Impressionism

Eugène_Delacroix_-_La_liberté_guidant_le_peuple

Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, painted in 1830. It has all the hallmarks of Romanticism. Note the use of light and dark, the dramatic subject matter, and the prominence of the Tricolor, among other things.

1280px-Claude_Monet,_Impression,_soleil_levant

Claude Monet’s Impression, Sunrise, painted in 1872. This is the painting that gave “Impressionism” its name. Notice the quiet, undramatic, natural setting and the dreamlike quality the thick brushstrokes produce.

1280px-Edouard_Manet_004
Édouard Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, painted in 1882.

1280px-Edouard_Manet_-_Luncheon_on_the_Grass_-_Google_Art_Project

The Luncheon on the Grass, also by Manet, painted in 1863. It was so controversial that Émile Zola wrote a novel about it. It was not unprecedented to paint a nude woman, but putting her into this everyday scene with two fully-clothed men (who seem not to notice her) went too far for some.

1280px-Pierre-Auguste_Renoir,_Le_Moulin_de_la_Galette

Auguste Renoir’s Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, painted in 1876. It depicts working-class Parisians spending a Sunday in the park.

Edgar_Degas_-_In_a_Café_-_Google_Art_Project_2

Edgar Degas’ Absinthe, also painted in 1876. Absinthe was a trendy indulgence in Paris at the time, and some claimed that drinking it led to mental illness and violence and was a menace to society.

007: La Belle Époque

Debussy_-_La_Mer_-_The_great_wave_of_Kanaga_from_Hokusai
The late nineteenth century in France. A vibrant time: Impressionist paintings, music, the construction of the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower. But France has its ugly side. Militarism. Antisemitism. Coups, bombings, assassinations. What does this tell us about the times?

Listen.

Download.

Transcript.
(Thanks to listener Joseph M. for providing the transcript.)


Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

“La Marseillaise”
Composed in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Navy Band. Public domain. Source.

Symphonie fantastique
Composed in 1830 by Hector Berlioz. Public domain.
Public domain recording. Source.

La mer (The Sea)
Composed in 1905 by Claude Debussy. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Air Force Band. Public domain. Source.

Miroirs
Composed in 1905 by Maurice Ravel. Public domain.
Performed by Olena Havyuk-Sheremet. Public domain. Source.

Closing Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are
© and ℗ 2015 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved.

005: Islands or Canned Goods

The Spanish and the Americans agree to an armistice and begin to negotiate a settlement. But no one is talking to the Filipinos.

I had said this would be a three part series, but it has turned into a four part series. Sorry about that. Next week will deal with the Philippine-American War.

Listen:

Download.

Transcript.
(Thanks to listener Josh for creating this transcript!)

 


Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

“Lupang Hinirang” (“Chosen Land”)
Composed by Julian Felipe in 1898. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Navy Band. Public domain. Source.

“There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight”
Composed in 1896 by Theodore August Metz. Public domain.

Closing Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are
© and ℗ 2015 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved.

004: Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight

Cuban rebels were fighting a guerilla war against the Spanish and gaining much sympathy in the United States. Alfred Thayer Mahan published The Influence of Sea Power Upon History and became an influential figure himself. While President McKinley was trying to ease tensions with Spain, his Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt, was planning an attack on the Spanish Philippines, just in case.

Then a mysterious explosion sank the American battleship USS Maine in Havana harbor.

Listen.

Download.

Transcript.
(Thanks to listener Joseph M. for providing the transcript.)


Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

“Columbia, The Gem of the Ocean”
Composed by Thomas á Becket, Sr. in 1843. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Navy Band. Public domain. Source.

“There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight”
Composed in 1896 by Theodore August Metz. Public domain.

Closing Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are
© and ℗ 2015 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved.