Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, & Group of Seven

1. Unit 3:
Painted Landscapes

2. Impressionism
1. Began in the 1870s
2. Named after a critic’s insult of Monet’s painting.
The critic called the work a mere “impression”.
3. Happened in France. Artists painted landscapes &
people.
4. Artists used short, thick brushstrokes
5. Artists also used optical mixing – placing primary
colours next to each other (mixing on the painting)

3. Impressionism: Claude Monet

4. Impressionism: Claude Monet
1. Father of the Impressionist movement
2. Subject matter – he painted outside; known for
painting lily pads & ponds
3. Style:

Used optical mixing (mixed colours on the
canvas)

Form is undefined, fuzzy; created by changes in
colour, no outlines

Thick, textured paint

Shadows were created by adding blue.

5. Impressionism: Edgar Degas

6. Impressionism: Edgar Degas
1. Subject matter: women doing everyday activities
(like bathing), and dancers
2. Style:

Thick, textured brushstrokes

Off-centre compositions

Sometimes used pastel instead of paint

His paintings look like snap-shots

7. Impressionism: Mary Cassatt

8. Impressionism: Mary Cassatt
1. American Impressionist
2. Subject matter: social and private lives of women;
often painted mothers with their children.
3. Style:

Highly influenced by Degas' use of pastels

Loose, textured brushstrokes

Showed women doing everyday activities, like
reading.

9. Post-Impressionism
 Post-Impressionist artists were influenced by
Impressionists, but developed their style in different
directions.
 They continued to use vivid colours, thick
application of paint, and real-life subject matter like
the Impressionists.
 Unlike the Impressionists, they emphasized
geometric forms, distorted form for expressive
effect, and used unnatural colour for expression.

10. Post-Impressionism: Pointillism (Seurat)

11. Post-Impressionism: Pointillism
1) Subject Matter: They painted landscapes and people
2) Style:

Named because the painters used lots of dots

No outlines
1) Georges Seurat was a major Pointillist painter.

12. Post-Impressionism: V. Van Gogh

13. Post-Impressionism: Van Gogh
1) Subject matter: scenes that showed emotion;
painted landscapes and people;
regarded as the father of Expressionism (art that
focused on expressing emotion)
1) Style:

thick, patterned brushstrokes

non-realistic colour; often used
complementary colours (like violet and yellow)

14. Post-Impressionism: Cezanne

15. Post-Impressionism: Cezanne
1. Subject matter: landscapes, people, still lives
2. Style:

he simplified nature into geometric forms (for
example, a tree trunk looks like a cylinder, an
apple or orange is a sphere)

He applied paint in square-like shapes.

16. Post-Impressionism: Gauguin

17. Post-Impressionism: Gauguin
1. Subject Matter: landscapes and people in Tahiti
2. Style:

experimental use of colour

flat areas of colour (not as much shading)

bold outlines

He was inspired by the simplicity of African art
and Native American art.

18. Group of Seven
1. Began in the 1920s in Canada
2. Influenced by the bold colours and loose brushwork of Post-
Impressionism.
3. Lawren Harris named them. They were a group of 7 painters.
4. Inspired by Tom Thomson, they painted Canadian
landscapes.
5. Key feature of the style: slightly abstract views of nature

19. Group of Seven: Tom Thomson

20. Group of Seven: Tom Thomson
1. Subject matter: landscapes of Algonquin Park
2. Style:

thick, textured brushstrokes

simplified forms (sometimes outlined)

mixed colour on the canvas

usually had trees in the scene

Inspiration for the Group of Seven (died before its
formation)

21. Group of Seven: Lawren Harris

22. Group of Seven: Lawren Harris
1. Subject matter: mostly wintery mountain scenes
2. Style:

Very simplified forms

Geometric, controlled lines

Smooth brushwork

Founder of the Group of Seven

23. Group of Seven: Emily Carr

24. Group of Seven: Emily Carr
1. Subject matter: aboriginal (native) culture, and
landscapes of British Columbia
2. Style:

Simplified, elongated form (super tall trees)

Used rhythmic brushstrokes; the brushstrokes
form patterns.

Often painted totem poles

Carr was an honorary member of the Group of
Seven, even though the Group was based in
Toronto and she was in B.C.

25. Landscape1
 You will create a landscape that has three sections:

A background (more than 10 steps away)

A middle-ground (about 5 steps away)

A foreground (objects that are the closest)
 You will use watercolour.
 You will use cool colours in the background and middle-
ground and warm colours in the foreground.

26. Landscape1: Design Process
 We will go outside to practice different styles of
drawing:
gesture drawing (basic shapes)
contour drawing (outlines only)
naturalistic drawing (as detailed and realistic as
possible)
 Yo will also practice different watercolour
techniques.

27. Experiments with Paint
1. Practice mixing different colours, including shades and tints of each
colour. To make a colour darker, add blue – NOT black. To make a
colour lighter, add water.
2. Practice the wet-on-wet technique. Place water on the paper first; then
add colour.
3. Practice the graded wash technique. Place a stroke of paint. Add
water to your brush, and place another stroke down that slightly
overlaps your first stroke.
4. Practice showing value on a sphere, cylinder, and a cone. To darken a
colour, add blue. To lighten a colour, add water. (Draw the shapes
lightly with pencil first).
5. Practice painting the objects you will place in the foreground of your
painting. Practice the fine details (like leaves and thin branches) with
a thin brush. Remember the foreground will be in warm colours.

28. Landscape2
 Youwill create a representational abstract
landscape.
 Yourlandscape will be based on real-life
observation (i.e. we will work outside).
 You will use watercolour, and after
painting you will accent key areas with
black ink (fine pt. marker).

