Liberation of art and artists began with the Freedom Fighters at the Cafe Guerbois in Paris the impressionists and Post impressionists.
Impressionism or the impressionist movement started in the 1860th and really only lasted about 40 years.
Today we often describe a style of painting as Impressionism but most of it is not even close.
Impressionism was more than just a style of painting it was a revolution.
Up until then the artworld was controlled by establishment. Most of the contemporary art action took place in Paris. Customer demands had to be met. Galleries had to meet buyers expectations. It really is still like that today. All these dynamics are way too complicated for me to figure out.
Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Cezanne and others, went out on a limb, some most certainly became a starving artist. Some got by, being supported by relatives like Van Gogh by his Brother Theo. Others compromised and delivered “acceptable” art to the Salon to sell. Did you ever hear of the “The Salon des Refusés, the art show of the rejected? Yep, it was the response by the impressionists to the Salon who regularly rejected their submissions. They created their own art show.
Imagine that, today these paintings demand millions of dollars. While the artist that painted them often lived impoverished.
Those freedom fighters were true rebels, ridiculed and laughed at even. Many of them regularly met at the Cafe Guerbois Paris, the leader of the pack was Eduard Manet, who by the way also used black in his work. So there goes the “don’t use black” in impressionism. Some argue Manet wasn’t a true impressionists. Ce la vie!
There at the cafe they talked and argued about everything under the sun. In true French fashion with passion!
They wanted to liberate art and they did. The art of Art is an elusive pursuit. With each blank canvas or paper the possibilities are endless.
In the question of “what is art” I agree with Leo Tolstoy. I read his essay and came away with the thought that art is a form of communication.
Telling a story, celebrating something in a way of art.
I am going to put a link here to the essay
https://web.csulb.edu/~jvancamp/361r14.html
and here is a link to a site that takes you on a tour of Montmartre and the impressionists. This is a very cool page check it out.
This café was the meeting spot the “Batignolles group”, led by Edouard Manet.
Here is a watercolor and ink I did in response to the shooting at Charlie Hebdo On 7 January 2015 and the unity march that followed.
Freedom of art, freedom Fighters came together.
Place de la Republique Paris Unity March Watercolor Painting
