Landscape
Size: 3ft x 2ft Medium: oil paints Completion July 2022 Exhibition Text
The theme self expression can be represented in this oil painting. Using the Impressionist style that Renoir was associated with, a simple landscape can have a deeper meaning than what meets the eye. Pont Neuf was inspired by a war showing the citizens moving recovering from hard times, where my painting shows a happy vacation with scary memories. |
Inspiration
Pont Neuf was inspired by the Franco–Prussian War that had devastated France in 1870 and 1871, the image shows a representative of French citizens crossing the oldest bridge in Paris, and can show how the country is recovering from the devastating times. Painted by the French artist Renoir, whom originally associated with the Impressionist movement. He was one of the central figures of the impressionist movement. His work had a richness of feeling and warmth, this was his response to the world and the people in it. Renoir’s earlier work was mostly Impressionist snapshots of real life, while he added color and light to what he saw. Renoir’s work is the perfect illustration of this new approach in thought and technique for Impressionism. Using small, multicolored strokes, he created the busy atmosphere in his paintings. Renoir produced light-suffused paintings where the black was excluded, during this time black in painting was very common. This led to many disappointments: the paintings, were different from what was normalized at that time so they, were frequently rejected and were extremely difficult to sell. |
Pont Neuf by Renoir
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Planning
For this project I knew I wanted to paint a memory from a vacation I believed was happy. After learning more about my dads health, I found out that my dad was in heart failure and could of died any moment during this trip. Looking back on this trip I could of connected the pieces together but in the moment of the trip it was a fun time and I created good memories with my whole family. I started by going through pictures that I took, or my mom took on a family vacation in 2016 to Alaska and Canada. I knew I wanted to find a mountain picture because it would be the best in the Impressionist style compared to a picture of something closer to us. I came across a picture my mom took in Petersburg, Alaska which is halfway between Juneau and Ketchikan. This picture had the ocean along with mountains and trees, so I knew it could work. I also liked this picture the best because in Pont Neuf, Renoir used bright blues and other light colors, which I could match to my reference picture because it had the bright blue water and the bright sky.
For this project I knew I wanted to paint a memory from a vacation I believed was happy. After learning more about my dads health, I found out that my dad was in heart failure and could of died any moment during this trip. Looking back on this trip I could of connected the pieces together but in the moment of the trip it was a fun time and I created good memories with my whole family. I started by going through pictures that I took, or my mom took on a family vacation in 2016 to Alaska and Canada. I knew I wanted to find a mountain picture because it would be the best in the Impressionist style compared to a picture of something closer to us. I came across a picture my mom took in Petersburg, Alaska which is halfway between Juneau and Ketchikan. This picture had the ocean along with mountains and trees, so I knew it could work. I also liked this picture the best because in Pont Neuf, Renoir used bright blues and other light colors, which I could match to my reference picture because it had the bright blue water and the bright sky.
Process
I started by sketching out what this would look like in an Impressionist style since my inspiration was Renoir. I knew that it would work it was a matter of if it would end up like how I envisioned it. After that I added a wash to my canvas using a brown to make sure I painted every little piece of my canvas. After letting this dry, I then created a 1x1 inch graph on my canvas and sketch out the mountains and water. I added a base color of white to where I wanted the sky to be and when I was letting that dry I started on the water. I mixed together a bright blue, that i knew would work to create the perfect ocean blend when I needed to add the white or a slightly darker blue. |
Since I was using oil paints I knew I didn’t need to rush blending colors together because the oil paint takes so long to dry. I then added to where I left off on the blue with an aqua-marine color on top. Once that was blended I darkened it with a dark green to create a gray green color where the ocean meets the docks. I then came back to the end of the canvas where the ocean first starts and added white, creating this bright blue color, that could be used for the rippling waves. At this point it didn’t matter where the colors were because I would have to go over them again to add the Impressionist brush stroke.
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I added another layer of white to the sky because you could still see the grid under it and I needed it to look very bright to match the style of painting Renoir used. In Pont Neuf the bright colors were suppose to represent happiness and I wanted to do the same in my painting. I then started on the mountains just to get the different shades which would add depth in the painting, for the first time it was just brown. I also did the same thing where the trees would be going with a mid tone green color, making sure it wasn’t to light and not to dark. When I was letting it dry I started with the brush strokes on the ocean. I started with a bright white at the bottom, making sure it was blend but you could still see all the different lines. I then took a dark blue color that was still bright but it matched the water in my reference picture. I then blend the white and blue together making sure it matched the ocean waves, while still keeping the Impressionist style.
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In the next picture I finished the ocean with the same blue everywhere it needed to be. I then blended it with a green using the same technique I used for the rest of the ocean keeping it all cohesive. I also added the rest of the base green to where the trees are. I blended it with a darker green at the bottom to show the shadows of the trees that would later be shown once the base layers dried. At this point I was just testing different layer combinations for the mountains by mixing browns, blues, and greens.
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Once I got a blend of layers I thought would be the best for the mountains I painted the whole mountain range and added all the layers together. I then moved on the trees, using a small brush I used long thin brush strokes in a vertical line. I used a mix of Prussian green, I placed three globs on a plate adding white to one and brown to another. I also placed a black glob on the plate, using these four colors painted all these tiny lines to look like trees. I did this for the plot of where the trees were planned to be placed. Here is also where I added more white to the sky in places that were needed.
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At this point in the painting I went in with a gray to the sky and adding little brush stroke to look like clouds and keep the Impressionist style. I added white in some places for the overcast weather look. I stayed in the right corner of the painting and worked down from there. I added brown strokes to the mountains and the dabbed on white for the snow look, I wanted this to look realistic with the Impressionist style. I then moved down and added to the trees making them go up into the mountain ranges and having them reach right to where the dock began. I kept the darker colors at the bottom, and the lighter colors in the middle and top. Here is where I added the gray blue onto the greenish water to which was suppose to be the shadows of the trees reflecting into the water.
