Exercise 1

As Chapter 22 suggests, Europe—especially France, and Paris in particular—was the center of Western art.  Most of the leading artists of the period—e.g. Realists such as Courbet and Daumier, and Impressionists such as Monet and Renoir—were Frenchmen who displayed much of their work in Paris.  However, during these years several American artists, working both at home and in Europe, developed unique styles that captured the attention of the art-buying public.  Among the most prominent of these Americans were James McNiell Whistler, who painted Grey and Silver (Chelsea Warf) (1864/68) and  Mother of Pearl and Silver (1888-1900); John Singer Sergent, painter of  Street in Venice (1882) and Eleanora O'Donnell Iselin (1888); Thomas Eakins, whose best-known works include John Biglin in Single Scull (1873-74) and The Gross Clinic (1875); Winslow Homer, who painted  Prisoners from the Front (1866) and The Gulf Stream (1899); Childe Hassam, who specialized in urban scenes such as Boston Common at Twilight (1885-86) and Grand Prix Day (1887); and Cecilia Beaux, painter of A Little Girl (1887) and Mrs. Alexander Biddle (1897).  What thematic interests and stylistic features do these works share? How do they differ from one another? Think over the nineteenth-century artistic trends you have studied: how would you classify these works?

Exercise 2

During the later years of the nineteenth century, many Western painters became fascinated with Japanese art, particularly Japanese woodblock prints from the eighteenth century.  Take a look at a few examples of these prints: Rain Shower on Ohashi Bridge by Hiroshige, Applying Makeup at the Mirror by Utamaro, and two prints by Buncho.  Now examine three works by artists who were especially inspired by Japanese art: Nocturne: Blue and Gold - Old Battersea Bridge (1872-5) by James McNiell Whistler; Woman in Front of Mirror (1891), by Mary Cassatt; and Divan Japonais (1893) by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, a Post-Impressionist who specialized in designing posters.  What did these artists take from Japanese prints like the ones you examined? In what ways did Japanese prints help Western artists of this period break with the Renaissance tradition?