Emperor Napoleon III had big visions of Paris being a city full of modernization. He hired Georges-Eugene Haussmann to completely reconstruct the city. In 1853, Hausmann began to destroy neighborhoods to make way for wide avenues and newly modernized buildings. The general population of Paris opposed Hausmann’s work in the city, and that led Napoleon III to fire him from his position, however the construction of Paris would still go on after Hausmann was finished; he was just the beginner. In addition, Hausmann and Napoleon were focused on creating parks all around France. Napoleon had four major parks surrounding France. The reconstruction of Paris led to a major cultural change within the Bourgeois. The Bourgeois class composed of the upper class society, and they recreated new leisure activities. They were interested in finding ways to escape the city because it was overcrowded. “The theatre was central to Parisian society and the cultural imaginary." Social life in 19th century Paris was seen as theatrical phases, and that was very clear in the theatre. Another area of interest for leisurely activities in Paris was those gardens and parks that were created. In addition, boating was extremely popular among the upper class society. Wealthy families would spend days at various outdoor settings showing off their status and relaxing in areas without reconstruction. Impressionists were enticed with capturing life through their brush. Many impressionist paintings are bright and they capture images of the Bourgeois in their relaxed nature, or of the new life in Paris through technology. The 5 art pieces below are all linked together by the theme of reconstruction, whether it is modernization itself, or the suburbs where the wealthy society would flee to avoid the new, modern Paris.
Camille Pissarro, The Boulevard Montmartre on a Winter Morning, 1897, Oil on Canvas, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 60.174.
Pissarro painted this view from a hotel building in Paris, which is why it looks like we are above the painting. This was a painting from Pissarro after he came back to Paris. He was away from Paris for 6 years, and he came back to a brand new industrialized city. Paris was a bustling city, booming with prosperity and new ideas of everyday life. There were new buildings, new people, and new roads. He used this painting as a documentation of the reconstruction of Paris and it’s abounding changes.
Claude Monet, Garden at Sainte-Adresse, 1867, Oil on Canvas, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 67.241.
Monet painted this when he was 26. Renoir and himself were trying to imagine new ways of portraying life in Paris. In the painting there are four figures that are thought to be Monet himself with his wife-to-be Camille standing at the fence. The other two figures are his aunt and uncle who own this garden. Some critics believe that Monet’s aunt and uncle are looking out towards the ships that are bringing in goods and materials to their residence. Monet is painting an image of everyday life for the wealthy. Full of luxury and relaxation.
Claude Monet, La Grenouillère, 1869, Oil on Canvas, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 29.100.112.
La Grenouillère, or “frog-pool,” is located in Seine which is easily accessible by a train from Paris and also very close to where Monet was living at the time. This resort was visited by Napoleon III and his family. During the 1860’s La Grenouillère had become a place worthy of visiting by the wealthy Parisians. They were intrigued by the water, floating restaurant, community, and the relaxation. This oil painting is a part of recognizing leisurely activity in France by the wealthy Parisian families. In addition, Monet saw this place as a place to sell a leisure painting with Renoir.
Georges Seurat, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884, Oil on Canvas, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 51.112. 6.
This oil painting contains a contrast of light and dark, so the Bourgeois can cool off while still dressing up in their eccentric ways. In addition, we see many interesting things going on in the painting. For example, the lady in the front right has a pet monkey and a young girl staring right at us in the middle. The monkey represents wealth and the girl almost stares out of disgust at the social class.
Henry Lerolle, The Organ Rehearsal, 1885, Oil on Canvas, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 87.8.12.
The Organ Rehearsal is an Impressionist painting from Henry Lerolle, and it is known to be one of his best works. In this painting, he depicts his sister-in-law and the small audience consists of his and her family. This oil painting is much more naturalistic than many other impressionist paintings in how defined and clean the brush strokes are, compared to the works of Monet or Renoir, who use gestural brush strokes and almost dot like strokes. However, this is an image of contemporary life, the theatre was very important in the Bourgeois class, and being a lead singer shows that status of wealth.
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