain, especially since Lorrain was known as the “father of landscape art” and Monet was most well know for his landscapes, pretty amazing connection. Lorrain is also one of my all time favorite artists. I appreciated the thought on how impressionism is looking at reality through a different lens, I hadn’t thought of it that way before, but that helps me understand how appreciation of different styles of art would be good. Such as when you said impressionism is an overview and realism is more specific reality, sometimes its good in life to not focus on the details! Neither of your chosen images really interested, or spoke to me. But I would really like to see a painting done in multiple art styles lilke you suggest at the end.
This was an very interesting look at realism and impressionism. I really liked your discussion of the specific pieces you chose, especially of The Stone Breakers–I loved that you pointed out the fact that the two men were facing away from the viewer and associated that with them being insignificant, and your interpretation of The Magpie was also very thoughtful. I love that painting because, as you said, it does depict a serene moment; it reminds me of my dad’s house in the wintertime. I disagree with your opinion that realism is boring, but overall I really enjoyed reading your blog!
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