This year marks the 150th anniversary of what is widely recognized as the birth of Impressionism. In April 1874, a group of art revolutionaries known as the Anonymous Society of Painters presented their groundbreaking works at Studio Nadar in Paris. This historic exhibition featured iconic artists such as Monet, Cézanne, Pissarro, Renoir, Morisot, Degas, Sisley, Boudin, and Manet. Initially intended as an insult, the term Impressionist soon became synonymous with a revolutionary approach to art.

Fast-forward to the early 1990s, when a young artist named Erin Hanson first encountered van Gogh’s Irises and Monet’s Haystacks on a school field trip. This moment sparked a lifelong passion for Impressionism, influencing her evolution into one of today’s leading impressionistic painters. Hanson’s profound admiration for Monet and van Gogh’s use of color, motion, and light has shaped her artistic journey.

This year, Hanson embarked on a pilgrimage to immerse herself in the landscapes that inspired the Impressionist masters. Her journey included exploring Monet’s meticulously curated gardens, witnessing the Seine’s shimmering beauty, and standing in the very spots where van Gogh created masterpieces such as Starry Night.

Hanson’s Journey, In Her Own Words

“Here is an example of a moment that filled me with joy and inspired my painting, Seine Reflections.”

“My sister-in-law and I debarked from the riverboat to explore Giverny and Monet’s home. Along the way, we stopped in Vetheuil, a small town that Monet liked to paint. It sits along the Seine, and it is incredibly picturesque. Signs are posted along the riverside path showing the paintings Monet created of the actual landscape I was looking at. It was incredible standing in the very footsteps where Monet had stood and painted.”

“Walking directly in Monet’s steps gave me the shivers. After absorbing the beauty of the place and letting inspiration wash over me, we headed to Giverny to walk in Monet’s footsteps further. From there, we went to Monet’s home and garden, our tickets allowing us to immediately head to the lily pond, which I was excited to see.

“We descended into a tunnel beneath the street and emerged into a bamboo garden. We walked. And walked. And walked. Where was the lily pond? We saw a tiny little pond with one sad lily pad, and I wondered, ‘Could this be it, his fabulous pond reduced to a scrap?’ It couldn’t be.

“So, we continued walking, and after one final turn in the path, the bamboo parted, and we saw Monet’s pond and Japanese Bridge in all its glory. Pure joy flooded my pores! It was just like walking into one of Monet’s masterpieces.”

“Flowers and trees surrounded the pond, reflecting off the water and adding color to the already vibrant waterscape. I realized that those squiggly lines I always saw in Monet’s depictions of his pond were reflections of weeping willow leaves, which hung low over the pond. I spent two days exploring Monet’s pond and gardens, capturing it during different times of day and different lighting effects, as the clouds drifted by above.”

“During another stop along my journey, I stayed in Etretat. After arriving on the northern coast of Normandy, we made our way to the white cliffs of Etretat, and I found the exact spot where Monet painted. I took photo after photo as the sun set, the golden light spilling over the sea and painting the white cliffs with glorious color.

“The golden hour seemed to stretch on forever as I soaked in the beauty of the place, listening to the susurrations of the sea and enjoying the sounds of people on an evening jaunt along the shore. The sun didn’t set until around 9:30 PM, and I was able to explore many aspects of Normandy’s signature white cliffs. Summer wildflowers bloomed around me. A breeze covered me in briny ocean scents as I soaked it all in. This is where Monet stood. This is where he once gathered inspiration and captured impressions with paint and brush. And here I was, standing in his footsteps, over a century later.”

“Vincent van Gogh was one of the first painters to inspire me as a child. The way he captured irises showed me that art can be even more beautiful than nature. I paint nature because it’s the most exquisite thing I know, yet art can somehow elevate this incredible masterpiece. Van Gogh taught me this.

“So, here I was, years later, in Arles. I stood in front of an olive grove, preparing to visit Saint-Remy-de-Provence. This incredible force of nature, twisting through the ground and reaching for the sky, its bark beautiful in its unevenness, called out to me. It reminded me of van Gogh’s enchanting olive groves. I knew I had to paint it.”

“I progressed through Provence and stood in the very room where van Gogh painted Almond Blossom, Irises, and The Starry Night. From there, I saw Provence’s famous lavender fields, vineyards, and, of course, sunflowers. As I explored, I found hidden treasures, snapshot impressions of sun-drenched blossoms, reflections off still ponds, ancient colonnades, and much more. I felt as if I were a squirrel, gathering all my nuts and kernels of inspiration for when I returned home to my paint, brushes, and studio.

“Now that I am back, I am using the impressions I captured to create a collection called Reflections of the Seine: Inspirations from France. This collection, which will be exhibited on Saturday, September 14th, 2024, at my McMinnville gallery, will feature the most significant impressions I captured. Those jolts of vibrant color, joy, and beauty came together to spark my paintbrush. And I cannot wait to share them.”

About Erin Hanson

Erin Hanson is a contemporary impressionistic painter known for her vivid and dynamic portrayal of natural landscapes. Inspired by early encounters with van Gogh and Monet’s work, Hanson’s distinctive style captures the vibrancy of nature through bold colors and innovative techniques. Her art is celebrated globally and held in various prestigious private and public collections internationally.

