#Sunrise painting series

Critic Louis Leroy was particularly scathing and wrote a series of amusing articles that continued to poke fun at the movement long after the actual exhibition. Many of the gathered crowds at the time of its exhibition were curious parties who came only to deride the future Impressionist's efforts. The piece garnered a great deal of scathing criticism from the public who believed it to be an unfinished piece of work. The reason for Monet's title stemmed from the fact that the painting was a 'pochade' or sketch and this was what Monet called much of his work. It was then that Monet decided to name the piece 'Impression'.

The original title of the piece was 'Marina' but Monet was requested by colleague Edmond Renoir to give a clearer title that wouldn't require so much interpretation. Monet confirmed such a belief when he noted about that the painting: 'really could not pass as a view of Le Havre'. Monet's Impression: Sunrise typified this and the notion behind the name was that the painting was concerned with giving an 'impression' of the landscape of Le Havre and not an accurate description of it. Photography heralded a closer look at the science behind color and light and it was to become of great importance to this group of artists. Their ideals on art centered on a desire to portray the world with a new style that favored visceral immediacy, inspired in part by changes in technological advances in photography. Due to constant rejection at the hands of the Paris Salon, the group of artists sought to create their own independent exhibition. Impression: Sunrise was completed at a time when art circles were still dismissing Claude Monet and the other Impressionists, namely Cézanne, Guillaumin, Berthe Morisot, Pissarro, Renoir, Degas and Sisley. It is believed the Monet no doubt completed Impression: Sunrise in one sitting. Impression: Sunrise fitted perfectly with Monet's burgeoning style, which favored painting outside and completing a first impression of a scene in one sitting. It sparked an art movement whose legacy would continue on for decades to come. Impression: Sunrise shares its name with the movement that Monet was the leader of and it makes it one of his most important early works. The scene is a natural look at the docks in the town and is a concentration on the effects of the sun on the sea.

Houses of Parliament: Sun Breaking through the FogĬlaude Monet painted Impression: Sunrise in 1872 in Le Havre, France.

Houses of Parliament: Effect of Sunlight in the Fog.

Sunrise tends to be paler, less reddened spectacle. At sunset the sun shines through the atmosphere that has been warmed and polluted by the days activities, resulting in a warmer, redder tone than at sunrise, when the sun shines through cooler air that is less clouded by the exhaust and dust generally put out into the air during the day. The next thing to take into account is atmosphere. In short, you may perceive more colors at dawn than at dusk. At sunrise, however, the night’s darkness has left us with very acute night vision and every faint or minor change in the sky’s color is evident. Some hues may be lost or not perceived in a manner peculiar to sunset. At sunset, our eyes are daylight adapted and may even be a bit weary from the day. The first one is how we perceive light throughout the day. There are a few things to consider as we approach painting sunsets and sunrises. But is there a difference other than the significance we let our minds attach to them? Technically, no! There isn’t. Each carries its own poetry, emotion and opportunity for expression.

Sunrise painting