Over
the years leisure has transformed with different interpretations for what it
means. Impressionist artists knew exactly what the culture defined as leisure.
Sometimes the culture can define how a social activity is interpreted. The 19th
Century view of leisure was escaping into the outdoors by the sea or in the
country. A peaceful environment was a must in order for leisure to be
experienced fully. The question is how does an artist portray a peaceful
environment by the sea that culture is shaping into a normative activity?
The
way artists displayed leisure was through the amount of vacationers or how
peaceful a scene appeared. No longer were paintings just landscape scenes, but
increasingly these scenes involved figures of people either being active or
just stationary objects. The stationary pose of these vacationers emphasized
the calm environment. In some instances action was implied, but the moment
seems captured in time. With the availability of sea resorts to the masses
through innovations, the inclusion of vacationers in paintings held importance.
These paintings inspired many to go to these places to get respite from laboring
during the week. One significant point the Impressionists desired the viewer to
understand was leisure did not involve working. Leisure pulled society away
from the working environment and brought people to a place where they felt at
peace. The sea was the perfect escape from the noisy atmosphere. The artists
even put increasingly more emphasis on the effect their color palette would
have on the viewer. The viewer is drawn into the painting because it seems like
a story that is stopped. Many are fascinated with these so called “leisure”
paintings.
Eugène Boudin, On the Beach at
Trouville, 1863
oil on wood, Metropolitan Museum of
Art, 07.88.4
Vacationers
are pictured relaxing at the beach front with chairs and boats. This is similar
to the way beaches are in the 21st century. There are mass amounts of
vacationers or tourists reclining with their faces toward the sea. People are
boating and swimming in the background. The vacationers are dressed in style,
probably suggesting a higher class, but as the eye is led down the beach there is
an increase in people. There is no way to say that all the vacationers are
wealthy, which could mean there are many different classes able to engage in outdoor
leisure activities. The color palette creates a calming effect especially the
sky color. The pinks and blues cause the rest of the painting to feel serene.
Claude Monet, Garden at
Sainte-Adresse, 1867
oil on canvas, Metropolitan Museum
of Art, 67.241
This
outdoor painting depicts vacationers on a terrace enjoying the outdoor
environment. The clothing of these vacationers suggest they are not working
class because fine dresses and nice suites would not be worn for working. Thus,
they are able to afford to find rest in such a place, probably enjoying a break
from the busy life they have in the city. This terrace by the sea has a calming
effect due to the way the waves are painted. The ripples in the waves exhibit a
peaceful environment. The sea is where the majority of society went to escape
from work. The way the paint is administered on the canvas lacks defining
detail that gives a painting structure. The painterly quality is not perfectly
clear. Monet daubs the paint instead of forming crisp lines. This furthers the
portrayal of leisure since the focus is more on the calming effect the sea has
on the vacationers than on the detail of the brushwork.
Claude Monet, La Grenouillère,
1869
oil on canvas, Metropolitan Museum
of Art, 29.100.112
This
is another outdoor scene of a boat outing. There are many people lined up to
partake in this adventure. The brushstrokes on the canvas are daubs of paint
which gives us a hint that the artist is not only an Impressionist, but is
depicting a peaceful scene. The boat is not a steam boat used for work, but one
now defined by leisure. Monet emphasizes this through the many vacationers
coming to this site by the water. There are even people in the water swimming.
They are not trying to get clean, but are in the water to enjoy themselves.
Enjoyable activities are becoming widespread as more people can afford to come
to these kinds of places.
Alfred Sisley, The Bridge at
Villeneuve–la–Garenne, 1872
oil on canvas, Metropolitan Museum
of Art, 64.287
The
countryside, as stated before, is where vacationers go to escape their work
life. This place is connected with a bridge, signifying the innovations allowing
for more vacationers to travel to resorts like this little country village. The
lighting, the sky, and the water create a peaceful atmosphere. The viewer can
picture themselves boating along that river with the blue sky overhead. The
boat with vacationers on it shows the leisure activity of boating which became
very common. Boats were no longer just used for fishing and transportation of
goods. They were increasingly used as a source of enjoyment. The scene appears
like a perfect day without defect, enticing the viewer go there.
Édouard Manet, Boating, 1874
oil
on canvas, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 29.100.115
Boating
was one of many 19th century innovations for leisure. Vacationers would go out
on the water to enjoy the calm and detach themselves from the business of the
world. This couple is experiencing this kind of leisure. As the viewer it is as
if you are trapped in the middle of the water unable to rush off anywhere. Boats
were not fast paced, so the slow moving rhythm of the boat caused people to
slow down after rushing around all week. This boat seems to be the vacationer’s
private one, since the couple are the only ones presently seen on the boat.
They are not doing anything active, but sitting in the boat resting on the
water. These vacationers are clearly displaying the act of leisure.
Alfred Sisley, Allée of Chestnut Trees, 1878
oil
on canvas, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975.1.211
The new innovation of roads increased travel
especially to seafront resorts. The countryside environment by the sea is where
people will go for respite from work. In this painting there are folks walking
on the road and others in a carriage soaking up the beauty of the water. The
road was built by the sea for that purpose. Serenity is felt by the viewer and
likely by the figures on the road. Leisure is not about being inside, but about
enjoying the outdoors which this painting shows well. Work was more defined by
being indoors so outdoor activities brought comfort and relaxation. The blue
sky and the green leaves give an effect of springtime when liveliness happens.
There is no dreariness to the painting which was the Sisley’s intent.
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