| Lyon's painting of the nineteenth century is a neglected field. Painters there stayed abreast of the Paris scene, but, because they operated outside that environment and do not fit conveniently into discussions of the avant-garde, they are often regarded as unimportant. This is the case with three of Lyon's leading figures in landscape painting and still life: Francois-Auguste Ravier (1814-1895), Louis-Hilaire Carrand(1821-1899), and Francois Vernay (1821-1896). This thesis describes the artistic environment of Lyon in the nineteenth century, and assesses the degree to which the above artists participated in Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.; Lyon's artistic priorities differed from those of Paris, partly due to the dominance of its world-famous silkmaking industry, whose floral designs emphasized meticulousness and balance, a style reinforced by the strong academic traditions of the local Ecole. The tendency to favor tightly painted, sumptuous still life lasted far longer in Lyon than in Paris, sustained by the critical reviews of the Lyon Salon. Opposing this view were artists such as Joseph Guichard (1808-1880), a revolutionary professor at the Ecole from 1862 to 1871. He introduced the idea of the esquisse, and led the way toward a more subjective interpretation of visual realism.; By the 1870s, Ravier, Carrand, and Vernay emerged as major forces in Lyon. Ravier's interpretations of landscape are as much a record of his subjective responses to nature as of the effects of light and reflection at dawn and dusk. A discussion of his oil pochades, etudes, and finely toned watercolors will follow, along with a chronology of his style (using dated examples). Carrand specialized in the graying effects of mist and fog, a device that also became popular with the Impressionists. Vernay, who made both landscapes and still lifes, flattened space using the push/pull between paint and support, an effort parallel to that of his contemporary, Cezanne. Their approach can be associated with Post-Impressionism, rejecting the social agenda of Realism in favor of abstraction and autonomous color.; The environment of 1895-1900 in Paris is also discussed briefly, with emphasis on a possible link between Ravier and Matisse's development from 1898-1899. |
