The eight Impressionist exhibitions (1874-1886)
In 1874, a group of dissident painters, engravers and sculptors decided to exhibit their works outside the official circuits. On this occasion, the word impressionism is invented, by derision. We offer you a return to the sources of this complex and multiform movement, through the study of the ins and outs of each of the eight exhibitions that ranged from 1874 to 1886.
Getting Known and Selling
In 1874, a group of dissident painters, engravers and sculptors decided to exhibit their works on the margins of official circuits. On this occasion, the word impressionism is invented, by derision.
Although it crystallized in 1874, this movement has developed since the mid 1860s. It is part of a desire to observe nature initiated by Corot, Courbet, Daubigny, Jongkind and Pudding. The apparent spontaneity of these artists' works runs counter to the classic, timeless tradition. These works are therefore regularly rejected by the jury of the great annual exhibition, the Salon. In addition, the contemporary art trade suffered the effects of the great deflation. The goal of secessionists became primarily financial: to show his works to make himself known and sell. The impressionists, and their merchant Durand-Ruel, are implementing an entirely new strategy (independent exhibitions, aggressive advertising, etc.) that will inspire the art trade of the twentieth century.
Fifty-eight artists
The stylistic dimension, strongly attacked by the press, takes a back seat. Proof of this is that fifty-eight artists, some of whom were not Impressionists, took part in one or other of the exhibitions organized between 1874 and 1886. And among those who embody impressionism, alone Pissarro participates in all exhibitions. Morisot and Degas are present at seven, but Monet at only five, Renoir and Sisley foursome. Manet, Van Gogh or Lautrec, whose names are often associated with this movement, have never exhibited with the impressionists, unlike Seurat, to Gauguin or the symbolist Redon. Late arrival in the group, Cassatt immediately becomes one of its most active members. If the name of Guillaumin has not been totally forgotten, that of Rouart, which is not only a loyal exhibitor, but also an important financial support for the group, has been overshadowed. As for Beliard, Piette or Vignon, their works have become as rare as their forgotten names. *
A varied production
Another paradox, impressionism is usually synonymous with painting. However, during these exhibitions are presented drawings, fans, sculptures, ceramics and especially prints. It is in this latter field that the impressionists are undoubtedly the most innovative.
Role of the press
The press, which was then at its peak, developed campaigns, cleverly orchestrated, of systematic denigration of these freeloaders of art. Some people of letters, such as Zola, Huysmans, Mallarmé or Laforgue, take the defense of impressionism, but they are still confidential authors and their action, especially as regards Zola and Huysmans, is not always without ambiguities.
Impressionists, impressionists, realists, naturalists, independents, intransigent
The name of the group, now so popular, is also a paradox. The word impressionism was coined in 1874 to denigrate its representatives. Nevertheless, Renoir tries to get him adopted by his comrades, but Degas The critics speak of impressionism. Other painters call them intransigent.
Strife
These differences reflect internal divisions that, as well as attacks by the press, undermine the group. There are two opposing tendencies. One, represented by Curd, tries to freeze impressionism in a rather well-defined aesthetic, illustrated by Monet, Pissarro, Renoir and Sisley. This trend dominated at the 1882 exhibition. But it is the song of the swan, because even the most orthodox impressionists refuse the confinement induced by such an approach. The other party, supported by Degas and Pissarro, encouraged young artists and new forms of expression. It seems less coherent and more risky, because it gives the group a complex image. Yet, it brings it an unparalleled dynamic. This trend triumphed at the 1886 exhibition, which, if it ended the adventure, opened up new territories.
Extensions in France...
Impressionism did not end with this final exhibition. Monet’s first series did not appear until the early 1890s ( Millstones », « Cathedrals of Rouen Most impressionists still have long, if not very long, years to live. At the beginning of the twentieth century, recognition will be there, and not only in France. If the impressionist then became official, he nevertheless favoured the birth of various salons (Independents in 1884, National Society of Fine Arts in 1890, Hundred in 1894, Autumn in 1903… ). Not to mention the fairs which had a more ephemeral, often specialized existence, such as the Salon des Cent which, from 1894 to 1900, was a place of promotion of graphic arts and Art Nouveau, or the Salon Rose Croix (1892-1897), eminently symbolist.
—and abroad.
The emancipation movement is also spreading abroad.
In 1882, in Norway, the first independent autumn exhibition was organized, with a jury composed solely of dissident artists. The same year, in Denmark, the Free Schools of Arts were established. In Finland, the Finnish Artists' Association organizes an exhibition independent of the official Fine Arts Society of Finland.
In 1883, a petition signed by sixty-two Danish artists called into question the power of the Royal Charlottenborg Academy. In the same year, twenty Belgian artists (Ensor, Khnopff, Van Rysselberghe…) rejected by the official world, founded the Cercle des XX, whose annual Salon will help, for ten years, to make known the avant-garde. From 1894, the Salon de la Libre Esthétique took over.
In 1885, Swedish outdoor artists demanded reform. Their request was rejected. In 1886 they created the Association des artistes indépendants.
In 1891, in Finland, the rebellion against the dominant Art Society took the form of an exhibition bringing together rejected artists. Still in 1891, the Charlottenborg Royal Academy continued to refuse the works of female artists, Marie Krøyer is one of the first women to join «Den Frie Udstilling» (the Free Exhibition).
The movement accelerated and reached the Germanic countries where the various Secessions occurred: Munich (1892), Vienna (1897), Berlin (1898). In 1896, a Women’s Academy was inaugurated in Stockholm. In 1898, the foundation of the «World of Art» (Mir iskousstva) Russian and Finnish avant-garde artists (Bakst, Edelfelt, Gallen-Kallela, Serov…).
The rebellion against the academies also affects the United States. In 1898, The Ten American Artists left the Society of American Artists because it refused their allegiance to Impressionism. Among these painters, there are Julian Alden Weir, who has been in contact with Cassatt since the 1870s. Cassatt told him: «You know how difficult it is to launch something like an independent exhibition between French artists». Weir benefits from the French experience and its weaknesses. In spite of different styles, The Ten American Artists show total cohesion.
Thus, the most diverse modes of expression can be exposed and made known. The movements that succeed each other with astonishing speed at the beginning of the twentieth century (Fauvism, abstraction, etc.) are inspired by the desire for renewal initiated by Impressionism, even when they seem to oppose it (Cubism).
