History of Italian Painting - Essay Example

History of Italian Painting The early impressionists of France including Edouard Manet may have been considerably condemned by the then French art critics. For instance, Manet always made use of sharper brushstrokes in order to make the painting to have more light than normal. He also made use of the human body within his paintings’ subject matter; hence he may be said to have turned into what appears to be statue like and staged rendition (Frank 446). In view of this, I opted to make use of his painting, Luncheon on the Grass and make a comparison with Titian’s Pastoral Symphony so as bring out the mentioned element. “The style of the painting breaks with the academic traditions of the time. He did not try to hide the brush strokes: indeed, the painting looks unfinished in some parts of the scene” (Shronda, Art: story in a medium). The active, live independence spirit in impressionism could be viewed as excellent from popular pieces of work, which could have been rejected in 1863 by the salon and might have been exhibited within the Le Bain title, meaning The Bath at the Salon des Refuses within the same year. In accordance with Antonia Proust, the picture’s notion might be said to have depicted itself to Edouard Manet at the time when they had been watching Argenteuil’s bathers. Edouard Manet had been reminded of the concert Champetre of Giorgione, but instead of trying to bring substantial painting back to life, he opted to redo the theme within modern personnel and in a clearer color than the previous. There might have been the technique of Old Master within the formal arrangement element with regards to the characters. Although Manet may be said to have ostensibly opted to set his stage in an open ground, there might be a couple of suggestions and clues of the fresh possibilities’ color and light within this open air painting. We might have had knowledge that the artist of this piece of work might have kept Titian’s Pastoral Symphony in consideration as his primary source to Le Dejeuner Sur l’herbe. A close resemblance of the composition may be noticed within an engraving done by Marcantonio, since a number of river gods almost immediately after the current loss of an original piece of The Judgment of Paris by Raphael. Manet may be said to have followed others’ examples in the formulation of his own pieces, one of the techniques within the Academy of Fine Art. “A closer likeness of composition has been found in an engraving by Marcantonio of a group of river gods, after a now lost original by Raphael” (Lometa: Le Dejeuner Sur l’herbe). Courbet Gustave, in his time, might have debated that it would be significant for painters to ensure that their pieces maintain a modern trend, reflect the figures of the people of the artists themselves, and reflect their own original images. It might not be extremely farfetched for Manet to make use of this theme: he made paintings of the things, which might have appeared crucial or significant to him. He was featuring most elements that may have been anticipated within a piece extremely relevant to the L’Academie Françoise, e.g. still-life nude figures within a landscape together with, the history painting scale. He may be said to have pushed the traditional envelope although he intended to make his pieces acceptable traditionally. It might seem ironical that the nude works of Bouguereau could have been acceptable, yet Manet’s could have been disputed (Lometa: Le Dejeuner Sur l’herbe). Nothing within the foreground in his figures could be considered heroic. In real life, every figure was based on leaving the identifiable people who characterized his life. The nude, seated figure had been Victiorne Meurand while the gentlemen could be identified as Eugene, (with Cain) his brother together with Ferdinand Leenhof, the sculptor and his brother in-law. These two men dressed in the 1860s’ fashionable Parisian style together with the nude at the fore front may be considered as, not just an unidealized figure type, but appears at ease yet disturbingly unabashed, facing the observer directly without any shame or flirtatiousness. The artist may be said to have had a liking for women hence his works may be said to feature men having undefined of blurred faces, their personality blurred within rhetoric yet dismissible like the other within the same background. He often intends to attempt the art of maintaining the societal lines of permitted art because he had been regarded a semi-significant society member; thus, he maintained the clothing of the men (Lometa: Le Dejeuner Sur l’herbe). Manet’s subject matter may be said to have been disliked by the public, together with the detractors as a due to the way he may have portrayed his figures. The background pool (from which one of the women takes a bath) together with the landscape may be said to have been painted broadly and softly focused more than the harshly lit trio’s clear forms within the forefront as well as a discarded and loose pile of female clothes and foods for a picnic within the lower left (Lydia; Art Daily, 2010). The only things that may be said to have meaning in this piece may be the sustenance, lunch together with the bare reality. The lighting might be said to have a powerful contrast between highlighted and dark areas noted within several pieces at that time in history. The key figures may be said to have been blotted out; within a compensation achieved by piling