As UCSD Professor William Norman Bryson moves towards the finish line in his course Formations of Modern Art (feed), he turns to the French Impressionists. His (to me) startling contention: the Impressionists were not just painters of light and shadow and beautiful images; they were social critics as well.
His discussion of the Impressionists begins in the last 45 minutes of lecture 13, and continues for the rest of the course. Here are a few of his main points from lectures 13 and 14:
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Of all the Impressionists, Auguste Renoir had the most uncritical vision . He painted a paradise of sunny Sunday afternoons where the social classes mixed in easy companionship.
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Mary Cassatt turned a critical eye on gender relationships and bourgois culture by portraying women who were not always at ease with their roles.
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Gustave Caillebotte often portrayed Paris scenes as alienating spaces populated by strangers who ignored each other.
Gustave Caillebotte:Paris Street in Rainy Weather. Image credit*
These are the images from lecture 13 and lecture 14.
A warning: UCSD courses usually disappear at the end of the term. The fall 2008 quarter ends December 13. So download the lectures while you still can.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.
Filed under: 5-star professors, Art, Courses, History, Idea of the week, University podcast | Tagged: Auguste Renoir, French Impressionists, Gustave Caillebotte, Mary Cassatt, William Norman Bryson
hi, i am writing this after ucsd have erased these lectures by bryson. is there any way of accessing these that you know of?
Alas… The lectures are gone. UCSD erases almost all podcasts after the end of the quarter unless the prof requests otherwise. But the courses do repeat from time to time. I suggest you check their website again in the fall. Maybe Bryson will be back.