Impressionism

Impressionism gave the onlooker more choice how to truly see the painting he or she was gazing at, for it was not painted clearly. Murky outlines, small dabs or spots of color made up a subject that was to be painted, giving the viewer a scene as if he or she was squinting. The subject painted was almost always what was seen, no idealism, no surrealism, simply painting and highlighting the subject usually with sunlight. No only were the brush strokes tiny, they usually were many colors blended together to get a desired effect. While it must take skill to paint something in this way, they are not my favorite genre of paintings.I actually love Renoir's work, yet cannot stand Monet's work. Odd, yet I find his art unattractive to my very soul. I tend to feel a respect for the choice of color and how the painting looks like a photograph when I squint my eyes, yet do not feel a huge bond toward this form of artwork. Monet and Renoir are probably the most known male painters at this time, yet women were beginning to get recognized as well. Cassatt was one of the few women we discussed in class. The women tend to have styles like Renoir and Monet. They must have wanted to be like the most famous, for they were the first females, it must have been intimidating. One year in high school, I went to the Philadelphia Art Museum with French club and studied the Renoir display, for he was French. I like him better than any other Impressionist I have viewed in this class. It amazes me how he became crippled by rheumatism, yet still continued to paint, this time, with the brush tied to his wrist. How difficult that must have been, yet he continued through and did what he had to do, paint. One of the paintings I enjoy by Renoir is Portrait of Claude Renoir Painting.

This painting shows who I assume is a relative of Renoir, for they share the same last name, painting. This boy has such gloss to his hair, the brush stroke illuminating, little detail, yet an "impression" is made that gives the boy certain features like the chub of his cheeks and hands. His shirt had many colors in it, harmoniously flowing together.
Another painting I enjoy is by Mary Cassatt titled, Children Playing. This chub of the children, techniques used, and style are very similar to Renoir.

Both paintings have more solid lines than Monet, which I think I prefer subconsciously. Overall, Impressionism is interesting, as my favorite artist, Dali, began as an impressionist, yet I believe artists need to grow from it and explore other areas, as they should not matter what their favorite type is, yet even more so with Impressionism.