Compare And Contrast Monet And Van Gogh

Impressionism began in the mid-1800's while Paris was the artistic capital of Europe. While Impressionism was rejected by the Salon de Paris, numerous artists grouped together so they could finally paint what they wanted to paint. Impressionists broke away from traditional artists who covered their canvas with dark undercoats versus Impressionists painted on a white or cream-colored backgrounds for a brighter look. What attracted many to impressionism paintings was the shift from paintings focused on religious beliefs, historical moments, and influential people to art that emphasized both beauty and feelings. Two of the most well-known impressionist artists are Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh. Even though Monet and van Gogh were both impressionists

He was born on November 14, 1840 Paris, France. He is the person who started impressionism and had a very strong love for it. Monet described Impressionism as thinking of the colors and shapes. “When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have before you, a tree, a house, a field, or whatever. Merely think, here is a little square of blue, here is an oblong of pink, here is a streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you and the exact color and shape, until it gives you your own naive impression of the scene before.” From a young age, Monet loved drawing and being outside. He was accepted to the Salon of 1865 but after showing his work, he struggled financially. “Monet became so despondent over the situation that, in 1868, he attempted suicide by trying to drown himself in the Seine River.” While Monet was becoming well-known, he was in need of money and had asked his father to send him money. Monet’s father refused but finally he gained a patron, In June 1870, he married Camille Doncieux, who modelled for his paintings, but the Franco-Prussian War forced Monet, his wife and son to flee to London, England. Once there Monet met his first art dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel. After the war, his family moved to Argenteuil, France. “Banding together with several other artists, Monet helped form the Société Anonyme des Artistes, Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs, as an alternative to the Salon and exhibited

He was born March 30, 1853 in the village of Groot Zundert, Netherlands. Van Gogh works began to improve by learning new colors and techniques for his works. His palette brightened and tones became less serious. ‘Upon meeting Pissarro, Gauguin, and a few of the other artists, he became fascinated by their focus on light and color’. As a painter, he suffered from depression so he realized he prefers to live in small warm and quiet towns. In 1888, He moved to the village of Arles in the south of France, where the weather was warmer and had less people than in Paris. Here he was able to enjoy the sun most of the year. Most of his time was spent painting scenes of the French countryside. Later that year, Gauguin came to stay with Van Gogh at his cottage in Arles. At first, they got along well together talking about their various artistic techniques and painting pictures in the countryside but as the weather started to become cooler, they had to spend more time inside which put a strain on their relationship. Van Gogh began having dark moods and violent temper tantrums which led to having heated arguments between himself and Gauguin. Their arguments grew worse when Van Gogh attacked Gauguin and attempted to kill Gauguin. After viewing Van Gogh insane by slicing off his own ear, Gauguin left the village and never