of the darks together with a piling of the lights thus adding up several values within one to two darks or lights. The key effect may be flatten its form and to make it acquire a snapping, hard presence, equal to that of early photography. The painting might announce to the viewer exactly what could be fed to the eye, having no contour presuppositions (Lydia; Art Daily, 2010). In Titian’s Pastoral Symphony, the painting may be said to have marked Giorgione’s death. Just like Manet, Titan could be said to have based his paintings on the issues that surrounded his life. The piece may be said to be currently viewed as a key and fundamental work in his life since his childhood creativity. Unlike Manet’s pieces, Titian’s work may be said to have gained popularity all through the entire community. It had never been disputed as regards tradition although it comprised of a series of nude figures. It might be extremely impossible to establish the painting’s genre; the distinguished lute player’s attire within the painting’s center may be inadequate as it may be said to appear extremely contemporary in case the theme of historical or mythological basis had been intended. It might remain extremely unclear what the naked women and the clothed men had been doing (Chisholm, 487). The woman on the picture’s left hand side’s gesture might be referred to as paradoxical, since could be viewed as pouring water in the well instead of collecting it. The woman’s gesture might be said to acquire an amusingly poetic form as a result of its obvious pointlessness. Within the absence of a concrete content definition, the painting may be said to bring out a pastoral scene mood. However, it might be said to excite the viewer’s imagination as if it had been intended to offer a magical, enchanted world’s view. The landscape may be said to have lacked clear-cut edges or shapes, forms may be lost within shadows, and one would view more shadow as compared to light. The young man’s face on the picture’s left appears to be filled with expression, but could be so immensely shaded that one can only view the position and profile of a single brow. (Andre-Guide, Pastoral Symphony Critical Studies). A poetic mood evoked by the theme may be utilized by Titian’s critics in support of the attributed Giorgione, yet others may debate that Titian’s complex figural complexion together with the way in which these figures overpower the landscape could be a typical of the usual approach by Giorgione. I had been inspired by reason that such a painting could be almost impossible to interpret. There might be a tactic or artistic acknowledgement as regards the fact that, it might be practically impossible to attempt to acknowledge that the Arcadian and peaceful world of Virgil could be unattainable. He might be viewed to have applied paint on a course canvas, which might have been primed together with a relatively darker ground than normal. Both Manet and Titan may be said to have had a liking towards women as most of their works had been centered towards nude women with clothed men. In both of the pictures I chose, the women are naked, yet the men are clothed. In Manet’s, however, he opted to use real living figures in his painting, an issue that bore a lot of controversy to the entire public and had been regarded a traditionally unacceptable act (Heinze & David, 236). Titian, on the other hand, though he often employed the same tactic of undressing his female figures, he had often made use of anonymous, imaginary idealized figures. While most of Manet’s pieces had been disregarded by tradition, Titian’s works ironically gained popularity and could often be used in reference to other pieces of art. In these two paintings, while Titan maintains a hidden theme in order to engage the viewer into a possible thinking of the underworld, Manet’s theme could be said to be so predictable making to piece a little senseless and uninteresting. Even though both of them possess nude females, Manet’s lighting may be more distinct thus bringing out a clearer theme, than Titian’s (Chisholm, 672). Manet might be said to have personally declared that the key player to any given painting could be light. In view of that statement, it could be viewed that both of them might be said to have made the artistic use of light in bringing out the paintings’ moods. In his painting, Manet’s use of color, however, had been aimed at flattening the form and drawing attention towards the painting surface. Titian, on the other hand, made use of darker shades in his painting in order to draw a deeper meaning and to push the viewer into making critical interpretations of the painting. From this, it would still be said that both had the aim of drawing attention to their paintings. Works cited "Andre Gide - The Pastoral Symphony Critical Studies." Andregide.org. Web. 03 May 2012. . Shronda, Scott. "Art: Story in a Medium.”: Manet's "Luncheon on the Grass" Web. 17 May 2012. . Chisholm, Hugh. The Encyclopedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1910. Print. Lometa. “Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe." Art Prints. Web. 03 May 2012. . Heinze, Gretchen, and David Moyer. Luncheon on the Grass: A Bestiary. [Lebanon, Pa.]: Red Howler, 1999. Print. Mather, Frank Jewett. A History of Italian Painting. New York: H. Holt and, 1923. Print. "The Art Daily with Lydia." : Edouard Manet, Luncheon on the Grass or Le Déjeuner Sur L'herbe (1863). Web. 17 May 2012. . Read More