 |
| Impressionism
and the Famous Cafes of Paris in the 19th century
|
 |
The Art of the 19th century was characterized by the development
of a number of new movements, among which a particular place
occupies Impressionism. It was the movement that soon after
its appearance had become extremely popular especially in
the heart of the world art, i.e. in Paris. There were many
artists who lived and worked in this city and who dedicated
their talents to the development of Impressionism. Quite remarkably
that such a progress of a new art movement would be hardly
possible if there were no such places as the famous cafes
of Paris, particularly Maxim’s de Paris, Cafe des Ambassadeurs,
and Follies Bergere. This is why it is particularly important
to realize what was the role of these cafes, which in fact
replaced ‘creative laboratories’ for artists working
in the impressionist direction.
Firstly, before discussing the role of the famous cafes of
Paris for Impressionism it is necessary to say a few words
about the movement itself in order to realize the importance
of the cafes and their significance for artists.
In fact Impressionism was “a 19th century art movement,
that began as a loose association of Paris-based artists who
began publicly exhibit their art in the 1860s” (Herbert
1988,178). It should be pointed out that some specialists
called this movement optical realism because of its almost
scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect
of light and movement on appearance of objects. Their famous
motto was: “human eye is a marvelous instrument”
(Herbert 1988, 253).
In fact the movement got its name from Claude Monet’s
Impression, Sunrise. Consequently this artist is traditionally
considered to be the founder of the movement.
The particular feature of Impressionism is the fact that its
influence and ideas were spread far beyond the art world,
leading to Impressionist music and Impressionist literature
and even further to the culture at large.
It is also to point out the historical realities of life that
reined in that epoch in Paris, which, as it has already been
mentioned, was a heart of the world culture and art. It should
be said that the 19th century was characterized by a rapid
development of democratic, socialist views which often led
to the idealization of reality and emphasis on the power of
human mind and spirit to achieve goals that had been thought
the domain of God. Consequently, there appeared even utopist
views but what was even more important artists had become
more and more interested in ordinary things surrounding them,
they tended to be closer to the audience and they strived
for more opportunities to work freely, enriching each other
through permanent communication in an informal surrounding.
The latter was quite important and it was the famous cafes
of Paris that provided artists with such communication and
ambiance. In fact practically all of the cafes, including
Maxim’s de Paris, Cafe des Ambassadeurs, and Follies
Bergere, were to a certain extent similar, at least all of
them were the places where impressionists could exchange their
ideas, discuss innovations and recent trends in art, and even
work on their paintings.
At this respect it is necessary to underline that historically,
the cafes of Paris were considered to be a places where “free
thoughts were amply nourished” (Herbert 1988, 276).
Consequently, the famous cafes were practically ideal places
where the artists working in the Impressionist direction could
progress and polish their skills and moreover, such cafes
as Maxim’s de Paris, Cafe des Ambassadeurs, and Follies
Bergere may be considered as places where Impressionism had
in fact shaped as an independent art movement.
Furthermore, the cafes of Paris mentioned above, as well as
other similar to them, to a significant extent contributed
to the inspiration of Impressionists since they correspond
to the places where Impressionist could think and work on
their paintings. Since Impressionists “broke the picture
making rules of early generations” (Rewald 1973:271)
through capturing a fresh and original vision, which rejected
attempts to portray ideal beauty and looked instead to beauty
in candid day-to-day living. Moreover Impressionists painted
‘en plein air’, i.e. outdoors, rather than in
studio that was quite innovative and unusual for the epoch.
They believed that this permitted them to capture the momentary
and transient aspects of sunlight.
As a result, Maxim’s de Paris, Cafe des Ambassadeurs,
and Follies Bergere were practically ideal places which corresponded
to the needs of Impressionists, where they could not only
share their ideas but work as well. And it is necessary to
underline that there artists could really felt free and close
to the surrounding world that was particularly important in
the conditions when painting was considered to be a conservative
enterprise, “whose innovations fell within the Academie’s
defined borders” (White 1996:311). It means that the
role of the famous cafes of Paris was of a paramount importance
for the development of Impressionism, especially at the beginning
of the movement.
Unfortunately, later the role of the cafes gradually decreased
and evaluated as well as Impressionism did, and new movements
like Post-Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism appeared. But
still the cafes remained historically close to Impressionists
and were a sort of symbol of the early years of the movement
and were often associated with its best years and artists
who lived and worked in the 19ht century.
Nowadays Maxim’s de Paris, Cafe des Ambassadeurs, and
Follies Bergere are rather symbols of Impressionism and historical
monuments which left a significant trace in the development
of art not only in the 19th century but in its history at
large.
Thus, taking into consideration all above mentioned, it is
possible to conclude that the famous cafes of Paris Maxim’s
de Paris, Cafe des Ambassadeurs, and Follies Bergere were
the center of the development of Impressionist movement where
artists could feel really independent and free from any kind
of restrictions established by conservatives and the Academie
des beaux-arts. And what is probably more important it was
one of the alternatives to conservative approach to art and
artist that symbolized the transition to the new epoch in
art that was fully realized in the following century.
Bibliography:
1. Cogniat, Raymond. The Century of the Impressionists, New
York: Touchstone, 1990.
2. Herbert, Robert L. Impressionism: Art, Leisure, and Parisian
Society, LA: Routledge, 1988.
3. Nochlin, Linda. Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, 1874-1904:
Sources and Documents, New York: New Publishers, 1986.
4. Rewald, John. The History of Impressionism, New York: New
Publishers, 1973.
5. White, Barbara Ehrlich. Impressionists Side by Side: Their
Friendships, Rivalries, and Artistic Exchanges, Chicago: Gilmore,
1996.
|
|