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I finished the sky doing the same thing I did in the right corner to the rest of the sky. I then moved down to the mountains and added the brown strokes and the snow detail. I also did the tiny mountains that were behind the main mountain at this point. I finished the trees making sure that they covered the bottom of the mountain and going into the dock. I also added a blurred white line where the tress met the ocean because my reference picture had something similar.
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Reflection
Overall I am happy with how it turned out. I think I used the Impressionist style well and in a similar Renoir used it. I think my favorite part was the water, I was really happy how it turned out so exact the the reference picture but still in the Impressionist style. I think the hardest part was the trees and trying to make them realistic while still giving it depth of all the different colors. This was hard because I could not get it to look right or the colors were blending together creating an ugly brown-green color. I also liked the way the snow turned out, I was scared for this part because it needed to match the impressionist style while still looking like snow, but once I got the hang of it, it was an easy part.
Overall I am happy with how it turned out. I think I used the Impressionist style well and in a similar Renoir used it. I think my favorite part was the water, I was really happy how it turned out so exact the the reference picture but still in the Impressionist style. I think the hardest part was the trees and trying to make them realistic while still giving it depth of all the different colors. This was hard because I could not get it to look right or the colors were blending together creating an ugly brown-green color. I also liked the way the snow turned out, I was scared for this part because it needed to match the impressionist style while still looking like snow, but once I got the hang of it, it was an easy part.
Compare and Contrast
Similarities
Similarities
- Bright blues- In Renoir’s Pont Neuf he used bright blues to symbolize the happiness coming after the war, I wanted to make sure I had different shades of blue that popped in my painting to help show that I was inspired by Pont Neuf.
- The brush strokes- Being inspired by Renoir meant I needed to use the style of Impressionist when painting my piece. This meant I needed to show my brush strokes and not blending the colors together all the way. I feel like I have achieved that in my piece.
- The scene- The scene I painted was of a mountain range, where Renoir painted a busy city with people and business coming back together after a devastating war.
- Dark colors used- In Pont Neuf Renoir stayed away from the darker colors, but for the scene I wanted to paint I needed to use dark browns and green, which brought darkness to my piece.
Critique
I am really happy with how this landscape turned out. I was surprised how much I enjoyed painting in the Impressionist style. I felt like I tied in my piece with my inspiration, by using such bright blues and blurred affects in different places. I also made sure to really show the brush strokes. I think if I were to paint something like this again I would keep do the water the same way I did along with the sky. The only thing I would change would be the mountains and the trees. I say this because I didn’t know how i wanted to paint the tress so I just kept adding paint onto the same spot then blending it away, so I think over time it just turned all dark which made it harder to paint the trees once I found out how I wanted to paint them. I also think that if I changed the technique I used for the mountains it would make the painting look different. I used the technique I did with the water for the mountain but because it was mainly brown you really couldn’t see the strokes, where if I did it the way I did the trees and used more colors you could of seen the little different lines.
I am really happy with how this landscape turned out. I was surprised how much I enjoyed painting in the Impressionist style. I felt like I tied in my piece with my inspiration, by using such bright blues and blurred affects in different places. I also made sure to really show the brush strokes. I think if I were to paint something like this again I would keep do the water the same way I did along with the sky. The only thing I would change would be the mountains and the trees. I say this because I didn’t know how i wanted to paint the tress so I just kept adding paint onto the same spot then blending it away, so I think over time it just turned all dark which made it harder to paint the trees once I found out how I wanted to paint them. I also think that if I changed the technique I used for the mountains it would make the painting look different. I used the technique I did with the water for the mountain but because it was mainly brown you really couldn’t see the strokes, where if I did it the way I did the trees and used more colors you could of seen the little different lines.
ACT Questions
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
The cause and effect relationship between the pieces of artwork is showing a happy feeling piece with a sad back story. My inspiration was based around coming back from a devastating war, where mine was about how sick my dad was during a vacation.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The overall approach the artist had was to show the Franco–Prussian War that had devastated France in 1870 and 1871, and can show how the country is recovering from the devastating times.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
While researching I realized how hard it was to sell Impressionist style pieces to customers.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
The overall theme of my research was to show the deeper meaning in a painting. This was suppose to show the light that comes after a bad time.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
While researching my artist I learned that Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was one of the leading painters in the development of the Impressionist style.
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
The cause and effect relationship between the pieces of artwork is showing a happy feeling piece with a sad back story. My inspiration was based around coming back from a devastating war, where mine was about how sick my dad was during a vacation.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The overall approach the artist had was to show the Franco–Prussian War that had devastated France in 1870 and 1871, and can show how the country is recovering from the devastating times.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
While researching I realized how hard it was to sell Impressionist style pieces to customers.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
The overall theme of my research was to show the deeper meaning in a painting. This was suppose to show the light that comes after a bad time.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
While researching my artist I learned that Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was one of the leading painters in the development of the Impressionist style.
Bibliography
Pont Neuf by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. (2022). Pierre-Auguste Renoir. https://www.pierreaugusterenoir.net/pont-neuf/
Renoir Pont Neuf. (2022). Renoir Pont Neuf. https://paris10.sitehost.iu.edu/ParisOSS/Day11_Leisure/Public_Life/Renoir_PontNeuf.html
Pont Neuf by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. (2022). Pierre-Auguste Renoir. https://www.pierreaugusterenoir.net/pont-neuf/
Renoir Pont Neuf. (2022). Renoir Pont Neuf. https://paris10.sitehost.iu.edu/ParisOSS/Day11_Leisure/Public_Life/Renoir_PontNeuf.html