In a world in rapid industrialization, Impressionism was a movement what the art world needed to remain alive.There was little to no space for growth anymore. The art world needed a revolution.This was to be achieved by Impressionism. 

Though in the beginning was heavily unwelcomed and rejected for its unconventional artistic style, the movement pressed on for the pure love of artistic expression. I reckon the reason why it was so hard for the more ‘conservative’ artists of the time to welcome impressionism is their fear of change. The end, as they knew, was drawing near for the art world; machines are taking over and time, ironically, is something that one had to earn and consciously make . Everything was changing fast.

Change in its utmost sense is disturbing. It can either right or wrong; which the art scene could not risk at the time. And yet these gutsy artists thought that this was a risk worth taking; with or without the blessing of the ‘conservatives’. Little did everyone know that this drastic, radical change was going to be the torch-bearer of a new era in art, showcasing a new breed of artists and a genre that even the contemporary artists attribute gratitude and acclaim.

With the rise of photography, everything was gravitating towards capturing a moment. But photography can also only capture so much of that moment. For me, what makes Impressionist art so distinguished and enjoyable is its ability to  chronicle a moment in time, the subject matter is something more in a way, accessible, and the passionate artistic style.The texture of the paint, the free-spirited but firm strokes, the experimentation and overlap of color, the attentiveness of light and reflections-  creating one beautiful moment that the artist experienced first-hand. It is an invitation for one to experience the artist’s perception.

In spite of the industrialization happening at the time, the Impressionists were able to, through their own experience, stop a moment – just enjoy the landscape. It is a great reminder that no matter how busy things may get, it does not hurt to stop and enjoy the moment. One more important point to stress is that most of the Impressionists did their art for their own. They owned what they made in a sense that it was how they personally, particularly saw a scene – a scene that can never be exactly reproduced the same again. It is in this regard that I say their works are unquestionable and irreplaceable.

My favorite Impressionist painting is Claude Monet’s ‘Garden Path at Giverny’ (1902), as seen above. I love how visually engaging and stimulating it is. The vibrant colors, the natural portrayal of light and the vivid specks of flowers in full bloom. Another interesting thing about Impressionist paintings is that they paint in a way that though not strictly structured, you recognize what it is because this is something one has encountered  at one point. It represents something of this world and emphasizes the beauty of that no matter how ordinary the scene is. Of course, there is also the fantasy of being in that garden. It is almost too beautiful to be true yet it is something you know existed and the fact that Monet painted this from life, I envy his presence. 

L.S. Lowry

Punch and Judy

1943

Monet was such a strong figure of Impressionism and credit is given to him as it is due. I would like to now turn the spotlight onto one very underrated artist in my opinion, Laurence Stephen  Lowry, or simply L.S. Lowry.

L.S. Lowry, just by looking at strict lines and structure of his work is Post-Impressionist. What I absolutely love about Lowry’s work is that it is ‘detailed-but-not-too-detailed’ – just enough for us to recognize for ourselves what something in the work is. It is also quite odd how the figures are sketched (take for example the dog in the lower-center of the painting). Of course, here the scene is more of the urbanscape as opposed to Claude Monet’s lavish garden. I love how this work shows how you can have this really busy, condensed scene on top of it detailed and strict lines and shapes, and Lowry still finds a way to make this playful. What is also interesting is, as contrasting it to Monet’s very laid-back landscape and vacation-feel, Lowry apparently did most of his paintings while waiting for the commute home after work. Knowing this, the consciousness of time-constraint made me appreciate his work even more.

Yes, it may not have the vibrance Monet’s painting exudes, but being able to demonstrate such quirk and eccentricity in a time that was considered as very structured, makes Lowry and his works nothing short of genius.