The world of the Impressionists was one in which all types of art forms were explored to discover the best means of rejecting the machines of the Industrial age and emphasizing the human emotional reaction to the natural forms and shapes discovered in the non-fabricated world. As a result of this wide mix of styles and approaches emerging in this time period, there was also a wide mix of dissension regarding what constituted ‘good’ art. Thrown into this discussion was the relative merits of Japanese art. “While American intellectuals maintained that Edo prints were a vulgar art form … ukiyo-e, Japanese wood-block prints, became a source of inspiration for Art Nouveau, cubism and many European impressionist painters in France” (Golding, 2008). A number of prominent artists in the period were strongly influenced by Japanese art including Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Whistler, Pissarro and Klimt. Japanese art was influential in the work of Toulouse-Loutrec, who was also influential in bringing these influences to the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh and to the emerging graphic arts industry.
Vincent Van Gogh became familiar with Toulouse-Loutrec during his stay in Paris between the years 1885 and 1888. At this time, Loutrec was already known for his characteristic precise lines, bold blocks of solid color and exciting use of line which directly reflected the strong Japanese influence that had hit Paris at the time (Wallace, 1969). To understand the influence of Japoniste art on Van Gogh, one need only look at his painting Two Crabs. According to the National Gallery (2009), Van Gogh was probably inspired by a Japanese woodcut reproduction sent to him by his brother Theo. In Two Crabs, it is thought the same crab is pictured twice, once on its back and once right side up. Taking his cue from the woodcut, the image portrayed shows little more than the two simple crabs and a brilliant blue background. However, characteristic of Van Gogh, this seemingly simple image is imbued with significant emotion and energy through his individual portrayal and distinguishing technique used as a means of infusing the painting with his personal emotional reaction to his subject.
Also largely influenced by Loutrec and the Japoniste tradition, the Impressionists transitioning into new forms of artistic expression such as graphic design used this form of expression to bring emotion and movement to the industrially-produced images used to mark everything from product packages to advertising posters. James Pryde and William Nicholson, painters and brothers-in-law calling themselves the Beggarstaffs, began using colored paper cut into basic shapes to create Japanese inspired designs that refocused the world of art (Chwast 2000). This coincided with a general social shift toward the wonders of industry as life became more comfortable and affordable through mass-produced objects. As art reflecting social interest became reacquainted with the simple and sometimes harsh lines of industry, bolder forms, simpler shapes and more functional design came into vogue. These concepts were refined into the creation of the object poster (Chwast, 2000). Generally speaking, the object poster is characterized by an extreme focus on a simplified rendition of a single image supported by a minimum of text necessary to appropriately identify its advertising statement. Adopting the boldness of expression while dropping all of the additional ornamentation of the past enabled artists to begin distancing themselves from their Impressionist past and begin paving the way for the more scientifically and metaphysically-based Expressionism of the future.
Works Cited
Chwast, Seymour and Steven Heller. Graphic Style: From Victorian to Digital. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000.
National Gallery of Art. “Two Crabs.” London: Trafalgar Square, 2009.
Wallace, Robert. The World of Van Gogh: 1853-1890. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1969.