IMPRESSIONISM

by Mary Phelan

Impressionism could be said to mark the end of an epoch in the history of art. For the twenty years it lasted a generation of artists made a final, frenzied attempt to achieve naturalism in painting. It is hardly surprising then, that a movement that lasted so few years is seen as one of profound importance for painters and painting.

There is no doubt of the popularity of Impressionist paintings. Go to 19^th-century French painters in the National Gallery on any day of the week and you may have to wait for many minutes to get close to images like The Beach at Trouville by Claude Monet.

Despite the clamour of its physical surroundings, this painting carries an air of sadness. There is nothing grand or monumental or eternal about this scene of Camille, the wife of the artist, seated on the beach. We know that the tent in the background will never be erected in quite the same spot again nor the grains of sand on the beach, nor the foam of the waves on the sea. We know that minutes after the artist had captured the impression of Camille and her companion; the changing light of the sun would have altered the scene forever.

Ephemerality is the essence of Impressionism: the people on the beach, the clouds in the sky and the patterns of light on Camille’s dress. Although not all Impressionist paintings were highly coloured there is no doubting the way the Impressionists used colour. The beach shimmers warmly beige in contrast to the cooler tones of Camille’s attire. But we cannot actually see what colour she is wearing; we see her as a series of lights in contrast to the darks of her companion.

It is no coincidence that Impressionism grew in tandem with the development of photography. Early photography was a slow business. The plates had to be exposed for several minutes and the photographers’ equipment was no less cumbersome than the artists’ easel and paints. While this situation lasted - a generation at least - a deft artist could rival a photographer in producing a snapshot type painting, a moment in time captured brilliantly by a series of brushstrokes.

Not all the Impressionists painted as spontaneously and immediately as Monet painted this scene although many of their paintings look as if they had been. But we know where Monet painted ‘Trouville’ because of the grains of sand blown onto the canvas and dried, like flies in amber, onto the oil paint forever.

Books to Read

Impressionism: Origins, Practice, Reception by Belinda Thomson, Thames and Hudson World of Art, London, 2000.