Impressionism and The Famous Cafes of Paris - Essay Example

Impressionism and the Famous Cafes of Paris in the 19th Century of the The artist's movement called Impressionism began by breaking the conventional rules. It got its name through a derogatory reference made to it by an art critic. Yet, the artists associated with the movement took pride in what they did, and how they were known. They put coarse brush-strokes on the canvas. They brought painting out of the studio and into the open air. They used thick color. They painted day-to-day events instead of extraordinary occurrences. All this had to take place in a very unconventional setting. What better setting could they find than the famous cafes of Paris How did the cafes relate with the impressionists and the post-impressionists How much did the cafes influence the artists' work How different they are now from what they were in the 19th century These are some of the questions this paper tries to explore. Who were the Impressionists Impressionism was an important movement in painting which began in the late 19th Century and developed through the early 20th century in France. It began when a few of the French artists became disillusioned with the way painting was taught in those days -- the mythological or historical subject matter. "They also rejected the conventional, imaginative or idealizing treatments of academic paintings."1 Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renior, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Berthe Morisot, Armand Guillaumin and Frdric Bazille comprised the initial artists of the movement. Among those who adopted the impressionist style of painting for some time were Edgar Degas and Paul Czanne. douard Manet was the painter who had inspired the impressionists to adopt the style in which they painted. Later, he also joined the movement and adopted its style. The impressionists were not hitherto known by this name. In 1874, when the group organized its own exhibition, an art critic, Louis Leroy, wrote a scathing criticism of the painting Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), by the then unknown artist Claude Monet. Louis titled his review, The Exhibition of the Impressionists, and had this to say in his article: Impression - I was certain of it. I was just telling myself that, since I was impressed, there had to be some impression in it and what freedom, what ease of workmanship! Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished than that seascape.2 It was from here on, that the group came to be known as the Impressionists and hence, the movement came to be known as Impressionism. This was the identity, which while the world derided, the artists of the group were proud of it. Neo-Impressionism and Post-Impressionism Impressionism, as a technique is still being practiced among the contemporary artists. However, the movement began to wane very shortly. The greatness of the movement does not lie in its longevity, its greatness lies in influence and productivity. As a reaction to Impressionism, two new movements came into being. Artists reacted against the empirical realism3 of the impressionists and devised a new technique based on scientific application of the optical principles of light and color to render the transient nature of time. This technique came to be known as Neo-Impressionism. Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Henri-Edmond Cross, Albert Dubois-Pillet, Maximilien Luce, Tho Van Rysselberghe and the Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro, formed the first Neo-Impressionist group. Together, in 1881, they formed Socit des Artistes Indpendants (Society of Independent Artists). Like its predecessor, this movement also waned quickly, but not without having a lasting influence on the works of such great artists as Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Henri Matisse. An English art-critic, Roger Fry, gave the name Post-Impressionism to the works of artists like Paul Czanne, Georges Seurat, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Impressionism and the Cafes of Paris One of the changes that the impressionists brought to their art, was that they brought it outdoors, or en plein air. This necessitated that the painting be done at a place which was throbbing with the day-to-day life. The cafes of Paris provided them the ideal ambiance. The common man, the ordinary surroundings, the boisterous setting, the social rebellion -- the cafes provided them with everything they wanted to create the masterpieces that they did. How much of an influence did the cafe have upon the paintings of the Impressionists Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and the Cafe des Ambassadeurs Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a French artist who observed and documented with great psychological insight the personalities and facets of Parisian night life and the French world of entertainment in the 1890s.4 In 1894, he painted a very famous poster of Yvett Guilbert. She was a cabaret singer at both -- the Cafe des Ambassadeurs and the Folies-Bergre. Her poster, however, is dated to the time when she used to sing for the Caf des Ambassadeurs. The poster was one of the 16 lithograph paintings he had done on Guilbert. Pierre-Auguste Renoir and the Folies-Bergres Pierre-Auguste Renoir, too, was initially an impressionist painter. His paintings, as a result, have been greatly influenced by the movement. In his later stages of life, however, he changed his style to more conventional methods of painting. His very famous oil on canvas portrait, Woman Playing a Guitar, 1896-97, is perhaps inspired by a seductive Spanish dancer "la Belle Otero"5 She used to perform for the Folies-Bergres. So, in this case also, as in the case