Monet gets his place in the art timeline because of his leading role in the impressionist art movement, and through the lasting appeal of his artistic style. The painting he titled Impression: Sunrise, done early in his career, may not seem one of Monet’s best paintings, but the big deal about it is that it was the painting that gave impressionism its name.
Done with oil paint on canvas, this painting is characterized by thin washes of rather mild colors, on top of which he painted short strokes of pure color. Monet gave depth and perspective to an otherwise flat painting by the use of aerial perspective (空间透视法). Look closely at the three boats, and you can see how these get lighter in the tone, which is the way aerial perspective works. The lighter boats appear to be further away from us than the darkest one.
Monet exhibited the painting in what we now call the First Impressionist Exhibition, in Paris. Monet and a group of about 30 other artists, frustrated by restrictions and politics of the official annual art salon, had decided to hold their own independent exhibition, an unusual thing to do at the time. They called themselves the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Engravers, etc., which included artists who are now world famous such as Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, Morisot, and Cezanne. Monet said he’d called the painting “impression” because “it really couldn’t pass as a view of Le Harve”.
Louis Leroy, an art critic, in his review of the exhibition used the title of Monet’s painting as the headline, calling it the “Exhibition of Impressionists”. Leroy had meant it ironically as the term “impression” was used to describe a rapidly finished painting of an atmospheric effect, and artists rarely, if ever, exhibited pictures so quickly sketched. The label stuck. In his review published on 25 April, 1874, Leroy wrote,“Wallpaper in its embryonic (萌芽期的) state is more finished than that seascape.” Then in a supportive review published a few days later, Jules Castagnary was the first art critic to use the term “Impressionism” in a positive way.
8. What do we know about Monet’s Impression: Sunrise?
A.It was universally acknowledged as Monet’s best painting. |
B.Leroy was deeply impressed by the painter’s remarkable skill. |
C.The different tones of the three boats gave depth to the painting. |
D.It was exhibited in the official annual art salon with 30 other artists. |
9. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 4 mean?
A.The label met strong opposition from other art critics. |
B.The label was stuck to the surface of Monet’s painting. |
C.The label was not regarded as a positive image. |
D.The label stayed and became widely used after that. |
10. Who is the first to use the term “Impressionists”?
A.Monet. | B.Leroy. | C.Renoir. | D.Castagnary. |
11. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.Impression: Sunrise gave Impressionism its name. |
B.Critics had a disagreement over Monet’s painting. |
C.Monet is a leading artist of Impressionism. |
D.Impressionism is an appealing artistic style. |