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- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
27 Nov 2023
Art has long been a means of expression for people. From the time of the Mesopotamians to the Greek Classics and now. Art can be expressed in a wide variety of ways and styles, and it is always evolving, with one style quickly giving way to another. Impressionism and Cubism diverged from conventional painting techniques. Both of them were trying to find a fresh way to depict daily life. Both Impressionism and Cubism employ time as a crucial tool.
The Origin:
The Industrial Revolution of the early 1800s prompted important modernity-related philosophical paradigms. Artists of the era created art movements like Impressionism and Cubism in response to these ideals. Their visual arts encouraged innovative, revolutionary attempts to coexist with dynamic pluralistic values and progressive lifestyles, despite their reactionary nature for the time.
Understanding Impressionism In Art:
The term "impressionism" refers to a painting movement that originated in France in the middle to late 19th century. Elements of the movement include unblended color, tiny, noticeable brushstrokes that provide only the most basic impression of form, and a focus on accurately capturing natural light. The early Impressionist painters, such as Edgar Degas, Alfred Sisley, Claude Monet, and Camille Pissarro, were all driven by the same ambition to reject the rigid conventions of academic painting. Because of the conditions that the movement was inspired by and made possible by the broader wave of modernization, impressionism is frequently referred to as the first modern movement in painting. Although there was no single Impressionist style, the modern painting techniques of the Impressionists were comparable. Many Impressionists chose to paint outdoors in the countryside outside of Paris rather than in a studio; this method necessitated rapid work but allowed the artists to capture the fleeting impressions of light. The artists chose not to focus on the fine details, instead using short, noticeable paint daubs to capture the general impression of their subject. The painters used complementary colors to depict shadows rather than black and gray paint. Because synthetic pigments were developed, the paints themselves were also more vibrant than those from earlier times. The forms were softer and the colors had a distinctive blending because the artists painted fresh layers over wet ones. Very rarely were the layers transparent; instead, the application gave the color opaque dimensions.
Understanding the Cubism In Art:
Cubism was a groundbreaking new method of depicting reality that was developed in the years 1907–08 by the artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. They combined various points of view on the same subject, usually objects or figures, producing paintings that seem fractured and abstracted.Understanding the two stages of the cubist movement—analytical and synthetic—is essential to comprehending it completely. The method of developing a subject using geometric shapes and flattening it out is known as analytical cubism. Synthetic cubism is commonly identified as a collage that incorporates additional media, like fragments of a newspaper or other materials, to enhance the examination and understanding of a subject. In contrast to sculpture, the synthetic style makes use of words and even three-dimensional objects that are subsequently referred to as assemblages. Synthetic cubism gave artists the opportunity to delve deeper into a subject, but because it included text in the image, it was frequently linked to advertising, which had a lower artistic status. The doors the cubist movement opened for artists and viewers alike made it an exciting and revolutionary approach to making art. Cubist artists investigate a subject from multiple angles and vantage points to fully comprehend it, as opposed to painting it in a way that follows spatial logic.
Impressionism vs. Cubism: Ignoring the Academy :
Classical subject matter and the genre hierarchy established by the French academy in the 17th century were rejected by Impressionist and Cubist painters. Since the artists rejected the academic traditions of perspective, modeling, and foreshortening, their paintings have a sketchy, fragmented appearance that distinguishes them as Impressionist and Cubist works.This meant giving up on the illusion of depth, eschewing value gradations, and overlapping perspectives for Cubist artists. The academy considered Impressionist painters harsh and unsophisticated because they painted with pure colors directly onto canvases without blending. In contrast to the perfectly smooth and seamless style of academic artists, Impressionists also employed brief, noticeable brushstrokes. Additionally, impressionists gave up on the custom of painting in a studio with dramatic lighting and instead chose to paint outside in natural light.
Distinctive Feature Between Impressionism and Cubism :
Three primary distinctions between Impressionism and Cubism are the subject matter, color scheme, and temporal element.
We know art can be intimidating because it can take on many different forms, especially for someone who is still developing their style. But since art is subject to change, just like everything else in the world, if someone is still figuring out the style, there's a chance they could develop one.