#impressionists

Claude Monet, The Studio Boat, 1874

First Impressionist Exhibition

The First Impressionist Exhibition was an art exhibition held by the Société anonyme des artistes peintres, sculpteurs, graveurs, etc.,a group of nineteenth-century artists who had been rejected by the official Paris Salon and pursued their own venue to exhibit their artworks.

The exhibition was held in April 1874 at 35 Boulevard des Capucines, the studio of the famous photographer  Félix Nadar. The exhibition became known as the "Impressionist Exhibition" following a satirical review by the art critic Louis Leroy in the 25 April 1874 edition of Le Charivari entitled "The Exhibition of the Impressionists". Leroy's article was the origin of the term Impressionism.

The First Impressionist Exhibition was a commercial failure. Money earned from entrance fees, catalog sales, commissions on painting sales, etc. amounted to 10,221.50 francs. Expenses from rent, decorations, insurance, wages, etc. amounted to 9,272.20 francs. The remaining 949.20 francs were added to 2,359.50 in outstanding shares. In December 1874, Renoir called a meet where he announced that, after paying off all debts, the Société anonyme still owed over 3,700 francs in liabilities, but only had about 278 francs remaining. All of the members still owed about 185 francs each. The group was then liquidated, and members that had already paid their dues for the next year were refunded.

Despite the commercial and critical failure of the First Impressionist Exhibition and the Société anonyme, the Impressionists would not be dissuaded from pursuing their own style and would hold seven more Impressionist Exhibitions. A second exhibition was held in 1876, a third 1877, a fourth in 1879, a fifth in 1880, a sixth 1881, a seventh in 1882, and an eight and final exhibition was held in 1886.

In mid-19th century France, artists depended on public exhibitions to connect them with patrons willing to buy their artworks. The most prestigious exhibition was the Salon in Paris. From the earliest Salons in the 17th century until the French Revolution in 1789, only members of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture were permitted to exhibit artworks. Following the revolution and the abolishment of the Royal Academy in 1791, non-member artists were permitted to exhibit artworks in the Salon. With the exception of a short period of a few years following the French Revolution of 1848, the artworks displayed at the Salon were chosen by a jury consisting of members of the Académie des Beaux-Arts.Being accepted to the Salon was vital for artists because the jury's decision affected the public's perception of artworks. Paintings that had been accepted by the Salon were more likely to sell, and the public would often refuse to purchase paintings that had been rejected. Patrons would sometimes even return paintings that had been purchased beforehand if they had been rejected by the jury.Artists who were rejected by the jury often complained about corruption and unfairness.Disagreements among artists with the official standards of the Salon and the Académie des Beaux-Arts would lead to artists seeking alternative venues for promoting their art.

*Photo of the building is dated in 1860

𝙰𝚞𝚐𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚒𝚛 🇫🇷

Pierre Auguste Renoir (February 25, 1841 - December 3, 1919) was a French painter, graphic artist and sculptor, one of the main representatives of impressionism.

Known as a master of secular portraiture, not devoid of sentimentality.

Renoir was the first of the Impressionists to gain success among wealthy Parisians

#classicart #classicalart #classicpainting #classicalpaintings #zeitgenössischekunst #mfpretty #aesthetic #traditionalart

Abbebe - Sainte Vie Remix by Acid Pauli, Sainte Vie 🎧