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    Modernism versus Traditionalism: Art in Paris, 1888-1889
    Modernism versus Traditionalism: Art in Paris, 1888-1889
    Modernism versus Traditionalism: Art in Paris, 1888-1889
    Ebook124 pages49 minutes

    Modernism versus Traditionalism: Art in Paris, 1888-1889

    By Gretchen K. McKay, Nicolas W. Proctor and Michael A. Marlais

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    About this ebook

    For Professors: Free E-Exam Copies
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThe University of North Carolina Press
    Release dateMar 1, 2018
    ISBN9781469641270
    Modernism versus Traditionalism: Art in Paris, 1888-1889
    Author

    Gretchen K. McKay

    Gretchen K. McKay is professor of art history at McDaniel College.

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      Book preview

      Modernism versus Traditionalism - Gretchen K. McKay

      1

      Introduction

      BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE GAME

      This is a reacting game. Reacting games use complex role-play to teach about particular moments in history. This game centers on art, specifically late nineteenth-century painting. In 1888, a wide diversity of art styles existed in Paris, which was the center of the art world.

      While there were many different styles of painting, the Academy—established as the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1648 by King Louis XIV—still held much power. The Academy was composed of fourteen members, elected for life. Academy members advocated realistically rendered scenes of uplifting mythological, biblical, and historical subjects, and showcased them at an annual Salon in central Paris.

      Any artist could submit a work of art for the annual Salon. Thousands of paintings and sculptures were usually accepted, but many more were rejected, often due to loose brushstrokes or subject matter not considered morally uplifting. The same Academy members who accepted Salon entries then decided which works would be awarded prizes and medals.

      The annual Salon was the most important art event of the year, and nearly every Parisian went to see the thousands of works displayed. Artists attended to see what types of art were being supported by the Academy and which pieces were worthy of prizes. Some artists agreed with the choices made, while others did not.

      This game opens during the waning days of the 1888 Salon. Prizes have been given out. Édouard Detaille’s painting The Dream has won a medal of honor and was one of the most celebrated paintings of the Salon. Much of the debate in the first session of the game will be about this painting and what this award means for the future of art.

      The Impressionists are also painting in Paris. Although in 1888 they are no longer a cohesive group, having had their final group exhibition in 1886, there are many artists under this label still painting in the Impressionist manner, paying attention to light, color, and atmospheric conditions in the landscapes around them.

      There are also the artists of the Avant-Garde. They abhor the Salon, the Academy, and all forms of traditional art. They are eager to try new things and are the first to explore and imagine new ways of expression. They include a group that critic Félix Fénéon refers to as the Neo-Impressionists. These are artists who paint in a style that separates colors into different daubs of paint on the canvas.

      Art in Paris offers a chance to view, describe, and debate the full range of artistic styles and movements in 1888 and 1889. In addition to artists, players include art critics, who seek to advance their preferred aesthetics, and art dealers, who focus on work that appeals to their customers. Their discussions and views about art culminate in the 1889 World’s Fair held in Paris (the Exposition Universelle). All artists are required to show their works at the exposition—as part of the annual Salon, through a gallery show, with a group of like-minded artists, or even alone. There are many options, just as there are many artists and artistic styles.

      PROLOGUE

      It is 1888, and you are in Paris. You are an art lover. You have even been known to do a little sketching and have tried your hand at painting in the past. You are not an academically trained artist by any means, but you are interested, as are most Parisians, in the goings-on of the art world. Art has always been considered a national pastime. Indeed, throughout this century, art has been considered the pride of France.

      Yet lately there have been some changes in the art world that are confusing. Traditional paintings that highlight the heroes of French history are still being created, but you have heard about painters who eschew such traditional subjects and paint modern views of the city of Paris. Some paint ordinary workers and scenes of everyday life—the mundane of our world. You wonder if art should elevate the common man or if it should evoke a world beyond our current troubles by depicting noble subjects of France’s past triumphs. Others proclaim that a new century is dawning and that art should be a herald of the newness to come. Some of these individuals support art that doesn’t reflect nature at all, depicting lakes of red water and skies of green. What are some of these people doing? you wonder.

      Because you are not sure what you think about these new ideas, you decide that you will devote the day to seeing art—in all its forms. There are so many styles of art in Paris, and today you will attempt to see as much as you can.

      You start at the Musée de Luxembourg, for it is here that works of art from the previous Salons are displayed. As you walk down the halls, you are very moved by the works that highlight the triumphs of France. Meissonier’s Friedland, 1807, painted in 1875, expertly captures the celebratory moment during the final phase of the battle of Friedland, when the emperor Napoleon and his staff reviewed the 12th Regiment of Cuirassiers as they charged past, victorious. Meissonier captured many details, and it is clear that he studied the regiment and wanted to be as accurate as possible.

      You are also captivated by paintings with a more mythological focus. For instance, you can’t seem to pull your eyes off of Bouguereau’s Birth of Venus from 1879. You are mesmerized as Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, emerges from the sea. The depiction of classical nymphs, and the goddess herself, demonstrates Bouguereau’s mastery of the human form.

      After spending several hours at the Musée de Luxembourg, you decide to stop and view the images that are currently displayed at the Durand-Ruel Gallery. You have been here before and seen the works of Claude Monet. You appreciate the paintings, but you also wonder if showing poppies in a field or images of rivers and bridges provides a foundation for high art. You are not sure. Yet clearly these works have an interesting color scheme. Their compositions fascinate you, and the way the artists have applied the paint is very different from what you observed at the Musée de Luxembourg. In those paintings—by Meissonier and Bouguereau—there are no discernible brushstrokes. Yet with Monet, you can

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