The Impressionists (BBC drama)

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''The Impressionists'' is a 2006 three-part factual docudrama from the

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, which reconstructs the origins of the Impressionist art movement. Based on archive letters, records and interviews from the time, the series records the lives of the artists who were to transform the art world.

Narrative

''The Impressionists'' is a tale of motivation, creation, poverty, hope, and of the struggle for recognition, set against a backdrop of war, revolution and Parisian artistic movements. At the heart of the story is the brotherhood of artists, bonded by enduring friendships and their commitment to a new type of art. The story is led by the paintings. Some of the world's most memorable art works are recreated, following the same techniques that the artists used at the time. The series reveals how

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. Durin ...

, in a race against time to capture the light, took just 40 minutes to paint his seminal work ''

Impression, Sunrise ''Impression, Sunrise'' (French: ''Impression, soleil levant'') is an 1872 painting by Claude Monet first shown at what would become known as the "Exhibition of the Impressionists" in Paris in April, 1874. The painting is credited with inspiring ...

''; why

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Bo ...

's depiction of Olympia, in which his model brazenly gazes out of the canvas, so outraged Parisian society; and how

Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically d ...

's 60 paintings of one mountain, Montagne Saint-Victoire, helped to lay the foundations for Cubism and modern art.

Julian Glover Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...

plays 80-year-old Monet, the "Father of

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

" and narrator of the series. He undertakes a nostalgic but sometimes painful journey as he looks back on his past life in an interview with a journalist conducted at his garden, pond and home in

Giverny Giverny () is a commune in the northern French department of Eure.Commune de Giverny (27285) ...

. Monet remembers arriving as a young man in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in 1862, full of dreams about a new kind of art. Young

Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During ...

, played by Richard Armitage, leads the group of friends with his vision for paintings that capture the images, energy and light of the modern world. In the drama,

describes his fellow artists, friends and supporters with whom he painted, struggled from poverty with and shared experiences, thoughts and art: Frédéric Bazille, played by

James Lance James Frederick Grenville Lance (born 29 September 1974) is an English actor, best known for his appearances in a number of British comedy series and the British-American comedy series '' Ted Lasso'' for which he was nominated for a Primetime ...

, the little-known genius who died too soon to enjoy the movement's success but who inspired its first exhibition; Pierre-Auguste Renoir, played by

Charlie Condou Charlie Condou, (born 8 January 1973) is a British actor, columnist and LGBT rights activist. Condou secured a series of television movie roles during his teenage years in the 1980s. He later had guest roles in British television series during th ...

, an irrepressible lover and painter of women;

, played by

Andrew Havill Andrew Havill (born 1 June 1965) is an English actor. With an extensive career on screen and stage beginning in the late 1980s, Havill has appeared in more than 40 films and 50 plays. After training in Oxford and London, he began his career in r ...

, whose work was

's first inspiration but was censored by society; Edgar Degas, played by

Aden Gillett John Aden Gillett is a British actor. He is best known for playing the role of Jack Maddox on the BBC series '' The House of Eliott''. Biography and career Gillet was born in the city of Aden, Yemen, from which he got his name. He attended ...

, who captured the back stage reality of the ballet world; and

, played by

Will Keen Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, whose innovative work determined the path of modern art.

Amanda Root Amanda Root (born 1963) is an English stage and screen actress and a former voice actress for children's programmes. Root is known for her starring role in the 1995 BBC film adaptation of Jane Austen's '' Persuasion'', her role in the Britis ...

plays

Alice Hoschedé Alice Raingo Hoschedé Monet (February 19, 1844 – May 19, 1911) was the wife of department store magnate and art collector Ernest Hoschedé Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During ...

's great love. Using quotes from the primary sources, the series depicts the characters' idiosyncrasies— Cézanne's hatred of barking dogs, his mistress Hortense's love of lemonade,

's flamboyant dress sense, and

Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints and drawings. Degas is espec ...

' irritability.

Production

It was shot on location in

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

and

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, at Claude Monet's home and garden at

Giverny Giverny () is a commune in the northern French department of Eure.Commune de Giverny (27285) ...

and at locations in the UK. The series was filmed with the Panasonic SDX 900 DVCPRO 50 professional camcorder in widescreen 25fps progressive mode.

Missing artists

The drama does not include several main impressionist artists such as

Gustave Caillebotte Gustave Caillebotte (; 19 August 1848 – 21 February 1894) was a French painter who was a member and patron of the Impressionists, although he painted in a more realistic manner than many others in the group. Caillebotte was known for his early ...

Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, where she befriended Edgar De ...

, Armand Guillaumin, Berthe Morisot,

Alfred Sisley Alfred Sisley (; ; 30 October 1839 – 29 January 1899) was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedicatio ...

, and Camille Pissarro (Pissarro is the only artist to have shown his work at all eight Paris Impressionist exhibitions).

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Impressionists, The 2006 British television series debuts 2006 British television series endings 2000s British drama television series BBC high definition shows BBC television docudramas Impressionism British television miniseries English-language television shows Cultural depictions of Claude Monet Cultural depictions of Pierre-Auguste Renoir Cultural depictions of 19th-century painters Cultural depictions of Edgar Degas Cultural depictions of Édouard Manet