Impressionism and the Industrial Revolution

     Throughout the Industrial Revolution, Europe began to change dramatically. There were technological shifts towards machines that emphasized productivity and efficiency, there was a substantial shift towards an urbanized society, and there were significant changes in the art world that reflected some of the social changes. In many ways, the Impressionist art movement aligned itself with this new European way of life.  A popular Impressionist painting theme depicted an increasing contrast between labor and leisure in society and contributed to the overall growth in the gap between the working class and middle class.

     According to James Henry Rubin in Impressionism and the Modern Landscape, some of the themes Impressionism tended to emphasize were “the themes of productivity, technology, and urbanization.” Industry in Europe was starting to boom as a result of the Industrial Revolution and Impressionism started to depict that. The contrast between labor and leisure in society became a popular subject, especially as the income gap between the rich and poor started getting increasingly wider. Although Impressionist artists had already been painting scenes depicting labor and productivity, there were also many naturalistic paintings that would provide the foundation for leisure paintings. During the 1860s, there seemed to be an initial reluctance by Impressionists to include figures in their naturalistic paintings; however, as the movement continued, artists such as Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir were notable contributors to the addition of figures to Impressionist artwork.

Railroad Bridge over the Marne at Joinville, Armand Guillaumin, Oil on canvas, 1871, 1975.1.180

     During the Industrial Revolution, railroad travel influenced people’s lives dramatically. They could now travel to many new places and see many new things. Not only was the invention of the railroad important for industry in general, but it also allowed Impressionist artists to visit and see new landscapes. The railroad paved the way for many artists to experience and paint different leisure scenes to contrast what they saw in the city. The railroad was influential in setting up the contrast between labor and leisure.

The Seine at Bercy, Paul Cezanne, Oil on canvas, 1876-1878, Kunsthalle, Hamburg

     This painting depicts the working class on the Seine. After the Industrial Revolution, Impressionist painters started depicting scenes that portrayed the increased emphasis society placed on labor, productivity, and efficiency. This painting clearly shows the labor class working alongside the river to contribute to the overall growth of society. For this river in particular, Charles-Francois Daubigny was leading pioneer in exploring boating. He was involved with other impressionist painters such as Monet and Pissarro.

Storm, Coast of Belle-Ile, Claude Monet, Oil on canvas, 1886, Musee d’Orsay

     Like other Impressionists, Monet enjoyed painting different landscapes in Europe, but he was especially fascinated by strange rock formations off the Normandy coast. Landscapes were a common theme during the Impressionist era, and many artists were influenced by Monet’s paintings of them. These plain and uninhabited landscapes helped contribute to future landscape paintings that would include leisure aspects, such as boats and houses, and figures who were wealthy enough to afford that type of leisure.

The Bridge at Argenteuil, Claude Monet, 1874, Oil on canvas, Musee d’Orsay

     Some of Claude Monet’s paintings, including The Bridge at Argenteuil, consist of leisure scenes with no figures. During Impressionism, artists started moving away form purely naturalistic scenes to leisure scenes that included naturalistic elements. This scene continued to contribute to the overall increase in leisure scenes painted as a result of a societal shift towards having an upper middle class who could afford such leisure. This type of painting would continue to pave the way for more impressionist paintings depicting upper class leisure.

Garden at Sainte-Adresse, Monet, 1867, Oil on canvas, 67.241

     Painted in 1867, Claude Monet created the Garden at Sainte-Adresse while visiting Sainte-Adresse. The painting consists of four middle-class figures relaxing in a garden overlooking the sea which is dotted with merchant ships out in the distance. Overall, the flower garden and the sea create a sense of growing contrast between the working class and the richer middle class. Additionally, Monet was one of the leading artists who chose to add figures to his paintings of leisure.

The Grands Boulevards, Auguste Renoir, 1878, Oil on canvas, Philadelphia Museum of Art

     The Grands Boulevards depicts upper middle class bourgeois crowds on the Boulevard des Capucines. Because this street is known for its higher-end shops, Renoir uses it to emphasize the leisure that richer people could now experience. The seemingly carefree crowds and carriages also help contribute to overall sense of leisure. This is one of the later impressionist paintings that showed leisure through the use of actual figures in the painting. Along with Monet, Renoir was one of the leading painters in adding figures to artwork depicting leisure.