Learn more about the artist and the Reflections of the Seine  Collection Collection Opening Event Details.

The post From Palette to Place: Discovering the Roots of Impressionism with Erin Hanson appeared first on Art Business News.

The Nuances of the Artist’s Painting

Imagine the Louvre in Paris in the 1860s: Degas is seated in front of a canvas by the Spanish painter Velázquez, a casual visitor stops and observes with interest in the young artist’s work. The stranger comments on the copy, to Degas’s surprise, with knowledge. A conversation develops between the two men that will grow into a lifelong friendship. The chance visitor turned out to be Édouard Manet, one of the founders of Impressionism, and he brought Edgar Degas into the circle of like-minded people and introduced him to Monet and Renoir.  

Degas, like his new acquaintances, sought to move away from the formulaic notion of painting, to turn more to the themes of life and portray it in process, truthfully. His acquaintance with Impressionism did change the artist’s idea of representation, but he was not at all drawn to the landscapes that are so beloved in Impressionist circles. While Monet and Renoir painted from life, Degas stood out from them. He followed the rule “to observe without drawing, and to paint without observing.” 

What did Degas mean when he portrayed life as it is? The artist liked to portray people, especially women, and not pose them in a static position. The paintings are as if Degas took them by surprise, as in the 1885 painting Woman Combing Her Hair (Woman at the Toilet). Ballet was another of the artist’s favorite motives. However, he did not paint the bright and graceful figures of dancers but caught them in the dressing room or preparing for a performance. In Rehearsal of the Ballet on Stage, Degas portrayed the dancers in the “run-through” of the performance: the view of the stage falls not from the usual perspective of the stalls, but from the side.

The artist managed to convey the atmosphere of the ballet rehearsal: the “porcelain” silhouettes of dancing girls contrasted with the relaxed figures of ballerinas waiting for their turn. While the Impressionists experimented with color and worshiped light, Degas said, “I am a colorist with lines.”

Success Key Point

Up until the 1870s, the critics ignored Degas. His work was exhibited once, and his work did not bring any income. However, thanks to the means of his family, he was not a pauper. This also distinguished him among the creative elite: not everyone could afford to engage in creative work without being distracted by commercial orders. 

The 1870s were a triumph for the artist. After the famous collector Paul Durand-Ruel sold three works by Degas, Edgar reached a new level of motivation and search for himself. He began to create desperately and brightly, finally believing in his own talent. Contemporaries could not even accurately determine the authorship of his works. They seemed to have been created by completely different people — using different styles, techniques, and colors. 

Degas attached particular importance to the presentation of his works. He even co-hosted an independent Paris Impressionist exhibition in 1874. This format was characterized by particular freedom, which was not done at the time and was intended to attract the public’s attention to Impressionism. Breaking away from the confines of the Salon, the artists made sure that the exhibition space played to their advantage, a background matching the color scheme was selected for each piece, the artists acted as their own critics and personally selected works for the exhibition. Degas exhibited paintings on his favorite subjects: horse racing, dancers, and washerwomen.

“The idea of the exhibition, already in the air before 1870, was picked up by Claude Monet and supported by Renoir, Pissarro, and Degas. The latter hated the spirit of the Salon and, after Manet retired from business, became the chief organizer of the exhibition. In the eyes of the young artists, Degas became, by right of seniority, the standard-bearer of independent art…” — Art historian Jean-Paul Crespel

However, the Impressionists’ expectations were not met. According to Jean Renoir, the son of the famous artist, “ridicule, insults, and slurs were poured in hail. People went to the exhibition to laugh. The characters of Degas and Cézanne, even Renoir’s charming girls, made people boil with indignation.”

Despite the unsuccessful experience of the exhibition, after the 1880s Degas reached a new level. He was already recognized and people bought his work, but the artist exhibited only in a few places. This halo of mystery attracted collectors and magazines in Paris. Nevertheless, Degas always saw a line between creating work for sale and creating for the sake of art. If we now look at these two types of work, the former seems more refined and classical, while the latter is avant-garde and unconventional. 

Later Period

The work of the later period of the artist is characterized by complete immersion in abstraction; the colors became brighter and richer, and the line became clearer and more expressive. In comparison, The Cup of Tea (Breakfast after Bath) depicts one of the artist’s favorite motifs, but already in a completely different palette and contrasts. 

During this period, Degas rapidly began to lose his eyesight, and to observe all the proportions of the girls, he made strips of markings directly on the bodies of sitters. In his last works, the artist created almost blindly. Experts say that Degas, like Monet, had progressed macular degeneration for 20 years, and because of this, these Impressionists saw their paintings differently than ordinary viewers. Using computer simulations, researchers recreated the paintings through the eyes of the artists. The result was blurry images in dim tones with barely discernible silhouettes. 

After 1912, the artist was forced to leave his studio apartment. Degas seemed to completely abandon creativity and was seen wandering the streets of Paris, almost completely blind and deaf. Occasionally he would stop by at old auctions and art exhibitions, with faithfulness to art for the rest of his life.

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About the Author:

Jean S. Hartley is a content writer in an online paper writing service, that provides quality assistance for students. Jean also enjoys local folklore and customs. She is going to blog about it on YouTube.

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