Impressionist Painting Chronicle

Author: Li Xingyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: On the second exhibition of the Impressionist painters in 1876, the critic Albert Wolff of Le Figaro wrote a review depicting them as a group of "madmen who picked up their canvases, paints, and brushes, carelessly daubed two or three tones, and then signed their names." This critic even sensationalized the connection between an incident that occurred on the streets of Paris and the exhibition, claiming that a man, after seeing the exhibition, went mad and actually bit passersby. He accused the painters of using the wrong colors, saying that trees were not violet and the sky was not fresh cream, and that "the wise and intelligent could never accept such mad expression!" The Impressionists held a total of eight exhibitions, and until the very last one in 1886, similar curses never ceased. A satirical cartoon depicting a messy, furious painter holding a rusty broom in front of a canvas mocked the Impressionists. In the introduction to A Biography of Impressionist Painting, Li Xingyuan expressed her feelings this way: "Like many other significant and meaningful things in human history, Impressionist painting did not receive the flowers and wine society had prepared for it at its birth or for a considerable period afterward." The painters faced repeated rejections from official salons, scorn from conservative critics, and disdain from the audience, and their lives remained in poverty. They often couldn’t afford even paint and canvases. In a letter to a friend in 1869, Renoir wrote, "We don’t have food every day." That same year, Monet wrote, "I’ve stopped because I don’t have paint." They often had to borrow money from friends to survive. However, after nearly half a century of obscurity, Impressionism suddenly became the "most popular art movement in the history of all art movements," with its works’ market prices soaring and exhibitions attracting massive attention and crowds worldwide. Even Chinese people far from Paris showed extraordinary enthusiasm for Impressionist works. In the autumn of 2004, The French Impressionist Exhibition was held in museums in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. In a month-long display, the National Art Museum of China set a record high of 260,000 visitors, averaging nearly 7,000 per day, with as many as 13,000 on weekends. On the last day of the exhibition, the museum even stayed open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. the next evening, operating non-stop for 36 hours to accommodate visitors. In Shanghai and Hong Kong, long queues formed outside the exhibition halls. If we consider that in the late 19th century, only "no more than 15 people" in Paris could appreciate Impressionism, and that during the Cultural Revolution, Impressionism was even condemned as a decadent and declining art movement, we cannot help but marvel at how time is the greatest judge. The fate of Impressionism may be one of the most legendary. In 1856, Eugene Boudin met the 18-year-old Monet and told him, "Be stubborn, hold onto an impression, because it is the correct one." At that time, traditional academic painting still confined its subjects to ancient myths and history, judging works by clear, solid lines and lifelike depictions. Meanwhile, young Impressionist painters began an autonomous exploration: "Paint what you see, feel, and need." This concept is similar to China’s idea of "spirit resemblance rather than form resemblance." The painters focused on expressing their fleeting impressions, capturing the ever-changing play of light and color. The details of objects were often blurred, but bold, large blocks of color frequently conveyed the painters’ intense inner feelings. The subjects of their paintings also broke free from those closed classical frameworks, turning toward the vibrant daily life around them. Li Xingyuan’s A Biography of Impressionist Painting provides a comprehensive understanding of the movement in this way. When the Impressionist exhibition came to China, hundreds of thousands of people visited, but only a few truly understood Impressionism. For those who couldn’t attend in person, such compensation is even more necessary. A Biography of Impressionist Painting explains the historical fate, representative artists, characteristics, and key works of the movement in an accessible, storytelling manner. The author uses the latest research materials, offering fresh perspectives on the painters. The book is also supplemented with numerous images of Impressionist works. What were the personalities and fates of Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Degas, Bazille, Cézanne, and Morisot? How did their styles develop? What constitutes true Impressionism? Why did Manet refuse to participate in Impressionist exhibitions? Was Monet’s behavior after his wife’s death unnatural?—Under Li Xingyuan’s pen, the story of Impressionism is observed within a grand historical framework, gaining a profound and new interpretation. While focusing on the fate of the painters and the movement, readers naturally gain a deep understanding of the Impressionist artists and their works.