In general I appreciate more realistic art but I can still appreciate some impressionistic art. While I usually am more drawn to more detailed art I do find that impressionistic art has many good qualities. Impressionistic art is not always entirely straightforward and requires the viewer to stand back and look at the painting as a whole. Conversely realist art allows a viewer to look deeper into the painting and the story behind it.
Gustave Caillebotte, Paris Street; Rainy Day. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1877
Gustave Caillebotte’s Paris Street; Rainy Day is an impressionist painting which depicts a scene of an intersection in Paris. The painting looks very photographic despite being impressionistic. There is no center focus for the painting; the characters in the foreground are offset to the right. Despite looking very real, there is not a large amount of fine detail.
I enjoy this painting for its ability to look like a snap shot in time. Caillebotte’s paintings seem very different than most impressionist paintings in that they are don’t appear as blurry. Many impressionist paintings are hard for me to enjoy because of their relative blurriness. Caillebotte however, had an ability to paint scenes that gave a great sense of realism without using a large amount of small details. By leaving out erroneous details, the painting guides the viewer to view the painting as a whole scene.
Illarion Pryanishnikov, Jokers. Gostiny Dvor in Moscow, 1865
Illarion Pryanishnikov, was a Russian realist painter and painted Jokers. This painting, in contrast shows a great level of detail. Everything is painted to a great level of realism, from the folds and shadows in the clothes to the length of rope on the ground. The painting is a specific scene which depicts an event rather than a somewhat ambiguous scene such as shown in Paris Street; Rainy Day. The scene here depicts merchants behaving immorally towards an elderly official.
I tend to enjoy paintings such as these more than most impressionist paintings. I like that the painting depicts a scene well but also has a great level of detail for the viewer to explore to further understand the scene. For instance initially I am drawn to the center of the scene with the elderly official and the merchants, and then I look around at the various on lookers and their reactions which are evident in their faces.
“Gustave Caillebotte, Paris Street; Rainy Day” Smarthistory. Khanacadamy, 4 April 2012.
<http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/gustave-caillebottes-paris-street-rainy-day.html>
“Illarion_Pryanishnikov Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27 June 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illarion_Pryanishnikov>
“Paris_Street;_Rainy_Day Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 21 Oct 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Street;_Rainy_Day>
“Realism_(art_movement)” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 Oct. 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realism_(art_movement)>
“Realism_(art_movement)” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 Oct. 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realism_(art_movement)>
atschroth 
I love your second selection. I too am drawn more to realism, but I still a lot to enjoy in many Impressionism pieces. There is a meta-level enjoyment from thinking about the creation of all those fine details in realistic paintings; how painstaking the process must have been, or how the scene was constructed in order to highlight details based a specific source of light. They are easy to regard as masterpieces because you can clearly imagine the masterful work that must went into them. Impressionism on the other hand is easier to dismiss with seemingly less work in order to complete a piece. It takes thinking about the subject matter to uncover where much of the work and attention to detail come into play with finding just the scene or subject that speaks to the artist. Then even if that is found, or thought to be found, waiting for just the right light or shadow necessary .
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