Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Avignon from the West
Creation date: 1836
Learning Resource Slideshow
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Paul Cézanne
Hillside in Provence
Creation date: 1890–92
Look
Look at the ‘building blocks’ in this landscape. Cézanne seems to be analysing the structures of the rocks rather than focusing on the surface of the hillside.
Think
Think about how this approach varies from the picturesque landscapes from earlier periods.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
At the Theatre [La Première Sortie]
Creation date: 1876–77
Look
Look at Renoir’s painting and the sort of brushstrokes he used to capture the scene.
Think
Think about artists roaming the popular haunts of big cities such as Paris in the late 19th century, and how exciting it would have been to try to quickly capture the bustling urban life.
Edgar Degas
Ballet Dancers
Creation date: c. 1890–1900
Look
Look at this image by Degas of a ballet rehearsal. Degas did many paintings and sketches of this subject matter. Why do you think Degas was interested in the training rather than the final performance?
Think
Think about how Degas has used paint to create a sense of movement in this oil sketch of ballet dancers. See how the canvas support has not been covered by the paint and shows through in many places. Artists developed a new style of painting to capture the increasing speed of modern life.
Paul Gauguin
A Vase of Flowers
Creation date: 1896
Look
Look at the vibrant colours in Gauguin’s flower painting. Can you identify the main colours? Can you find any black paint?
Think
Think about how the colours are used and how a cool colour often is placed adjacent to a warm colour.
Vincent van Gogh
Sunflowers
Creation date: 1888
Look
Look at Van Gogh’s painting of sunflowers and notice how the various flowers depicted are in different stages of the plant’s lifecycle.
Think
Think about the effects of colour in this painting with the different shades of yellow and the tonal contrasts of the green and blue. Van Gogh painted this to decorate the guest room for his friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin to stay in.
Claude Monet
The Water-Lily Pond
Creation date: 1899
Look
Look at Monet’s painting of a Japanese bridge in the garden he built in France. Can you decide what Monet is primarily interested in? Is it the scene in front of him or light and colour?
Think
Think about what sort of brushstrokes Monet used to create the image. What words would you use to describe those brushstrokes?