A GoodArt post by Fred Ross:

I do not dismiss Impressionism.

Impressionism is a valid technique for making works of art. But it is only one of a number of possible techniques.

Depending on the subject matter and what the artist wants to communicate, it may be suitable as an alternative to academic art.

However, I’ve for a long time believed that the best Impressionism is blended with important aspects of academic realism.

John William Waterhouse is a great example of this, in which powerful human themes are expressed using strong compositions, refined drawing and modeling but with overall impressionist paint handling.

John Singer Sargent is another fine example.

The artists you name all have some qualities that are worthwhile, especially in their best work, but generally we feel they are over valued and in large part because of the story told about how they were not permitted to show in the Paris Salons.

We know now that story is largely a myth, as Impressionist paintings were permitted in every Salon from 1873 forward.

And if not many were in the first years it was due to so few artists using that technique until later towards the end of the century.

The elevation of those specific artists has actually been far more political than most people (including most art historians) realize.

That is most readily demonstrated by the fact that Leon Augustin L’hermitte, was asked to join Renoir, Monet and Degas and be one of the leaders of their group.

However L’hermitte was already very popular and more successful than any of them at that time.

He declined!

If you review the published letter of Vincent Van Gogh to his brother Theo, you’ll see that Van Gogh considered L’hermitte perhaps the greatest living artist, far better than himself. But since he did not choose to join their Impressionist band, Lhermitte was mostly lost from the Modernist view of art history….even though he’s clearly the greatest of them all in his deft masterly use of Impressionist technique in capturing some of the most exquisite lighting effects ever achieved with their alla prima method.

The Modernist story vilifies all the academics, but it’s completely false, as not only were most of the artists of this period not acting in a biased way against the Impressionists, it’s also intellectually dishonest to denigrate any artists work based on whether or not they supported the tenets of any one group.

In fact, there was an explosion of new techniques and subject matter during the late 19th Century, the likes of which had never before been seen in all of art history, and there are scores of truly great artists some of whom are finally being rediscovered after a century of near oblivion.

The Impressionists were one of many groups, and in our view not the greatest at all.

Rather than trying to repeat what I’ve said before in a number of places, please read the most popular essay on ARC today, now used in countless classrooms as required reading for thousands of students each year.
http://artrenewal.org/articles/Philosophy/OPAKeynote/opakeynote.php

Suffice it to say that most of all, the rejection of Storytelling, has been one of the most destructive elements of Modern art, as it has always been through stories that we find and express our shared humanity, and it is through stories about life that the greatest art has been has been created, whether in paintings, sculpture, literature, theater, dance or poetry. Without stories none of the greatest masterpieces throughout history would ever have been able to exist.

Three Great Paintings by ARC Living Masters All Sold at Sotheby’s Mid-Season Event for American Paintings, October 10, 2007

All Three Painting Sold Above the High Estimates

Emerald and Rose by Allan Banks: went for $34,000 (estimate $14,000 – $18,000)
Father’s Day by Steve Gjertson sold for $34,000 (estimate $10,000 – $15,000)
Dawn of Hope by Dan Gerhartz sold for $45,000 (estimate $20,000 – $30,000
[prices include buyers premium]

One expert on American painting at the event said:

“This was nothing short of a Watershed event in art history. Not only is this likely to lead the way to a growing dynamic market for these Three artists, but may prove to have ushered in a whole new marketing category in American Painting sales.
Academic and Impressionist Living Master Realist artists. I’m not sure exactly what we’ll call it yet, and it may prove to be best to continue combining them with American paintings from the last 200 years as we did today.”

ARC is extremely pleased to announce that ARC’s Chariman and other administrators have met with the leaders of the International Guild of Realism (http://www.realismguild.com/), Don Clapper and Vala Ola, and both parties have agreed to explore avenues for working together, and recognize a general consensus as to philosophy, mission and goals. Please look for more announcements in the near future as cooperation on various projects of mutual interest are developed.

Dear Fred and Paul,

It is with enormous gratitude that I am writing to you to – not only
thank you for your wonderful support of our students, Teresa Oaxaca
and Shane Wolf in awarding them second and third place respectively
in the ARC Scholarship Competition but to say that the assistance
that you are giving to students worldwide is remarkable and very much
appreciated.

Thank you again from all of us here at the Angel Academy of Art.

Sincerely
Lynne Barton

Letter of September 26, 2007 from Lynn Barton, Co-Founder of the ARC Approved™ Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy to Fred Ross,ARC Chairman and Paul McCormack,ARC Director of Programs.