Charles-François Daubigny played a pivotal role in sparking the start of Impressionism. His work, Apple Blossoms, is a prime example of Charles-François Daubigny’s path-blazing brush work that inspired Impressionist artists and thus the inspiration for the Impressionist movement as a whole. The Impressionism movement is dated to be a 19th century movement which places Daubigny at the very beginnings of it. Daubigny was a bit of an outsider in his time in his brushwork. He was using shorter quicker brush strokes, as we can see exemplified in Apple Blossoms, while most of the esteemed painters in Daubigny’s time were still leaning into cleaner lines and longer smooth brush strokes. Daubigny was going a bit against the grain here and subsequently, young aspiring artists like that of Van Gogh and Monet began to become attracted to it and ran with it - sending us into the impressionist movement. It is widely regarded that Monet and Van Gogh both admired Daubigny’s work. Monet was an acquaintance of his and Van Gogh spent some time in his hometown - literally following in his footsteps and painting the same landscapes that Daubigny painted. In summary, Apple Blossoms by Charles-François Daubingny serves as a choice exemplar of Daubingny’s influence at the dawn of Impressionism. These pieces present the influence of Daubigny over the renowned Impressionism artists, Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh.
Charles-François Daubigny
Apple Blossoms
1873
Oil on Canvas
23 ⅛ x 33 ⅜ inches
This work is the centerpiece of this exhibit. Daubigny’s visible brushstrokes in the sky, grass, and trees bring the painting to life in that it embodies a sense of movement. It evokes from the viewer a sense of nostalgia as we can imagine the breeze blowing through our hair and the brush of the leaves and the grass in the wind. Daubigny’s rapid brushstrokes in Apple Blossoms serve as a prime example of Daubigny’s influence on Impressionism artists as Monet and Van Gogh adopt similar brushstroke patterns.
Claude Monet
Poppy Field
1873
Oil on canvas
50cm x 65cm
Musée d’Orsay, France
Poppy Field exemplifies the influence that Daubigny had on Monet specifically in the style of brushstroke. You can see evidence of the canvas beneath the paint and evidence of Monet’s hand as it swept the brush over the canvas as we see in Daubigny’s Apple Blossoms. There are clear similarities in Monet and Daubigny’s use of texture to convey life and movement in their rendering of grass and trees. There is a further similarity in the use of color to balance the two compositions, perhaps alluding to further influence of Daubigny.
Claude Monet
The Flowered Meadow
1885
Oil on canvas
65cm x 80.5cm
Museum Barberini, Germany
This piece serves as a choice illustration to demonstrate the continued movement of Impressionism from its roots in Daubigny. Here, Monet’s use of texture in brushstroke style to convey movement surpasses that of Daubingy in Apple Blossoms. Especially in the trees and sky, this composition overflows with movement brought about by brushstrokes similar to that used by Daubigny. This is an example of Monet taking Daubigny’s idea and influence and running with it - taking it farther and really diving into impression.
Vincent Van Gogh
Landscape From Saint-Rémy
1889
oil on canvas
2’ 4” x 2’ 11”
Glyptoteket, Denmark
This piece exemplifies the way in which Van Gogh completely dove into Impressionism. The boldness of color and the depth of texture surpasses that of what we would ever see from Daubingy and even that of Monet. But it is clear that Van Gogh’s movements have roots in what Daubingy started. Daubigny was a trailblazer as most of the artists of his time were committed to clean lines and long smooth brush strokes. It was Daubigny’s progression into quicker and shorter brushstrokes that inspired Van Gogh to paint compositions like this.
Vincent Van Gogh
The White Orchard
1888
oil on canvas
60cm x 81cm
Van Gogh Museum, Netherlands
The similarity between this piece by Van Gogh and that of Dubingy’s Apple Blossoms is uncanny. The subject is very similar - blossoming trees and so is the set up. Both compositions also rely on the subject of trees to create balance. This piece by Van Gogh serves as another example of how Daubigny sparked and inspired the movement of Impressionism, not only in the subject matter but also again in the style of brush strokes.
Charles-François Daubigny
Bathers at La Grenouillère
1869
Oil on canvas
73cm x 92cm
The National Gallery, London
This other composition by Charles-François Daubigny further demonstrates the ways in which he influenced the Impressionist movement. You can see his stapel brushwork technique in the water where he uses texture to create movement but we also see hints of it in the way he composed the trees in the background. These techniques have inspired and carried through Impressionism as has been demonstrated throughout this exhibit, specifically in the works of Monet and Van Gogh.
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