Anna Merritt Impressionism Analysis

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Impressionism is the art style known for its emphasis on capturing natural light, using visible brush strokes, and utilizing pure colors. Impressionism happens to be one of my favorite styles of painting. Although just about everything in this style of art is the complete opposite of what I find captivating. It's a bit odd for me to hold an attraction to these types of painting. Melancholy,sullen,neutral colors are always my favorites compared to brighter ones. Blacks, natural grays, dark blues, and greens look stunning to me even though these color schemes seem to make a painting drab to most people. Paintings that depict scenes that have deeper meanings to them; artwork that cause me to contemplate about the hidden meanings in life. Art…show more content…
I always think paintings with raised paint smudges have added uniqueness and personality to them added by the painter who, according to the plaque next to the painting believed very much in painting outdoors and even claimed gardening made her a better artist .The artist in question the Philadelphia born Anna Lea Merritt(1844-1930) who's not incredibly well known to many with few sources out there about her life. Regardless, I was able to find that Merritt, born to a very affluent family and attended the Women’s Medical College in Philadelphia, where she studied Anatomy, but was a self taught artist. Her family moved around throughout Europe, where she was mentored in the art of painting by a few masters in France ,Germany, and Italy. (Art Renewal Center) Most of her artwork is of religious biblical depictions and a few portraits here and there. She eventually settled in London and even married one of her teachers Henry Merritt. Sadly, he died three months after the wedding. This event became the inspiration for her most well known painting “Love Locked Out”. Anna Lea Merritt was also at one time in her life a member of London’s Royal Society of Painters and Etchers.
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