On a French River
| Artist | Emma Lampert Cooper |
|---|---|
| Year | Late 1800's |
| Type | Oil paint on canvas |
| Dimensions | 45.7 x 56.2 cm (18 x 22 1/8 in.) |
| Location | Memorial Art Galleryinstead |
On a French River is an impressionist oil painting on canvas painted by the artist Emma Lampert Cooper during the late 1800s. It is a landscape painting that depicts a river scene in Parthenay, France. It is part of the permanent collection at the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) in Rochester, New York.
Location
This painting was a gift of Mildred and Alted Boylan to the Memorial Art Gallery in 1996. It was also conserved in 2008 as a gift from Mildred and Alted Boylan. The painting is part of the permanent collection in American Impressionism category at the Memorial Art Gallery.[1]
Parisian influences
In the painting, the American artist Emma Lampert Cooper adopts impressionism, a distinct artistic style known for narrow, small, discernible brushwork. She also applies short and thick paint strokes, a popular impressionist technique called impasto. This technique gives a rough, three-dimensional texture to the canvas.[2] In addition, impressionist artists tend to emphasize contrasting light and dark values next to each other with colors straight out of the paint tube instead of mixing the colors. They often depicted people in motion, highlighting the effect of time passing.[3]
The artistic movement, Impressionism, was developed by a collective of artists based in Paris during the 19th century. The movement gained prominence through exhibitions of these artists in the 1870s and 1880s.[4] Artists such as Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, and Paul Cezanne had a significant influence on the movement of impressionism through their first exhibition in Paris in 1874.[5]
Emma Lampert Cooper left Rochester, New York to study art in Paris at the art school Académie Delécluse around 1885, shortly after the popularization of the impressionist movement.[6]
Subject and interpretation
On the back of the painting On a French River, the following words are inscribed: "A.P. Parthenay, France 215" or "At Parthenay, France / 215." [1] Indicating that the painting depicts a town located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. The river Thouet flows through the town of Parthenay with medieval bridges spanning over it.
On a French River is one of the many impressionist landscape paintings by Emma Lampert Cooper. Impressionist painters often depicted landscape scenes with everyday people as their main subjects. They did this to capture both the ordinary working class and the bourgeoisie class. Their paintings frequently highlighted suburban and rural settings instead of cities.[7] The painting possibly depicts the southeast corner of the Faubourg Saint-Paul Street bridge on the Thouet (46.647869, -0.253795). 46°38′52″N 0°15′14″W / 46.647869°N 0.253795°W
Painting process
"On a French River" is an oil painting.[1] The process of creating in this medium involves mixing pigments of paint and one or more drying oils. The oils work as a binder to create this style's distinctive texture. The paint is then applied to the canvas. Popular drying oils used by artists include linseed oil, poppy seed oil, walnut oil, and safflower oil. Different types of oils modify the properties of the paint.
Depending on the oil used, the consistency, drying time, yellowing, plasticity, and transparency of the paint changes. Resin can also be boiled with the oil or independently applied to the painting. Resin provides a clear, protective coating and gives the painting a glossy look.[8][9]
Other similar Impressionist oil paintings
-
Le Grand Canal, Venice, Henri Le Sidaner, 1906 -
Motive from Tartu, Villem Ormisson, 1937 -
Water Lilies, Claude Monet, 1919 -
Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies, Claude Monet, 1899
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See also
References
- ^ a b c "MAG Collection - On a French River". magart.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
- ^ "Fox Chase: American Impressionism". Florence Griswold Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
- ^ "American Impressionism Movement Overview". The Art Story. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
- ^ Samu, Authors: Margaret. "Impressionism: Art and Modernity | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History". The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
- ^ Tate. "Impressionism". Tate. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
- ^ "Founders Biographies – Rochester Art Club". rochesterartclub.org. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
- ^ Samu, Authors: Margaret. "Impressionism: Art and Modernity | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History". The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
- ^ White, Raymond; Pilc, Jennifer; Kirby, Jo (1998). "Analyses of Paint Media". National Gallery Technical Bulletin. 19: 74–95. ISSN 0140-7430.
- ^ Tate. "Oil paint". Tate. Retrieved 2023-10-23.