Comparing and contrasting of the artwork produced during two different artistic periods

In this assignment I am going to be comparing and contrasting the artworks from two artists both from different artistic periods. I have chosen to analyse works from Gustave Courbet and Auguste Renoir both from the Realist and Impressionist movements. Hailed as the pioneer of the Realist movement Gustave Courbet set an unprecedented artistic movement which caused a lot of controversy amongst all it artists.This movement embodied and represented the everyday norm as we know it, our own lives and realities caught on canvas or in this case the realities experienced by the artist Gustave Courbet. Realism was unprecedented and controversial in the sense that it broke away from the norm which was for centuries mainly depicting popular, religious figures however Courbet’s ideologies were for artists to portray only what they can see or has lived, depicting everyday scenes and events.Coming from a harsh environment, Gustaves earlier life was in the small town of Ornans in France were Courbet was born into a lower/ working class. His depictions of his realities can be seen through many works including â€Å"Burial at Ornans 1850†. One painting that embodies realism is entitled â€Å"The Stone Breakers†. This painting merely depicts to figures a boy and a man absorbed in their tedious repetitive work of crushing stones to make road.This controversy surrounding this piece was immense as it depicted two figures carrying out the most miserable tedious tasks one could do however this is the harsh reality they live and the reality Courbet is trying to convey to the viewer. We are unable to see the figures faces as the boy has his back facing the viewer and the man wearing a hat however this gives a sense of the figures shame and somewhat unimportance that we can’t even look at their faces because of the nature of their reality and how they go about earning their money.In comparison to Realism, Impressionism shares the same characteristics in terms of depicting reality. Many Impressionist artists works including â€Å"Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette† or â€Å"La Loge† Auguste Renoir as well as â€Å"Woman with a Parasol† by Claude Monet are all depictions of the artists realities and general normal activities or social gatherings. The breaking from the norm seemed to be continued with the Impressionists by also literally painting what they saw, adopting this new way ofobservational painting which meant artists left their studios and began to paint outside. In relation to Courbets paintings the Impressionists depicted everyday scenes which were observed by the artists themselves at the adopting this new age of artistic movements. Impressionist pieces such as â€Å"La Loge† by Auguste Renoir depict a female figure in her most realist but glamorous form.It is somewhat realist in the sense that there is a lot of attention to the detail of the fabric, the figures dress is a velvety texture it gives the viewer a sense of they can almost feel the texture. Her face and hair are painted in the most natural form. â€Å"Impression Sunrise† by Claude Monet is the piece in which the whole Impressionist movement received its name from. The Impressionists were seen as radicals depicting a new Industrial revolution the way they saw it in reality.It is evident throughout most Impressionist works the use of visible, sketchy brush strokes merely creating â€Å"impressions† of the subject that they are trying to depict. The use of colour and light was revolutionary through this period as certain theories were vital to follow in order to achieve the desired effect. For instance the use of complimentary colours playing off each other to create a more intense piece, shadows merely being shades of colours from where they are cast as well as the thickness of the paint etc all were important factors.In contrast to works such as â€Å"The Stone Breakers†, Impressionist pieces are s omewhat depicted differently. For instance the brush strokes shown in pieces such as â€Å" Woman with a Parasol 1875† the brushstrokes short and sketchy and go with the flow of the subject matter as brushstrokes are meant to depict movement within the piece, something that Courbets was unable to portray but instead his seemed to depicted a never ending slow movement in time because of the repetitive hard labour shown in the piece.The visible brushstrokes also in some ways depict emotion in the sense that quickly faster sketchier brushstrokes may imply a certain emotion the artist was going through in order to create those marks were as shorter strokes may imply a more slight attention to detail. The colour shining from the back of the female figure gives great light and shadow to the piece.Hints of yellows and greens are visible on the female figures dress while touches of blues and pinks are visible as shadows on the field. In conclusion I have managed to compare and contra st some artworks from two different artistic periods and have managed to identify and explain most of the characteristics. The similarities with both Realist and Impressionist movements were apparent within the subject matter of the artworks.Breaking from the norm like this was unprecedented and these artists were seen as radicals changing the ancient teachings of art and adopting their own rules to fit their ideologies. The differences mainly spanned in which the way different artists portrayed their work. Within realist pieces such as â€Å"The Stone Breakers† attention to detail was apparent as the poor figures clothes were ruff and rugged merely the harshness of their everyday job.Impressionist pieces such as â€Å"Woman with a Parasol† weren’t so much focused on every aspect of the figures attire, facial features etc but more on creating this moment of strolling through the field, whilst capturing movement and emotion. These were just depicted with brush st rokes and as mere impressions of the real thing. The subject matter from most Impressionist and Realist artists where just depictions of their reality which in a sense in comparison together makes them similar movements in terms of subject matter.