Meta-Impressionism
Art-movements
19th century in France
an overview
Introduction:
Impressionism wasn’t the only art-movement in France in the 19th century (and the beginning of the 20th century). On this page you will find an overview on these art-movements that were dominant before, during and after Impressionism displayed itself. Often you will be linked to separate pages with extended info on that art-movement. Sometimes you will find short info on an art-movement on this page.
First of all you will find some information on art-theories.
Note: info will be added on this page and several seperate pages still have to be created.
Art-theories:
In several books some art-theories are presented as avant-garde. Emphasized is how they influenced the impressionist painting style and Neo-Impressionists like Seurat and Signac. But, a closer look makes clear that most of these art-theoreticians were connected to the École des Beaux-Arts and so probably their teachings were part of the regular curriculum of that ‘conservative’ institute. Painting en-plein-air was already taught by Valenciennes in 1800 and the application of juxtaposed brushstrokes derives from the theories of Chevreul (1839) and Blanc (1867).
Néo-Classicism:
Art-movement rendering namely ancient Greek and Roman scenes and mythological themes. Important representatives were David, Ingres, Bouguereau, Cabanel and Gérôme. See separate page. See also Academic paintings.
Romanticism:
The Romanticists rendered namely dramatic scenes displaying strong emotions. Delacroix and Géricault were important representatives. See separate page.
Genre panting:
Many paintings from the 19th century are called genre paintings. Even several artists are called genre painters. Still, this is not a well defined art-movement. They depicted portraits, still-lifes, interiors, landscapes, elegant ladies, oriental scenes, etc.
Note: in the future I will refer to a seperate page.
Landscape painting:
Landscape painting can be seen as a form of genre painting, in this sense it is not an art-movement. In England Bonington, Constable and Turner were important representatives. In Italy you had the ‘Macchiaioli’ (and the ‘Scuola di Resina’) of which Giuseppe de Nittis and Zandomeneghi had been part. In France you had the school of Barbizon (or Fontainebleau) and the school of Honfleur. Important representatives were Corot and Jongkind. These landscape painters are also called pre-impressionists, because they had a main influence on the Impressionists. See also Pre-Impressionism and pre-impressionist paintings.
Realism:
Many partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions, can be seen as realists, or at least they depicted realist scenes. This also applies to Degas and a para-impressionist like Manet. Courbet was the most important representative. See separate page.
Naturalism:
See separate page.
Japonism:
Art from Japan was populair in the second half of the 19th century in France, including among several partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions. They used elements from Japonism like unusual viewpoints and cutting of figures on the edges.
Note: in the future I will add some additional information or will refer to a seperate page.
Orientalism:
Orientalism also can be seen as a form of genre painting. It renders (imagened) scenes from the Middle East. It was namely practised by Academic painters. For the Salon of 1872 an oriental scene of Renoir was rejected.
Note: in the future I will refer to a seperate page.
Elegant ladies:
Many artists, including partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions., often depicted elegant ladies from the upper class often with an contemporary Parisian background. It can be seen as depicting every day life, which has connections with Realism and Impressionism. It also can be seen as a form of genre painting. But, the theme was so dominant that in the future I will add a seperate page about it.
Néo-Impressionism:
Also called Pointilism, Divisionism, Scientifique Impressionism. It started with Seurat and Signac was the most important custodian. See separate page. See also neo-impressionist artists and neo-impressionist paintings, pointillist paintings, divisionist paintings.
Post-Impressionism:
Post-Impressionism wasn’t an art-movement. It was a collective term including important artists, namely Cézanne, Gauguin and Van Gogh, that would influence later art-movements. See separate page. See also post-impressionist artists.
Symbolism:
Including the School of Pont Aven, Cloisonism, Synthetism and Les Nabis. Namely Maurice Denis published some writings on Symbolism. See separate page.
Note: in the future I will add a page with symbolist paintings.
Art Nouveau:
See seperate page on this decorative style which is also called Jugendstil and that had it’s peak around 1900.
Intimism:
In 1901 Camille Mauclair (1872-1945) introduced this term. With the description ‘(rendering) what lies behind them through the description of the outer appearance’, he gives it a somewhat symbolist meaning. The main interest of the Intimists was their own intimite life by portraying their own family members. They depicted banal yet personal domestic interior scenes, characterized by calm, silent atmospheres (often in the evening), depicting a moment of reading, daydreaming or otherwise. They emphasised texture, merged figure and background (eliminated depth) and used exaggerated colours. Notably the following artists made intimist paintings: Bonnard, Vallotton, Vuillard, and Henri le Sidaner. Other painters had an intimist phase. Though his style is different, thematically Henri Lebasque can also be called an Intimist.
In 1905 the ‘Ensemble d’Intimistes’ (or Peintres d’Intérieurs) held their first exhibition. There were 20 partakers (including Bonnard, Laprade, Ernest Laurent, Matisse, Moreau-Nelaton, Xavier-Prinet, Vuillard) showing 61 art-works. Mauclair in his article also mentioned the following artists: Bussy, Charles Cottet, Guiguet, René Ménard, René Prinet and Lucien Simon. Katia Papandreopoulou also adds André Dauchez.
Katia Papandreopoulou adds that they also had attention for folklore and regionalism. But, maybe it is better to distinguish this theme as a seperate movement, which was also prominent during the Exposition Universelle in 1900.
In general, rendering interiors (and an intimist atmosphere) is an often depicted theme throughout the ages, mostly labelled as genre painting.
Sources + additional info: WikiPedia (iR3; iR4); article of Katia Papandreopoulou (in Histoire de l’art no.71, 2013/12; see link to PDF).
Catalogue: 1905/02/10-25, 1st exposition: “Première exposition d’Ensemble d’Intimistes (Peintres d’Intérieurs).” In Database of Modern Exhibitions (DoME). European Paintings and Drawings 1905-1915. Last modified Jul 27, 2020. http://exhibitions.univie.ac.at/exhibition/8 =R238=iR216.
Fauvism:
The term Fauvism was first used in a review on the Salon d’Automne of 1905. Several Fauves already used (elements of) this painting style in the years before and applied it just for a few years. Important representative was Matisse.
Luminism:
Dutch Luminists, like Jan Sluijters, were inspired by Kees van Dongen and namely his ‘À la Galette’, exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants in 1906.
There also were Belgian Luminists.
Note: additional info and a seperate page will follow.
Cubism:
Paul Cézanne was an important forerunner of Cubism. The retrospective at the Salon d’Automne of 1907, inspired many artists. Namely Georges Bracque and Pablo Picasso developed this further on to Cubism. “Cubist subjects are analyzed, broken up, and reassembled in an abstract form. Instead of depicting objects from a single perspective, the artist depicts the subject from multiple perspectives to represent the subject in a greater context.” (Jean Metzinger, 1910/10; iR3)
Note: additonal info will follow.
Futurism:
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Note: additonal info will follow.
Die Brücke:
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Note: additonal info will follow.
Der Blaue Reiter:
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Note: additonal info will follow.
De Ploeg:
De Ploeg was a Dutch art-movement and founded 1919. They are known for their expressionist landscapes they made in the 1920s. But, in fact it was a broad association, presenting several styles and including several disciplines.
Source: Spek, Jikke van der: De schilders van De Ploeg. Wbooks, Zwolle, 2016/2018 (R571).
Sources:
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Recommanded citation: “Meta-Impressionism: art-movements, 19th century in France an overview. Last modified 2026/10/10. https://www.impressionism.nl/art-movements/”
Note: Additional info and pictures will be added.
Please be reluctant when you quote from this webpage, which is under construction.
The information is incomplete and maybe partly incorrect.