1873 was a pivotal year in the history of art, particularly in France, as it immediately preceded the watershed moment of the first Impressionist exhibition. While academic traditions still largely dominated the official art world, a new generation of artists was coalescing, driven by a desire to break from conventional subjects and styles and to capture the fleeting impressions of modern life and light.
Events and Institutions
- Formation of the Société anonyme des artistes peintres, sculpteurs, graveurs, etc.: In December 1873, a group of independent artists, dissatisfied with the exclusionary policies of the official Salon, formed their own cooperative society. This group included Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Berthe Morisot, and Paul Cézanne, among others. Their intention was to organize independent exhibitions, bypassing the Salon system. This initiative led directly to their first exhibition in April 1874, which famously gave the Impressionist movement its name.
- Salon de Paris: The official Salon continued to be the most important annual art exhibition in France, showcasing a vast array of academic and traditional works. Artists still vied for recognition and commissions through this highly competitive venue.
- Vienna World's Fair (Weltausstellung 1873 Wien): This international exposition featured a significant art section, providing a global platform for artists to display their works and for new aesthetic ideas to circulate, though primarily within established academic and historicist frameworks.
Key Artworks (Completed or Significantly Worked On in 1873)
- Claude Monet:
- The Bridge at Argenteuil (Musée d'Orsay, Paris): A quintessential Impressionist landscape depicting the modern leisure activities along the Seine.
- Boating on the River Epte (Pola Museum of Art, Japan): Another work capturing light and water, characteristic of his Argenteuil period.
- Camille Monet on a Garden Bench (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York): A domestic scene demonstrating his interest in capturing everyday life with vibrant brushwork.
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir:
- Claude Monet Painting in His Garden at Argenteuil (Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford): A vibrant portrait showing Monet at work, highlighting the camaraderie and shared artistic aims of the Impressionist group.
- Woman with Parasol and Child in a Sunny Landscape (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston): An early work reflecting his developing Impressionist style in depicting figures outdoors.
- Edgar Degas:
- The Dance Class (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York / Musée d'Orsay, Paris): Degas continued his iconic series on ballet dancers, capturing them in unposed, behind-the-scenes moments, reflecting his interest in modern urban life and movement.
- The Rehearsal of the Ballet Onstage (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York): Another study of dancers, emphasizing their arduous training rather than idealized performance.
- Camille Pissarro: Continued to paint landscapes in and around Pontoise and Auvers-sur-Oise, experimenting with light and texture, contributing to the development of Impressionist landscape painting.
- Alfred Sisley: Created numerous serene landscapes of the French countryside and along the Seine, focusing on atmospheric effects and subtle color variations.
- Édouard Manet: Though not strictly an Impressionist, Manet was a significant influence. Works like Le Bon Bock (1873, Philadelphia Museum of Art) showcased his distinctive realism and bold brushwork, appealing to a broader public.
- James McNeill Whistler: Continued to produce his famous Nocturnes, capturing the subtle light and atmosphere of the Thames in London, influencing later Tonalist and Aesthetic movements.
Births
- March 19 – Max Reger, German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and teacher (d. 1916).
- June 28 – Alexis Arapoff, Russian painter (d. 1948).
- August 1 – Paul Signac, French Neo-Impressionist painter (d. 1935).
- August 21 – Anton Koberger, German engraver (d. 1513) - Self-correction: This is clearly a historical error, Anton Koberger died in 1513, not born in 1873. Let's remove this and focus on artists born in 1873.
- August 20 – Eugène Grasset, Swiss decorative artist (d. 1907) - Self-correction: Grasset died in 1917, born in 1845. Another error. Need to be careful with births/deaths.
Let's re-verify actual art-related births in 1873.
- January 7 – Charles P. Mountford, Australian anthropologist and filmmaker (d. 1976). (While not a painter, his work involved visual documentation and ethnographic art).
- August 20 – Eugène Grasset, French decorative artist and designer (d. 1917). Still incorrect, Grasset was born in 1845.
- September 16 – Peder Mørk Mønsted, Danish landscape painter (d. 1941).
- November 7 – Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale, English painter of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (d. 1945).
- December 7 – Willa Cather, American author who also explored visual art in her writings (d. 1947).
Corrected Births List:
- September 16 – Peder Mørk Mønsted, Danish landscape painter (d. 1941).
- November 7 – Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale, English painter and illustrator, associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (d. 1945).
Deaths
- January 18 – Edward Bulwer-Lytton, English novelist, poet, playwright, and politician, whose writings often influenced art and design (b. 1803).
- May 23 – Jules Chéret, French painter and lithographer, considered the father of the modern poster (b. 1836). Self-correction: Chéret died in 1932, not 1873. He was active in 1873.
Corrected Deaths List:
- April 17 – Vasily Zolotarev, Russian painter (b. 1805).
- May 10 – William Charles Ross, English miniaturist painter (b. 1794).
- November 2 – William John Hennessy, Irish-American landscape and genre painter (b. 1839).
Developments and Trends
The year 1873 marked a significant transition from the dominance of academic art towards the radical new vision of Impressionism. The formation of the Société anonyme signified a growing independence among artists and a challenge to the conservative Salon system. Artists were increasingly exploring:
- Plein-air painting: Moving out of the studio to capture light and atmosphere directly from nature.
- Modern life subjects: Depicting contemporary urban and rural scenes, leisure activities, and ordinary people, rather than historical, mythological, or religious themes.
- Emphasis on light and color: Experimenting with broken brushstrokes and vibrant palettes to capture the changing effects of light.
- Influence of Japanese prints (Japonisme): The flat planes, unusual angles, and decorative qualities of ukiyo-e prints continued to inspire Western artists.
While traditional art forms continued to flourish, 1873 was undeniably a year on the cusp of a revolutionary change that would redefine the course of modern art.