In the 1870’s Impressionism painters violated all the rules of academic painting, the established style of the time period. Freely painted brush strokes took over from the clear line definitions that were commonly found in academic paintings. Impressionism is based on painting the overall visual effects of that being captured as oppose to individual details. Mary Cassatt and Auguste Renoir shared much in their artistic styles. Both artists had a strong interest in capturing feminine beauty, chose everyday life as their subject matter and unlike many of the other Impressionists depicted the human figure more often than landscapes. The use of color and value were also important to both artists in making their works come to life. As harsh lines are not used in impressionism, value shifts and color shifts served as creating the outlines for the composition of the painting. Renoir’s, “Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette” is typical of his work; his loose brushstrokes depicts a bright, light filled contemporary scene with average people and not the idealized depiction of important people favoured by the academic painters. “Mother and Child (The Oval Mirror)” is typical of Mary Cassett’s style both in the choice of subject matter and use of soft colours. Here the treatment of the human figure allows the viewer to share an intimate, everyday moment captured by the
In the 1870’s Impressionism painters violated all the rules of academic painting, the established style of the time period. Freely painted brush strokes took over from the clear line definitions that were commonly found in academic paintings. Impressionism is based on painting the overall visual effects of that being captured as oppose to individual details. Mary Cassatt and Auguste Renoir shared much in their artistic styles. Both artists had a strong interest in capturing feminine beauty, chose everyday life as their subject matter and unlike many of the other Impressionists depicted the human figure more often than landscapes. The use of color and value were also important to both artists in making their works come to life. As harsh lines are not used in impressionism, value shifts and color shifts served as creating the outlines for the composition of the painting. Renoir’s, “Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette” is typical of his work; his loose brushstrokes depicts a bright, light filled contemporary scene with average people and not the idealized depiction of important people favoured by the academic painters. “Mother and Child (The Oval Mirror)” is typical of Mary Cassett’s style both in the choice of subject matter and use of soft colours. Here the treatment of the human figure allows the viewer to share an intimate, everyday moment captured by the