Early impressionists such as Manet and Renoir were considered radical in their era, as they challenged the conventions of academic painting. Inspired by artists like Eugène Delacroix and J. M. W. Turner, they employed freely brushed colors to construct their artworks.
Their subjects revolved around the ordinary people of their everyday lives, including family, friends and fellow artists, depicted in authentic scenes and modern Parisian settings. Vincent van Gogh, influenced by his encounters with the impressionists during his time in Paris, integrated their vibrant color schemes and expressive brushwork into his poignant series of self-portraits, imbuing them with emotional intensity. Lecturer Bob Potter is a graduate of Syracuse University’s School of Visual and Performing Arts.
He spent his early career as an art and marketing director for leading media companies, including Scholastic Magazines, Time Warner, and National Geographic. Over the past decade, he helped create an innovative art therapy program for Save the Children, was a corporate development officer for the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and headed all marketing and communications for the Mystic Seaport Museum.
Most recently, he launched a professional development program for art students at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts and is a docent at the Yale Center for British Art.
Event Information