Art History

Constable and Monet:  OR,  Turner and Monet
Both Constable and Turner, Romantic landscapists, had a substantial impact on Impressionists like Monet.  To a limited extent, this was in subject matter, but primarily it was in terms of technique, style, and aesthetic (theory, to a limited extent, enters in too with respect to those features of nature each artist wished to represent, and how he went about doing it).  Regardless of which pair you select to talk about, your task is the same.  Discuss the basic features of either Constables or Turners approach to style and technique, including especially any innovations they made; you should also discuss their content/meaning, though that is less important for this essay than it might be if you were considering either artist in isolation.  Then discuss Monet and Impressionism.  What are the main features of style and technique (and if you can separate the theory from what they actually did in the works we see, do sothat will impress me a good deal)?  How does the subject matter of Monet differ from Constable and Turner?  As you conclude, then draw the two together, and discuss those ways in which you think Constable or Turner influenced Monet (some ways will be the same, but some rather different). 

As always, writing does count, so do your best work.  Credit research as appropriate, and while I suggested at least 6-8 pages, if you run longer, that will be no problem, as either of these essays could occupy twenty pages easily.  This is a major assignment, so treat it as such.  It is, in a way, your midterm.