Learning Journal Unit 7

1. Discuss how both Matisse’s Bonheur de Vivre (Joy of Life) and Picasso’s Les

Demoiselles d’Avignon can be simultaneously seen as inspired by and breaking free

of Paul Cézanne’s, The Large Bathers. Describe the three paintings and refer to

specific visual references in your discussion as part of your comparison. Use art

vocabulary and terminology (such as descriptions of style, color and form) to

support your arguments.

Matisse’s Bonheur de Vivre was inspired by Paul Cézanne’s The Large Bathers in

various ways including form, structure, and composition. Both arts are structured in such a way

as to form a scene. As seen in both Bonheur de Vivre and The Large Bathers, the figures are

depicted in a space demarcated by trees on either side which converge at the top portraying the

spread of a curtain (Roslak, 2003). Through the opening, and beyond the figures, the space

beyond is manifested. While Matisse’s Bonheur de Vivre was inspired by Paul Cézanne’s, he

tried to be unique in various aspects. For instance, the figures in Paul Cézanne’s The Large

Bathers appear to be still (Esman, 2013); there is much movement and interaction in Matisse’s

Bonheur de Vivre. Additionally, the style used in Matisse’s painting does not emphasize scale as

opposed to Paul Cézanne’s The Large Bathers where objects diminish in scale.

Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon was also influenced by Paul Cézanne’s, The Large

Bathers to some extent. Picasso’s figures have disjointed forms a feature which he likely adopted

from Paul Cézanne’s The Large Bathers. Additionally, Picasso used geometric shapes to

construct his figures (Schiff, 2021). These geometric shapes are also depicted in Paul Cézanne’s

painting suggesting that Picasso’s painting could have been influenced by Paul Cézanne’s The

Large Bathers. Notably, Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon significantly broke away from
Paul Cézanne’s style in various ways. Firstly, although both artists represent space in their

paintings, Picasso’s use of space was different from that of Cézanne, particularly, the pace was

too shallow compared to Cézanne’s.

2. Impressionism is often referred to as the beginning of modern art. How are the

modern styles you studied this week descended from Impressionism?

Impressionism is considered to have inspired modern art movements. It encouraged

innovation by breaking away from the traditional constraints of art. The following are some of

the ways impressionism influenced modern art (Samu, 2004).

Post-Impressionism

Post-impressionism artists like Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne were able to utilize

the platform laid by impressionists to further the development of art. Cézanne for instance,

manipulated the structure of form invented by Impressionism, using geometric shapes.

Fauvism

Fauvism artists included Henri Matisse and André Derain. These artists explored

Impressionism and challenged the naturalistic form of the paintings. They opted to use bold

colors in their paintings while capturing the sensory aspects of the world.

Cubism

This movement was pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. It utilized

fragmentation of form and representation of multiple perspectives on the same painting. It also

largely involved the use of geometric shapes. As with Impressionism, Cubism artists depicted the

world not through objective reality but through personal perceptions.

3. Do you think the modern styles are also a reaction against Impressionism? Please

explain your answer and support it with sources (citations) and evidence.
 Yes, I think that modern styles are a reaction against impressionism. For instance, while

impressionism emphasized capturing the fleeting moments as perceived by the artist, modern

artists moved away from the realistic capture of fleeting moments and started emphasizing the

emotion and form of the constituent objects.

Cubism for instance started using geometric shapes with clear demarcations as opposed

to the light brush strokes and the sense of unfinished work in impressionism. While

impressionism relied on the general form of a fleeting moment, modern art started breaking

down the art into objects and digging deep into the characteristics of the objects including the

space relation, depth, and color.

In conclusion, both Matisse’s Bonheur de Vivre and Picasso’s Les Demoiselles

d’Avignon can be simultaneously seen as having been inspired by and breaking free of Paul

Cézanne’s, The Large Bathers. Each of the two pieces of art resemble The Large Bathers in

various aspects. For instance, Matisse’s Bonheur de Vivre shares with it, features such as the

notion of space while it resembles Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in the geometric shapes.

These pieces of art also differ fundamentally from each other. In this paper we have also tackled

the relationship between impressionism and the modern art.

 References

Roslak, R. (2003). The Joy of Life: The Idyllic in French Art, circa 1900.

Esman, A. H. (2013). Cézanne's bathers: A psychoanalytic view. In Psychoanalytic Perspectives

on Art, V. 3 (pp. 225-238). Routledge.

Samu, M. (2004). Impressionism: Art and modernity. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.

Schiff, K. L. (2021). Books at the Borders of Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. Textual

Cultures, 14(1), 147-173.