of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, it becomes evident that the inspiration of a masterpiece was from one of the famous cafes of Paris. Chaim Soutine and Maxim's de Paris Chaim Soutine was a Russian born French painter who was a contemporary of Vincent Van Gogh. Like Van Gogh, Soutine was an expressionist painter. A post-impressionism style of painting, expressionism depicts the subjectivity of the artist rather than the objectivity of the subject. In 1927, Soutine painted Page Boy at Maxims. This painting on a red canvas of, obviously, a page boy at Maxim's de Paris, depicts the sorry state of the subject. An awkward figure of a boy is shown with a slightly outstretched hand expecting a tip. His awkwardness indicates his resignation to his fate of being a lowly page boy at the cafe. This is yet another example of how the famous cafes of Paris, namely, the Ambassadeurs, Folies-Bergres and Maxim's de Paris, have witnessed, motivated and inspired a series of artists from impressionism, neo-impressionism and post-impressionism. These are not just the only paintings depicting scenes from these three famous cafes of Paris. There are lots more. A few of them are paintings by the master of painting the human figure in motion, Edgar Degas. However, these three examples are enough to establish a connection between impressionism and post-impressionism and the famous cafes of Paris. The cafes, then and now The cafe-culture began in Paris towards the end of 19th century. Initially, the city-dwellers used to gather in the cafes for food and wine. Some of them used to while away their time by reading magazines and periodicals in the cafes, while others used to stop over while going to or returning from work. These cafes, with the passage of time, became part of the Parisian culture. Soon, cafes mushroomed all over the place. Some of them became famous for their own individual style and identity. When artists of the late 19th century and the early 20th century began frequenting the cafes of their choice, they became the centre of artistic innovations. This was the time when impressionism had just started gathering pace. More and more artists were either joining the movement, or, having participated in the creative rebellion of the movement, were leaving it to form their own style of painting -- a style rendered much richer with the influence of impressionism. Obviously, the Ambassadeurs, the Folies-Bergres and Maxim's de Paris, became most famous among the impressionists. Artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred, Sisley, Frdric Bazille, etc. brought their paintings out of their studios into the cafes. The crooning singers, the frolicking ballet dancers, the tantalizing cabaret dancers, wine, women, common man, the aged, the youth, the working class, the elite -- all added to the ambience the impressionist and the post-impressionist painters liked. With the celebrities becoming regulars, a lot more glamour value got attached to the cafes. People wanted to be in the cafes to hobnob, to shake hands or just be with their favorite artists. This was the time when the popularity of the cafes was at its peak. They became the centers of creative thinking in France, especially in the fields of painting and music. Both of which were influenced by impressionism. In the late 20th century, the popularity of the Parisian cafes declined owing to two reasons. One, with the advent of the parlors with jukeboxes and pinball machines symbolizing the American culture, the youth turned away from the cafe. Two, the uncompromising attitude of the cafe owners to not adapt their cafes to the changing needs of time, and thus bring back the youth, also contributed to the decline in their popularity. Things are not so gloomy right now. The public is returning to the cafes in more numbers than a few decades ago. As for the famous cafes, Caf des Ambassadeurs, Folies-Bergres and Maxim's de Paris, they have become full-fledged restaurant on the one hand, acquiring a new identity; and on the other hand, are trying to cling to their glorious past by setting up museums with all the masterpieces on display. In this age of multi-nationalism, they have also set up business concerns in other parts of the world. So, cafes into which the common man could saunter in and saunter out at will, are no longer such cafes. Yes, they do hold cabaret dances, operas, ballet performances, etc. Creative people such as the fashion designers are still associated with them. More than ever before, their interiors are decorated in the most elegant manner. However, the difference between the historically famous cafes - now restaurants - and the upcoming cafes is stark. Can they still inspire a whole new generation of artists Can they once again be a part of the Parisian culture as they were in the 19th century Can they be inspiring enough for artists to once again come up with beautiful pictures and melodious music as in the past In the changing and diminishing world of today, they will have to cope up with the onslaught of all the cultural invasions in order to survive. Whether or not they can sustain the onslaught and gain the popularity among the artists, throw up new artists and new artistic techniques - only time will tell, and history will record. Notes 1. Encyclopedia Britannica 2003. [Electronic Edition]. "Impressionism". 2. Wikipedia. "Impressionism". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism 3. Encyclopedia Britannica 2003. [Electronic Edition]. "Neo-Impressionism". 4. Encyclopedia Britannica 2003. [Electronic Edition]. "Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de". 5. Impressionism Web site. As downloaded on Sept. 17, 2005 from: http://www.impressionism.org/teachimpress/impressionismTP.pdf Read More