The FIRST IMPRESSIONIST EXHIBIT in 1874

…more artistic musings

During the 17th century and until the French Revolution, the most exclusive juried art exhibition held yearly was the French SALON in Paris. Endorsements by the most prestigious government-supported venue, the Academie des Beaux Arts, meant exposure for the artist to attract a patron, resulting in the possibility of having long-term financial security.

Below are examples of Academie des Beaux Arts accepted works of art

SARPEDON by Henri Levy. left: SPLENDOR by Ernest Duez, center: THE SALON OF 1874 by Camille-Lepold/Cabaillor-Lasselle. right

However, independents who wanted their paintings considered for inclusion would need to comply with the strict rules in order for their art to be accepted. This process of admission had been governed by the Academie des Beaux Arts for over a hundred years with the jury being supervised by the elected chairman. The paintings considered for inclusion needed to have the subject tell a historical story or contain an implied moral lesson(s). Anything less guaranteed the dreaded rejection slip for the artist. During this time themes such as the landscape, portrait, or still-life were considered inferior and looked down upon by the judges and not acceptable for submission.

In the mid-1860’s, these young independent artists all had their beginnings at SALON.

Although MONET had major success with the 1866 Academie des Beaux Arts, most of this group experienced disappointing failures and rejection with their submissions. The actions of the jury committee disqualified works by Cezanne, Degas, Morisot and Pissarro.

OLYMPIA by Monet ~ SALON accepted submission

This mass rejection by the SALON committee in 1866 planted seeds with these young independent thinkers to join together and establish a more progressive organization that would not put restrictions and limit artistic creativity. Thus, building a career without the judgement of a jury. Allowing the artists’ individual freedom of expression, color palette, and subject matter.

Adding to the stronger SALON restrictions in the early 1870’s France was involved in two wars that soon would create shifts in the political, economic, and social change that strongly affected the French art world.

BY 1873, finally fed up after repeated rejections from the judges, MONET decided to organize the independent group of artists desirous of breaking free from what they and others considered out-of-date restrictions. A petition to the Minister of State demanding change to the rules governing admissions was signed by nearly two hundred participants.

Location of the First IMPRESSION EXHIBIT ~ 35 Boulevard des Capucines, Paris

ON APRIL 5, 1874 the first exhibition took place at Boulevard des Capucines on the third floor studio of a famous photographer. NADAR, a strong supporter of the rejected artists, believing in their cause agreed to lend the independents the two upper floors of his showroom free of charge. However, reporters covering the event soon nicknamed the participants as a small “band of rebels”. All because these creatives chose to paint in their own style using pale hues and their signature rapid brush strokes. Also, by choosing to paint the outdoors with its ever-changing light they were ridiculed by the establishment, individuals attending the opening and in publications.

THE FIRST ARTICLE to appear in a popular publication was written by Louis Leroy. He expressed the feelings felt after viewing the exhibit and MONET’s submission titled “Impressionist, Sunrise“. The title soon became the tag for this new group of artists, IMPRESSIONIST. The rest is history.

THE PREMIERE EXPOSITION 1874 CATALOGUE

THE SALON des Refuses soon became known as the IMPRESSIONIST Exhibit, taking a stand against the official 1874 SALON in Paris. Paid visitors attending this independent show totaled 3,500 with a minimum of sales. This first exhibition was considered a financial loss and failed, at first, to establish the desired new trend in art. The show ran from April 5th through June 20th with Renoir and Degas receiving the most coverage. Compare this to the state-approved official SALON, which had 300,000 visitors and 116 pictures purchased by the government.

WORKS EXHIBITED DURING THE FIRST PARIS 1874 EXHIBITION

Boulevard 1873-74 by Claude Monet, left: Ballet Rehearsal on Stage by Degas, top right: Hide and Seek 1873 by Berthe Morisot, middle right: The Route from Saint-Germain to Morley 1872 by Alfred Sisley, lower right.

The Chestnut Trees at Osny 1873 by Camille Pissarro, top left: A Modern Olympia 1873 by Paul Cezanne, top right: Reading by Berthe Morisot, middle right: At the Races in the Countryside by Degas, bottom

The Lunchen by Claude Monet, left: The Parisian Girl 1874 by Auguste Renoir, right

A TOTAL OF EIGHT IMPRESSIONIST Exhibitions were held from 1874 until the final in 1886. Of the thirty artist who participated in the first Exhibition, few have remained recognizable or memorable as Degas, Renoir, Moriot, Monet, Pissarro, Cezanne and Sisley.

MONET, son of a grocer, was a young risk-taking confident artist that possessed an unflagging belief in his artistic abilities. And, being twenty-five, nothing could or would convince him otherwise. Monet served the required seven years of military service willingly and was determined to learn from his experience,

The strong positive reception received for his SALON submissions in 1865 fueled the young artists’ confidence.

Edgar DEGAS did not paint outdoors as many of the IMPRESSIONISTS did. However, he would take a leading role in organizing IMPRESSIONIST EXHIBITS. A pastel palette or one of oils were his medium of choice. Because Degas’ father was a banker, he was not strapped for cash like most artists.

Auguste Renoir

Auguste RENOIR was the son of a tailor. When he was twenty-five, a landscape painting was submitted to the 1866 SALON. Desirous to become associated with this established organization, with its guarantee of financial success, Renoir chose to gamble and submit paintings to both platforms. Doing so, he received scorn and ridicule from Degas, and the other participants of the new SALON des Refuses. As a side note, Renoir was known to regarded female painters as…”simply ridiculous.”

Berthe Morisot

Berthe MORISOT was twenty-seven years old in 1868. At 17, she and her sister studied painting with a neighbor who had been a student of INGRES. As her father was Chief Councillor of the Government Audit Office, Berthe artistic interests were financially supported. Morisot encouraged both his daughters’ desire to pursue art further. Berthe’s beginning success came in 1864 when two of her plain-air landscapes were included in the prestigious SALON. The MORISOT sisters were distantly related to Jean-Honore FRAGONARD, the famous rococo painter,

Pissarro and his Wife ~ 1877

Camille PISSARRO was the son of a prosperous Jewish merchant and the oldest member of the group. His paintings were known for representing the atmospheric effects of the landscape. Because Pissarro had success with his art being accepted to previous official SALON exhibitions it came as a total surprise when the 1866 submission was rejected by the judges.

Alfred Sisley

SISLEY was born to affluent British parents. His father was a business man and his mother a music connoisseur. Of the group Sisley remained the most faithful to the philosophy of the Impressionists’ by demonstrating a consistency in painting landscapes. His paintings had characteristics of tranquility by being rendered in pale shades of green, pink, purple, dusty blue and cream. Unfortunately, once Sisleys’ father could no longer support him he was not financially successful enough to become comfortably independent, forcing him to live in poverty while practicing his passion.

Paul Cezanne

Paul CEZANNE, considered the most obscure painter of the group, later to become associated with the Post-Impressionist movement, was the son of a wealthy banker. He was soon known to …”dress sloppily, bath infrequently and to swear incessantly”. His studio was always a total mess and known to be quite dirty, often suggested by the others as to be filthy. Regardless of his idiosyncrasies he was considered a friend by several in the group. Like the rest of these young artists’ Cezanne too was frequently rejected by the prestigious SALON judges.

Further Reading

THE JUDGEMENT OF PARIS, Ross King

TECHNIQUES OF THE GREAT MASTERS OF ART, A QED Book: Burlington Books

PARIS 1874 THE IMPRESSIONIST MOVEMENT, Yale University Press