Railroad Bridge, Argenteuil, 1874
The Butterfly Hunt, 1874
The Picnic (Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe), 1862-1863
Here is Manet again trying to shock the viewer, this is essentially a classically composed scene, and in that context the nudes are not out of place... but the presence of the two "gentlemen" bring the "picnic" into question. Manet paints the scene as if the viewer, out for a walk, has stumbled upon the scene... and again, the direct gaze of the woman helps complete the effect. What is here expression telling you?
Vie de toits, effet de neige Toits sous la neige, 1879
The Floor Scrapers, 1876
Ballet Rehersal on the Stage, 1874
Not a great photo, but notice the "sepia tone" quality of the painting. It has been argued that Degas was having some fun with the new medium of photography, but creating a photgraphic scene, but capturing a moment that it would be impossible to capture with a camera... the interaction of all the dancers and the spectator.
Le champ de courses, jockeys amateurs pres d'une voiture, 1876
(The Racecource: Amateur Jockeys near a Carriage)
L Absinthe
Degas liked to go "slumming" and this activity was the source of inspiration for many of his paintings and sketches. This concern with average people, and with depicting Paris as it was, is a trademark of Impressionism. In this case also notice the placement of the table in the foreground. The viewer is "seated" at the table, that, and the placement of the characters in the right hand corner increase the feeling that we are "in the scene" but as observers. The title also tells you that these people are here to drink and forget, not to celebrate.
Madame Jeantaud au miroir, 1875
La lecture, 1865-1873
Never take a Manet painting for face value, what else is he trying to say? He is fond of trying to bring the viewer into the meaning by having the main character stare directly at them. In this case, what is the topic of the lecture? who is the teacher? does the subject look scared or bored? What about his hand of the back of the couch? The contrast between the fluffy white opulance and the harsh dark corner? Hmm?
Les dindons, 1877
The Turkeys was created for an Impressionist exhibition as part of a series that attempted to show potential purchasers that art could also simply be decorative and could complement their decor. If I remember correctly, one room in the gallery was mocked up as a living room and paintings placed as they would be in a house.
Pont du chemin de fer a Chatou, 1881
Bal du Moulin de la Galette
Some critics have called the one of the quintessential Impressionist paintings and the photo does not do it justice (in addition to being a little blurry). It is an informal, happy picture of Parisians at leisure. The quality of light is etherial.
Train dans la campagne, 1870 (Train in the Countryside)
See a train theme here? Communter, or suburbian trains were a new phenomenon, allowing Parisians to vist the country side with ease. This access and the roll of the trains in society and the landscape was the subject of many Impressionist paintings, most notibly Monet.
Le pont d' Argenteuil, , 1874 (Bridge at Argenteuil)
Argenteuil (Ar-gen-toy?) was one of the small towns outside of Paris that benefitted from being accessable by train. Several Impressionists spent summers here painting mainly water and boating scenes.
Les dechargeurs de charbon, 1875
To me, in person, it looks as if the waorkers were painted afterwards. Despite the Impressionists tendancy towards abstraction, I find these workers, who are not more than a black sillouette, to be rather atypical and kind of spooky.
La rue Montorgueil, fete du 30 juin 1878,
France got it's butt kicked by Prussia in 1871? and the French flag was outlawed for awhile. This helps to partially explain the enthusiasm showed by Monet upon it's reappearance.
La gare Saint-Lazare, 1877
Saint Lazare was the new station in the Northeast part of Paris that served the train lines running to the suburbs.
La cathedrale de Rouen, Le portail et la tour Stain-Romain, effect du matin, 1893
Meules, fin de l'ete, 1891
Relatively late in his career Monet created a series of painting of haystacks (known as the "Wheatstack" series) shown at different times of the day and during different seasons. Reportedly Degas thought it was a marketing joke until he saw them all together. The largest collection (5?) is in the Art Insitute of Chicago
Juenes filles au paino , 1892 (Girls at the Piano)
Dance at Bougival
The Afternoon Siesta
La Salle de danse a Arles, 1888
Notice the influence of Japanese woodblock art on Van Gogh. The scene is reduced by using two dimensional shapes of color.
The Studio at Batignolles: Otto Schoelderer, Manet, Renoir, Zacharie Astruc, Zola, Edmond Maitre, Bazille and Monet, 1870
"The Star" or "The Ballarina"
Not a great photo, but there is a collection of Degas pastel paintings that are housed under low lighting conditions as to not contribute to the deterioration of the paint. Many of these are dancing and bathing scenes.
Juene fille au chapeau de paille, 1907-1908
Waterlilies & Bridge, 1899
Le Bassin aux nympheas, harmonie verte, , 1900 (Waterlilies Harmony in Green)
Londres, le Parlement touee de soleil dans le brouillard, 1904
Une modere Olympia, 1873 (see Manets Olympia)
L'homme a la barre, 1892
Eternelle douleur, ,1913
Clara, 1900
Olympia
There he goes again... why is this such a big deal... read.
Women in the Garden, 1867
Boy with a Cat, 1868
