In France, the most popular of artistic movements is generally considered to have been born in Le Havre, when Monet painted "Impression soleil levant”, the picture that gave Impressionism its name in 1872. But if this famous morning view of the Normandy port is indeed a milestone in modern art, the master of Giverny was following in the footsteps of the pioneers of outdoor art: the English!
Indeed, between 1821 and 1845, William Turner had already made several trips to Normandy to immortalize what would later inspire Renoir and Pissarro, but above all, in England, he had broken new ground by gradually moving from the Romantic style to what would much later be known as Impressionism: a representation of light in natural or urban landscapes, with no obligation to faithfully reproduce reality. Long before Monet, his contemporary John Constable also inspired another great French painter: Théodore Géricault. When he travelled to London to present his famous "Raft of the Medusa" in 1820, he was captivated by the British landscape painter's paintings.
Before his death in 1837, he had - at last! - had seen his talent recognized in France, with 2 of his paintings exhibited at the 1824 Paris Salon. These works were admired on the spot by Delacroix and inspired, among others, Jean-François Millet and the painters of the Barbizon school, who were also "plein-airists" before their time.
For a century, Normandy was the preferred destination of
avant-garde painters and played a key role
in the emergence of the Impressionist movement.
Today, we consider this "school of nature" to be the fruit of Franco-English exchanges, with a region with an equally shared past - Normandy - as the main common source of inspiration. Even before Monet's masterpiece, artists such as Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet and Johan Jongkind immortalized the region's verdant valleys, rugged coastlines, atmospheric ports and picturesque villages and, of course, its luminous shores.
Another theme that brought the countries of Molière and Shakespeare closer together in painting was the spa, with its sea baths imported from England, which artists sketched extensively on the beaches of Deauville and Trouville. Elegant ladies protecting themselves from the sun with their parasols, but also fishermen, waves and boats, Normandy in the 19th century became a veritable "open-air studio" for these artists who, thanks to another English invention, were able to paint directly on the motif from 1841 onwards: the tube of paint!
The Franco-English loop has thus come full circle, and even continues today with David Hockney's recent move to the region. Famous the world over for his swimming-pool paintings, which have influenced the whole of pop culture, the world's most expensive painter is said to have decided to leave his native England to get closer to the Bayeux Tapestry.
A French masterpiece from the 11th century, recounting William the Conqueror's Norman conquest of England, attracted the English star of contemporary art: the artistic links between the 2 countries are decidedly timeless!
To immerse yourself in this rich pictorial history, visit the Muma (Musée d'art moderne André Malraux) in Le Havre or the museum dedicated to the father of French Impressionism, Eugène Boudin, in Honfleur.
Valérie from Comme des Français
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