#French Impressionism

[lionofchaeronea]

Morning Awakening, Eva Gonzalès, 1876

[historyguide]

Vincent van Gogh - The Stevedores in Arles.

[the-cricket-chirps]

Claude Monet, The Studio Boat, 1874

(Monet’s floating “studio” in Argenteuil)

[plastycznyonline]

Édouard Cortès Les Grands Boulevards

[collectionstilllife]

Pierre Auguste Renoir (French, 1841-1919) • Still Life with Bouquet • 1871

[amicus-noctis]

“I must have flowers, always, and always.” ― Claude Monet

Painting: "White Clematis" by Claude Monet

[claircaelis]

Henri Gervex, Rolla (detail), 1878.

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux.

[skf-fineart]

Claude Monet (1840-1926)

Weeping Willow, 1921-1922

Oil on canvas

[phantomladyoverparis]

Jeune fille au jardin (1936), dir. Dimitri Kirsanoff 

[resplendentoutfit]

A Night at the Opera, Part III

Mary Stevenson Cassat (American, 1824-1936 ) • At the Opera • 1878 • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Opera in the Victorian era was as much for the performance, as it was for the social display of socialites and their fine attire. The latter perhaps having been more important. To see and be seen was so much a part of the opera experience, that with the advent of electric lights and the ability to dim the hall during performances, was met with complaints that patrons weren't able to view their surroundings.

Opera glasses were an integral part of the opera experience. All the better for views of the latest styles and courtship couplings. Opera glasses were being manufactured in beautiful, ornate styles to appeal to fashionable Victorians.

Opera glasses, 19th century. Museum no. S.320-1981. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Gentlemen wore top hats and tails to the opera. Just as important as clothing were the rules men had to follow when escorting a lady. For example, during intermission, when many opera-goers left their seats to promenade in the halls, a gentleman was obligated to ask if his lady companion was interested in doing so. If she declined, it was considred unmannerly to leave her seated alone at a performance.

Sources:

Victoria and Albert Museum

Victorian Etiquette - Etiquette at the Theatre, Opera and Concerts

Recollections

Pinterest

[themuseumwithoutwalls]

MWW Artwork of the Day (7/18/24) Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926) Highway Bridge at Argenteuil (1874) Oil on canvas, 60 x 79.7 cm, National Gallery, Washington DC (Collection of Mr. & Mrs. Paul Mellon)

From a distance of ten feet or so, Monet's brushstrokes blend to yield a convincing view of the Seine and the pleasure boats that drew tourists to Argenteuil. Up close, however, each dab of paint is distinct, and the scene dissolves into a mosaic of paint—brilliant, unblended tones of blue, red, green, yellow. In the water, quick, fluid skips of the brush mimic the lapping surface. In the trees, thicker paint is applied with denser, stubbier strokes. The figure in the sailboat is only a ghostly wash of dusty blue, the women rowing nearby are indicated by mere shorthand.

[lionofchaeronea]

Woman Seated under the Willows, Claude Monet, 1880

[historyguide]

Paul Signac - Port-en-Bessin.

Explore our visual guides and documentaries about art & history.

[the-cricket-chirps]

Camille Pissarro, Charing Cross Bridge, London, 1890

Camille Pissarro, Hampton Court Green, 1891

[geritsel]

Claude Monet - The Bodmer Oak, Fontainebleau Forest, 1865.

[collectionstilllife]

Claude Monet (French, 1840 - 1926) • Still Life with Mellon • 1872