Brain Fuel

Millions of people have experienced pleasure and fascination before the canvases of Renoir, Manet, and Monet that hang in the galleries of such lofty institutions as the Musee d’Orsay and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is therefore quite easy to fall into the habit of thinking that French Impressionism—with its pleasing pastel colors, blurred surfaces, and imagery of sun-drenched pastimes—requires no explanation. In point of fact, laying hold of its quirky aesthetic and social meanings entails a close investigation of the time and place of its invention: the French capitol and its surroundings during the third quarter of the nineteenth century.  Professor Clayson argues that Impressionism is a very complex, even strange, kind of art that took root in the modernity of Paris. Careful scrutiny of a range of art works from the 1870s and 1880s will point to the abundant links between Impressionism and its birthplace. We will explore this history by pinpointing some of the principle themes that define this underestimated art movement:  industrialization, urbanization, leisure and recreation, railway travel, and even prostitution.