- “Reading” By: Berthe Morisot
- “Madonna in the Meadow” By: Raphael
Personally, I find Impressionist art very beautiful and unique. In the previous art era’s, almost all the art looked the same since all the art was a trade to be learned.
Each artist was taught to master the style of the era and nothing else. The style of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Ceiling looks almost exactly the same as Raphael’s School of Athens. Although the content of those paintings differ between the secular rendition of the bible and the non secular philosophies of Athens, the depth, color, and form are the same. Impressionist art however varies by style, colors and content.
The two images above are excellent examples of the different styles of the Renaissance and Impressionism. While the content is relatively similar (nature background, woman as center focal point, and even similar emotion) the feel of the two paintings is remarkably different. The painting “Reading” has a much softer and low-tone feel too it, compared to the stark contrast of “Madonna in the Meadow” with it’s sharp lines and vibrant colors.
The style of the Renaissance had very solid lines, compared to the loose brushwork of Berthe, that allowed for a lot of detail. The vibrant colors also allowed the painting to grab the attention of the viewer and create a painting of great interest. On its own, Renaissance art is fantastic; however, when compared to Impressionism, I prefer the calmer feeling of the muted colors and soft image.
The impressionist style creates the idea of an image without simply throwing the image in the viewer’s face. This way the audience is forced to build the image themselves in their mind. The muted colors also feel more natural and not as dynamic as the bright greens, reds, and blues used in the painting by Raphael. Impressionists varied the style of their paintings more than previous era’s, from the blotchy style of Monet to the more refined paintings done by Sargent.
In the end, both era’s are very revolutionary, unique, and masterful in their own right.
Kelly lowry's Blog 
Great blog with the contrasting art works. I was thinking the same thing about Impressionism leaving more for your imagination to fill in. When it’s not as crystal clear as a photograph.
This is a great detailed post. You have a great knowledge of how these different styles of arts originated. I actually learned a fair amount from your post. I realy liked your statement of how impressionism doesnt “throw the image in the viewers face”. I also enjoy how impressionism leaves so much of the interprutation to the viewers discretion. Good job posting a similar piece from both styles, this is also what I did on my post. Great job!
I can appreciate your viewpoint regarding Impressionism; personally, I enjoy extreme detail in a painting over an “impression” of an image. I have held the opinion that Impressionism paintings look good on walls behind somebody’s couch to add a little color ambiance to the room. The impression I also have is that these are the kinds of paintings are often found in garage sales, and one must ask if they’re so good, why are they being sold off for only a few dollars? I’m sure no house sale paintings are from Impression-era masters, but that’s what they look like to me. I am usually prepared to be impressed by something that causes the thought, “Holy smoke! That’s a painting? I thought it was a photograph!” Now, you know artists of such works had to go for new eye-glass prescriptions after painting something like that…
Very well written. I didn’t notice that you cited the paintings very well however. Your analysis was almost convincing me to like a piece painted in an impressionistic style more than that of a realist type style with sharp contrasts, but as is the case with the above commenter, I am more impressed with a painting that looks almost like a photograph. I would also have to disagree with you and say that such a painting would produce more detail in the end result than would an impressionistic painting. Were there any paintings from this era that you liked above the rest?
You did a great job on explaining the difference between Impressionism and the Renaissance. Your perspective on the similarity and differences between these two painting I think is right on. I agree that the main differneces do tend to be vivid color and sharp line textures that appear in the Impressionistic painting. I like how you stated that impressionism leaves more to the imagination versus a photograph, this helped me see impressionism a whole different way. Thanks!
Thanks for giving us the difference between impressionism and Renaissance.
I’m an artist and I kind of admire the works of the Impressionist a lot, especially the way they depict the changes in light when it strikes an object and also, the way they use broken brush strokes of bright colours to achieve spontaneity… I love it.
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