Discussion #1

Realism and Impressionism  

For this week’s discussion, choose realism orimpressionism as a basis for your posts and discuss how your choice is manifested in any area of the humanities (i.e., painting, sculpture, literature, music, etc.), and give an example from any discipline in the humanities to illustrate how realism or impressionism influenced the work of art. Please be sure to give an analysis of how the work of art was influenced by the movement.

Class, in our second thread this week, we will take a look at two styles in depth.  To start, let’s think about 19^thc. Realism.  As a style of art, it goes way beyond simply ‘looking’ realistic, in fact, on some occasions, it doesn’t look terribly realistic at all…. 

Can anyone discuss other attributes that make a work part of this style?  (Be sure to give examples as you discuss (and be sure that those examples are part of this stylistic era – that they are actually from the times and places we are learning about this week.) 

Discussion #2

Photography and Art

In the 19th century, the camera was a revolutionary invention. Did the invention of the camera change the arts? Why or why not?

Is there a relationship between movements such as realism and impressionism and the camera?

This week should prove to be quite interesting as we investigate the intersection of fine art and technology for the first time!  So, in the history of Art, we go from the highly dramatic overblown images of the Baroque era, such as we have been looking at recently with Rubens, to the end of the Enlightenment era in which a greater variety in painting styles develops.  With the invention of the camera coming at roughly the same time as we see Realism and Impressionism gaining popularity, can anyone discuss what the relationship between them may be?  Do you think photography and painting would have been in competition, or would they have complimented one another?  Explain your thoughts…