7th grade students are learning about a radical art style from the 1860's called Impressionism. Artists had the gall to go outside and paint, focusing on light and how it effects color rather than what things actually looked like. No wonder the museums in Paris refused to display their art. Such radical ideas should be ignored, and surely they will disappear...
But Impressionism is one of the most favorite art styles around the world today. By capturing a moment in time, Impressionist artists don't focus on minute details. Instead they capture a broad idea and let your mind's eye fill in the rest of the picture. They ask the viewer to look at the picture with wonder, to notice how reflections dance across a surface or how color changes depending on the time of day.
A way to remember Impressionism and what they cared about, is to remember the word ELBOW.
E- Everyday subjects. This was new as people tended to paint heroic ideals, religious paintings, paintings of rich patrons...not kids on a beach or people at a picnic.
L- Light was the most important element they looked at. How does light change colors? How does your eye mix colors so that we see the combination of them. How do complimentary colors work in shadows as as highlights of light?
B- Brushstrokes. Impressionists used short undefined brushstrokes to give an impression of color, shadow or highlights. Brushstrokes and blending of colors all one into another are two aspects of Impressionism that make it so unique.
O- Outdoor painting was unheard of. But with the invention of paint in tubes, artists were able to paint for long periods without their paint drying up.
W- Water was wonderful. It cast reflections, it was see-through, it floated things on it's surface. And with the newly invented inexpensive blue colors and orange in a tube, painting water was much easier than ever before.
Our seventh grade is working with oil pastels to capture the lights and darks in a fall still-life. By shining a bright light on the still-life, it gives the leaves and pumpkins a very dramatic effect.
