These artists had been taught that style was everything and were advised against painting from nature during their years of study under the great master, Ingres, or by their tutor Gleyre, at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Looking at the careers of Renoir, Monet, Manet, Degas, Seurat and Pissaro, who were regularly rejected by the jurors of the powerful Paris Salon, the documentary series shows how these passionate painters went on to forge their own careers in the face of bitter criticism, often doing so in impoverished circumstances.
The DVD shows us how involved the artists were with each other, how much they influenced each other’s work and when they were supportive of each other, as well as exposing some artistic rivalries, all the while as they were unknowingly creating history. Details of new techniques of applying paint, such as pointillism, application of colour theory as pioneered by chemist Michel-Eugene Chevreul, technological developments which affected artists at the time (paint becoming available in metal tubes, for example, and synthetic colours making paint more affordable), along with the political climate including the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war, are told here in absorbing detail.
David Hanson wrote the script of this documentary, which is narrated by John Viner and includes commentary by specialist art historians Carole Guberman, Bill Cummins and David Addison. Much of the material doubles up as the artists concerned were so closely connected– the result is an in-depth and fascinating short course in art history. All the pertinent historical locations are included along with close-ups of the paintings in question as well as modern artists mixing paint and applying brush strokes. This DVD is most especially not be missed if you’re an artist yourself.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
The Great Artists: The Impressionists
UK, 2008, 288 minutes
Exempt from classification
Two disc DVD
Available now through Shock Records
