Optical Experience

"Modernism ... made it more conscious of itself. With Manet and the Impressionists, the question ceased to be defined as one of color versus drawing, and became instead a question of purely optical experience as against optical experience modified or revised by tactile associations” (Greenberg).

Mark Rothko, an Abstract Expressionist, eliminated obstacles (clutter or distractions) in his later work. He along with Adolph Gottlieb wrote a letter to Edward Alden Jewell Art Editor, New York Times, June 7, 1943, stating:

"We favor the simple expression of the complex thought." Rothko furthered this idea by stating that expressive art "... eliminat[es] ... all obstacles between the painter and the idea, and between the idea and the observer.”

Rothko’s concept of simplicity and Greenberg’s observation that Modernism could be defined by its "optical experience", lend themselves to the works of Monet, van Gogh, and Seurat. These artists experimented with the optical experience in ways that challenge us to examine paintings in a new light as well as to help us understand the connections between the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Neo-Impressionist movements of the 19th Century.

Claude Monet’s “series paintings bring a new element to modern representation. His concern in these works is to reflect visually and conceptually on the effect of light on objects and the ability of this transformative process to change our emotions, perception and overall connection and understanding of reality” - Costache, Irina D. “Realism, Impressionism, and Photography”

Claude Monet’s, Les Nymphéas (The Water Lilies), suite of paintings is on permanent exhibition at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris, lining the walls of two rooms. Monet desired to capture the beauty of the optical world. Capturing and rendering the effects of light and the momentary. Unlike traditional landscapes with a visible horizon and the lack of a foreground, we are just provided a gaze across and above the water as if we are standing on the shore or the bank of the pond, being drawn into the painting. Upon close examination of these paintings, we are unable to see the pond and the lilies. It is only when we step back that our eyes connect the saturated pigment to form the lilies and see the reflection of light upon the water’s surface. It is then we understand the beauty of the pond.

Vincent van Gogh is one of the best-known artists of the Post-Impressionist movement. Like Monet he examines reality but through an emotional lens and also explores the effects of light or in his words: “a simple ‘study of night’ or ‘night effect’”. In The Starry Night, 1889, oil on canvas, van Gogh was experimenting with a style inspired in part by medieval woodcuts, with their thick outlines and simplified forms. The Starry Night, his own subsequent ‘night effect’, became a foundational image for Expressionism as well as perhaps the most famous painting in van Gogh’s overvue.

Georges Seurat, a Neo-impressionist, was interested in a logical or analytical approach to expressing reality. In his painting, La Grande Jatte, 1884, Seurat used a technique called pointillism that produced an Optical Mixture effect. Referring to his own work, Seurat says: “Some say they see poetry in my paintings, I see only science.” Seurat’s ambition was to bring science to the methods of impressionism. His use of pointillism created a shimmering effect like light. This effect was generated by placing dots of pigment on the canvas that are complementary to each other to create color without mixing two pigments on the pallet. This technique causes the viewer’s mind to blend colors… the viewer then becomes an active contributor to the artwork.

In every case, these artists are experimenting with techniques that engage the viewer in some way. They are either drawn in almost becoming a part of the painting. Or they find themselves staring into the night sky that seems to be swirling with energy. Or they become the artist, blending pigment to form the image on the canvas. Though the techniques are different and appear to be unrefined or finished as during classical antiquity, the optical experience allows the viewer to comprehend the painting in its entirety.

Bibliography

Costache, Irina D. “Realism, Impressionism, and Photography”, ART-436 Sec 001 - Modern Art 18501970

Greenberg, Clement. “Modernist Painting.” ART THEORY, theoria.art-zoo.com/modernist-painting-clement-greenberg/.

Winner, Ellen. How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration. Oxford University Press, 2018.