Impressionism: Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas

Girl Drying Herself

France, 1885

The Impressionist style reminded me of a vague dream; the kind of dream that you wake up from and can’t remember much of the details, but only the faint emotions that you felt in the dream. It was a good dream, but you don’t really know why, you just wake up happy and refreshed.

I wasn’t exactly impressed with Impressionism. None of the paintings that I looked were eye catching or inspiring or unique, compared to the art work of prior eras. But I think that was the intention. These paintings typically depicted the ordinary, everyday moments in life, and that’s where the beauty lies.

There was one painting that did catch my eye, but not for it’s uniqueness or extordinary  beauty. It was it’s familiarity that stood out. This painting was hung over my Grandmother’s cast iron, claw foot tub. I love taking baths in that tub as a child, because it was such a unique bathtub. Taking a bath was so ordinary, but that bathtub made it the experience unique. And as I soaked in the hot water in the cast iron tub, warming up from a day at the windy beach, I would stare at this painting, along with several other Degas paintings in my Grandmother’s very unique bathroom.

http://www.edgar-degas.org/

http://library.thinkquest.org/C0118063/critique/c_degas.htm

Classic Era – Ludwig van Beethovan

Sonata quasi una fantasia 

Sonata quasi una fantasia (Moonlight Sonata)

Ludwig Van Beethoven

Vienna, 1801

 

During the classical era, the middle class was on the rise, and they wanted access to the same music as the upper class citizens. So composers and performers broadened their audience to include the middle class and began to hold public performances. Ludwig van Beethoven was the first composer to remain as a freelance composer ₍₁₎; he did not relying only on his commissions of the Aristocrats and Royalty, but made a comfortable living through the teaching, composing, and performing of his music.

What is attractive about his compositions is that it is simply music; no lyrics. So the listener can create their own story to the music, and this attracted a wide array of audiences.

 

What drew me to Moonlight Sonata is that it allows me to turn my mind off and simply listen to the graceful, fluid music. It is so relatable to many different moods and also creates different emotions throughout the song.

 

Works Cited:

(1)   http://amtf200.community.uaf.edu/