Masterpieces of 19th-Century Art and Architecture
Tassel House
Victor Horta
Location: Brussels
Date: 1892 – 1893
Materials: Stone, iron, glass, ceramic, and wood
Style: Art Nouveau
Eiffel Tower
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel
Location: Paris
Date: 1887 – 1889
Materials: Wrought iron, 125mm x 305m height
Architecture of new materials
The Thinker
Auguste Rodin
Location: Musée Rodin, Paris
Date: 1880 – 1900
Description: Freestanding, cast, seated figure, monochrome
Materials: Bronze
Dimensions: 1.98m x 1.29m x 1.34m
Style: Impressionism
The First Cold
Miquel Blay
Location: Originally at the Universal Exposition in Madrid in 1892, now in the Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona
Date: 1891 – 1892
Description: Freestanding sculptural group, carved, monochrome
Materials: White marble
Dimensions: 2.93m x 1.95m
Style: Realism
The Funeral of Ornans
Gustave Courbet
Location: Musée du Louvre, Paris
Date: 1849
Medium: Oil painting
Dimensions: 3.14m x 6.63m
Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe
Edouard Manet
Location: Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Date: 1863
Medium: Oil painting
Dimensions: 2.08m x 2.64m
Style: Impressionism
Impression, Sunrise
Claude Monet
Location: Musée Marmottan, Paris
Date: 1872
Medium: Oil painting
Dimensions: 48cm x 63cm
Style: Impressionism
The Card Players
Paul Cézanne
Location: Originally owned by Ambroise Vollard, now in the Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Date: 1890 – 1895 (five versions painted of the same subject)
Medium: Oil painting
Dimensions: 47cm x 57cm
Style: Post-Impressionism
Historical Context of the 19th Century
HIST: The arrival of the 19th century ushered in profound changes in society and art. Europe experienced the Industrial Revolution, which moved from England to the rest of the continent and changed the structures of earlier times, leading to the rise of capitalism.
SOC: Monarchies continued to exist, but several wars of independence were fought, such as those of Belgium and Greece, along with the so-called liberal revolutions of 1820, 1830, and 1848, all a result of the great revolution that took place in 1789: the French Revolution.
CULT: Cultural life in Europe during the 19th century was characterized by its bourgeois and democratic nature. Scientific progress was applied to the education industry, and the middle class grew throughout the century.
The 19th century has been called the Century of Science, not only because of new developments but also because their application changed the character of the entire society.
REL: Following the rational and scientific philosophies in their opposition to the Christian religion, there was a reaction that determined a resurgence of Christian thought, both in France and in England. In this adaptation to the new currents, the Catholic Church reaffirmed the fundamental principles of its religious and social doctrine. Popes Pius IX and Leo XIII were the most important pontiffs, demonstrating the Vatican’s greater manifestation of transcendence.