-
Beginning of the 19th Century France, Napoleon Bonaparts was crownded Napoleon the First. Napoleon sought to preserve essential gains of the French Revolution of 1789. Napoleon started the beautification of Paris, as we know it today, Napoleon's nephew, Louis Napoleon, became President and Emporer, Napoleon III. He improved working conditions, supported the industrial revolution, reconstructed Paris, and created an opoen environment for outdoor paintings favored by the impressionist artists.
-
-
William Fox Talbot a British inventor and photographer discovers how to develop photographs from negatives.
-
In 1839 chemist Michel-Eugene Chevreul, wrote a report on the laws of simultaneous contrasts of colors. He classified colors in painting in an exact and practical manner.
-
William Fox Talbot invents the "calotype" process where a liquid solution of gallic adic us used to bring out a latent image on paper.
-
Gustave Courbet, a Realist painter during the Pre-Impressionist period, sympathized with ending the French monarchy. His art reflects every day life and his rejection of idealism. This time period produced artists with new ideas for their work.
-
The invention of "wet collodion" in photography allowed photographers to take pictures with in a matter of seconds instead of waiting on long poses to be exposed to the camera.
-
Felix Nadar was a French photographer, caricaturist, journalist, novelist, and balloonist, who created photographic portraits. He was the first photographer to take aerial photographs and pioneered the use of artificial lighting. He often worked in the catacombs of Paris.
-
In the late 1860's the impressionist"s techniques developed. Key characteristics of Impressionism are; light and reflections; quickly painted; dots, dashes, commas, short brush strokes; seperate colors so the viewer can mix them with their eye; and subject matter was modern living.
-
Edouard Manet's painting, "The Luncheon on the Gras", was very controversial. The painting depicts a nude woman and two clothed men having a picnic. This painting was rejected because of that.
-
Felix Nadar builds a huge balloon called, "Le Ge'ant", meaning The Giant. He used this balloon and others like it to take aerial photographs. This giant balloon inspired Jules Vern's "Five weeks in a Balloon".
-
Artists petition to exhibit their artwork but were denied.
-
Paul Durand-Ruel, a Paris art dealer, recognized greatness in the Impressionist's style. "A true picture dealer should also be an enlightened patron: he should, if necessary, sacrifice his immediate interest to his artistic convictions".
-
In 1872, artists again, petitioned to have their work exhibited. Again they were denied
-
Impressionism began, but was ridiculed. Critics nicknames were not complimentary to the movement. At this time "serious" artists were blending colors and minimizing brush strokes to produce a slick, smooth surface preferred by academic masters. Impressionist styles were considered inept, showed no skill, and lacked the ability to "finish" a piece. This style was also known as the "messy style".
-
Felix Nadar lent his photography studio to a group of Impressionist painters for their first exhibition of their works
-
One of Claude Monet's early painting that inspired the "nickname" Impressionism. This painting is called, "Impressions: Sunrise"
-
A group of artists formed a group called, Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Engravers, because they were denied twice allowing them to exhibit their works of art. This organization was formed to allow the public to judge the works of art themselves.
-
Henry Havard was an art historian and fine arts inspector. During the 4th Impressionist Exhibition, French critic, Henry Havard wrote, "I confess humbly I do not see nature as they do, never having seen these skies fluffy with pink cotton, these opaque and moire" waters, this multi-colored foliage. Maybe they do exist. I do not know them."
-
Impressionist artists had eight shows as a group, but after 1886, galleries began to exhibite solo artist shows. This time period all artists began to concentrate on their own careers.
