The wonderful thing about art over time is that it continues to evolve. While the thought process behind the work may shock the more conventional folks as it is introduced, the movement can go down in history. While the works of Impressionism (this term will include Post-impressionism and Neo-impressionism) may result in a very different image than Cubism, rethinking the pictorial plane is what these movements have in common. The preceding way that an artist would assess their subject would be in a one point perspective, established by Renaissance art. But what makes these two movements remarkable is how multiple viewpoints are captured within the subject. What’s baffling about it is the “how?” behind it, which will be further explained in detail.

The first Impressionist movement took place between 1867 and 1886. Artists that made up this movement were Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Berthe Morisot, Armand Guillaumin, and Frédéric Bazille in France, working off of each other. Impressionism typically captures landscapes and other open spaces that use natural light. Because of natural light this means that over a period of several hours the subject will look different. Therefore painting in this style requires the artist to be very skilled by use of quick thinking and gestural brushstrokes. A great example that plays into that aspect is Bal du moulin de la Galette, 1876, 4′ 4′′ x 5′ 9′′ oil on canvas by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. All in all what every work had in common resulted in an image that was flattened but patterns of bright color and textures were emphasized. Post-impressionism and Neo-impressionism use the main elements already mentioned but vary slightly depending on the artist. These artists include Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat and Vincent van Gogh.

Cubism is similar to Impressionism in the sense that viewing this subject is not going to be in one fixed state with the result showing multiple perspectives. The movement gained traction through Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in Paris between 1907 and 1914. Except in Cubism, rather than light affecting the changes in perspective while the artist is working the artist themselves changes their viewing position. Thus the work of Cubism results in multiple combined perspectives from viewing the subject at different angles, demolishing the one point perspective practice established during Renaissance art. Impressionism and Cubism are also similar in that gestural marks must be made that only capture the subject’s essence rather than all its details. Cézanne’s The Basket of Apples, 1893, 5.6 in × 31.5 oil on canvas is an example of Cubism because the viewer can see objects such as the lady finger cookies are stacked but different sides of it are painted with the perspective being changed. The top cookies are more downturned than they would be if they were painted from the same perspective as the bottom cookies. It’s also hard to make out whether or not the basket can keep its balance and not fall. This illusion is created because the basket was painted using more than one perspective.

Because of these movements with Impressionism leading into Cubism the viewer can see that there is more than one way to consider the pictorial plane. Gestural brushstrokes/marks and working quickly is what it takes to achieve these styles, and it takes a very skilled artist to assess their subject in this manner. In the case of Impressionism it’s the moving lights and shadows. In the case of Cubism it’s the basic forms being combined at different angles. Achieving something other than one point perspective was very groundbreaking.

Sources

“Cubism.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed December 04, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/art/Cubism.

Gambardella, Steven. “How Cubism Changed The Way We See The World.” Medium. May 14, 2021. Accessed December 04, 2021. https://medium.com/the-sophist/how-cubism-changed-the-way-we-see-the-world-fb6e6cf09496.

“Impressionism.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed December 02, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/art/Impressionism-art.