Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Period Art

I have been tasked with managing the corporate art budget and acquiring some new works for our corporate headquarters. This memorandum will include an introduction to Impressionist and Post-Impressionist period art; a brief synopsis of each piece to be acquired; any related historical significance; proposed placement locations and how the works of art reflect our corporate image as a premier auditing firm.

I have selected five paintings and one sculpture that fit both our budget and corporate image. The sculpture and two of the paintings are from the 19th century Impressionist period, while the last three paintings are from the Post-Impressionist period.

Beginning with the Impressionist works; I have chosen paintings by Claude Monet and a sculpture by August Rodin. From the Post-Impressionist period I have selected paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch, and Georges Lemmen.

Impressionism art is an emotional and dreamy style of painting dedicated to representing the impression of an image instead of its exactitude.

The Impressionist movement was an organized revolt comprised of French painters challenging the accepted notions of what was considered high art. Traditional painting techniques dictated that the brush strokes should remain invisible so that the painting seems flawless and lifelike. Impressionist painters used large and visible strokes to help portray a dreamy and abstract mood. They created different textures, both visually and physically, with assorted colors layered together.(Schurman, 2012) The lighting is often one of the most important focal points in Impressionist paintings, many period painters would paint the same scene many times over to impress upon the painting the nuances seen only at that moment. The lack of finish was another significant characteristic of the movement. These younger artists' completed works looked like sketches. And not even detailed sketches but the fast, preliminary "impressions" that artists would dash off to preserve an idea of what to paint later. (Gersh-Nesic) Colors in Impressionist art are fanciful, the hues reflect each tone found in the actual image, or the colors may be broken down into their basic components.

Claude Monet ‘Impression Sunrise'; 1872 – ‘Impression: Soleil Levant'

'Impression Sunrise', or ‘Impression: Soleil Levant' in French draws on our corporate culture of being a front-runner, innovator, and creative influence.

Claude Monet's oil on canvas painting; 'Impression Sunrise', 1872 is the epitome of an Impressionist work of art. ‘Impression Sunrise' is widely regarded as Monet's single most famous painting. It is in fact this painting that helped coin the term "Impressionist" in France. When the painting was first shown to the public at an exhibition that