29. Landscape2: Abstraction
 Some of the best abstract work is based on real life
(representational abstract).
 You will start your landscapes by drawing realistically.
 In order to abstract your landscape, you will identify its
key characteristics and emphasize them.
 You will use warm colours for bright areas/closer areas,
and cool colour for areas that are dark or further away.

30. Landscape2: Design Process
 Like the Impressionist painters, we will work
outside. Dress for the weather! (jackets,
footwear, gloves)
 Practice:
1. gesture drawing,
2. contour drawing,
3. finished drawings,
4. abstracted drawings,
5. painted studies

31. Artist’s Statement: Landscape
1. How did you abstract your image? Your
answer should include an analysis of the
key characteristics of your image.
1. Describe how you used 3 elements of art
in your artwork.
1. Describe how you achieved emphasis on
a particular area in your landscape.

32. Activism
 Definition: taking an active role in society’s
issues/concerns
 “Taking an active role” can mean many
things:
- talking about the issues
- appealing to governments
- making artwork that presents different
aspects of the issues

33. Contemporary Artists
 Christo (new ways of seeing familiar landscapes)

34. Contemporary Artists
 Maya Lin (Vietnam War Veterans Memorial)
The viewer sees him/herself as part of the artwork.

35. Contemporary Artists
 Mona Hatoum (Continental Drift -
stainless steel, glass, iron filings, electric motor, timer)
Passing of time.

36. Contemporary Artists
 Robert Smithson (Spiral Jetty – studying how things break down)

37. Citizenship
 What are the rights & responsibilities of an
artist?

38. Activist Artists
 Andy Goldsworthy (impermanence of nature)

39. Activist Artists
 Joseph Beuys
“Only from art can a new concept
of economics be formed, in
terms of human need, not in the
sense of use and consumption,
politics and property, but above all
in terms of the production of
spiritual goods…”

40. Activist Artists
 Ana Mendieta
Permanent Link
(violence against women)

41. Activist Artists
 Nancy Holt
(“re-orient the viewer's eye and
to cause them to notice settings
that would have otherwise have
gone unrecognized”)

42. Citizenship – what is it?
A. Being a good citizen means being a member of a community, and
benefiting from rights & responsibilities in that community
A. Community Issues
1. Physical (outside)
2. Mental (inside) environments
3. Work with a partner (the person next to you) to list examples of
the different levels of issues. Think about personal concerns,
local concerns, & global concerns.
Personal Local National Global
Stress/anxiety Homelessness Civil war Poverty
Bullying Gangs Assassinations Wars

43. Activist Project
A. You will create a poster/T-shirt design that
makes a persuasive statement about a social
concern.
A. This project focuses on developing graphic
design.
 Sketchbook assignment:
1. Identify the statement you want to make.
2. Complete 3 thumbnail sketches.
3. Use colour & word design.

44. Activist Project Requirements
1. Should GRAB the viewer’s attention.
(use contrast & emphasis)
2. Must have a clear message.
(symbolic images, text)
3. It must focus on ONE principle of art:
emphasis, balance, contrast, rhythm/
movement, etc.

45. Women from WW2

46. Using Word Design
A. It should be neat & legible.
A. It should match the mood in the rest of
the poster (angry, sad, happy, hopeful…)
A. It should have correct spelling &
grammar (make sure to check & double-
check this).

47. Activist Project
 Using graphic design, you must create an
artwork that makes a persuasive statement
about a cultural concern.
 Focus on incorporating one principle of art,
either unity OR contrast.
 Identifyyour message before designing your
artwork. Your project must convey that
message!

48. Artist’s Statement: Graphic Design
Project
 Whatstatement did you make? Why is it
important?
 Describe how you focused on one
principle of design.
 Describetwo aspects you like about your
design. Describe one aspect that could be
better.

49. Site-specific/ Installation Art
 Work that is intended for a specific location
 This kind of artwork sometimes involves 3-dimensional forms that
are sometimes a part of their setting (found objects).
 Installation artwork can also be 2-dimensional.
 Strong relationships are needed between the sculptural form, the
artist’s message, and the setting in which the artwork is located.
 You will design a hanging sea creature using plaster & wire.

50. Examples of Installation Art
Richard Serra

51. Examples of Installation Art
Rachel Whitread

52. Examples of Installation Art
Tara Donovan

53. Examples of Installation Art
Antony Gormley

54. Examples of Installation Art
Sadashi Inuzuka

55. Examples of Installation Art
 Isamu Noguchi

56. Examples of Installation Art
 Barbara Hepworth

57. Installation Project
Remember:
 The installation piece must relate to its
surroundings; it has to complement its
environment.
 Consider the materials we have available.

58. Installation Project: Design Process
 Create 5 thumbnail sketches.
 Once you have selected the best idea, draw it in fine
detail. Your design must fill the space of the paper
provided to you.
 You may use watercolour or oil pastels. Experiment with
both materials, and plan how you will colour your design.

59. Results of the Installation Project
I will select the best five designs/proposals.
 Youwill vote for your first choice. Of course,
your choice will be anonymous.
I will present your proposal to the Principal, and
discover whether it is possible to actually make
the artwork full scale.

60. Installation Project Proposal
(Artist’s Statement)
1. What does your installation mean? What message are
you trying to convey?
1. How does your installation convey that message?
What elements & principles of art helped you to
communicate through this artwork?
1. How does your artwork relate to its environment? First
describe the courtyard; then talk about how the
installation relates to those characteristics.

61. Examples of Mixed Media Art
 Marcel Duchamp
(Dada artist, the art of
nonsense)

62. Examples of Mixed Media Art
 Lucas Samaras

63. Examples of Mixed Media Art
 Betye Saar

64. Examples of Mixed Media Art
 Louise Nevelson (using recycled parts)

65. Edgar Degas

66. Van Gogh

67. Harris