Impressionism and

Heart of Darkness
Henderson
 Impressionism coined in 1874 by a
journalist, Louis Leroy, in an attempt
to ridicule Monets Impression:
Sunrise and other poems on display
in the Paris Salon.
They are Impressionists in the
sense that they reproduce not the
landscape but the sensory
perceptions it evokes.
When viewing this painting, how do
you feel? What draws your eye?

Monet, Haystacks
 Patterns and themes
Landscapes and cityscapes
Focus on haze, mist, effects of light

Shimmering light, air

Portrayal of everyday modern life:

ballet, cafes, leisure activities on the
banks of the Seine
Look for said patterns here:

Renoir, The Canoeists Luncheon

 and here:

Monet, Westminster on the Thames

 Changing the narrative
- In impressionism, the paintings
seldom tell stories (as opposed to
more traditional schools in which a
definitive narrative was captured
within the painting)
- Instead, they capture moments,
impressions
 Compare:

David, Andromache Mourning Hector

Renoir, Moulin de la Galette
When the emphasis is on the
individuals own perception and the
object is to depict what the eye sees
rather than what the head knows,
everything suddenly becomes worthy
of being the subject of a work of art
clouds of smoke in a station, a
garden flooded with light, boating on
the River Seine, a boulevard full of
people, or a snow-covered field.
What is the subject of this painting?
What draws your eye?

Monet, La Gare Saint-Lazare

For the passionate observer, it is an
enormous pleasure to dwell among
the masses, in the ebb and flow, in
the movement, in the fleeting and
infinite.
~ Charles Baudelaire
Nature is always the
same, but of its visible
appearance nothing
remains constant.
Our art must give it
the sublime attribute
of permanence, along
with the elements and
appearance of all its
changes. Art must
give it eternity in our
imagination. What is
behind Nature?
Nothing, perhaps.
Perhaps everything.
~ Paul Cezanne
 Anecdotal quotes
Manet to Monet: Monet, youre a
friend of Renoirs. Why dont you
advise him to take up a different
career? You can see for yourself that
hes not cut out for painting.
Monet, on his critics: Poor blind
idiots. They want to see everything
clearly, even through the fog!
 Anecdotal quotes
Manet: Are you working on anything
for the salon exhibition?
Cezanne: Yes, a pot of shit.
So
How do the
principles of
Impressionism
transfer into
literature?
 Inone way or another, all
Impressionists made it their aim to
give a pictorial equivalent of the
visual sensations of a particular
individual at a particular time and
place. ~ Ian Watt

Conrad:art depends, for its success,

on an impression conveyed through
the senses
Stylistic/narrative elements in HoD:
1. Duplication of narrators: places
emphasis on perception; makes you
look through a glass, darkly
2. Symbolist: the symbols in HoD
change both in scale and meaning
3. Impressionist: still lots to say about
this part
 More elements in HoD:
Frequent use of mist or haze
Primary narrator warns us that Marlows
tale will not be centered on, but
surrounded by its meaning.
One inherent argument in impressionism
is that individual sensation is the only
reliable source of ascertainable truth.
Conrad employs SUBJECTIVE MORAL
IMPRESSIONISM.
 Navigating through the fog
HoD embodies uncertainty and
doubt.
It is an exploration of what men
cannot know.
Reality is essentially private and
individual.
Another way of seeing: the fog does
not obstruct the subject or the
meaning; it is an intrinsic part OF the
meaning!
 Delayed Decoding
Combines the forward temporal
progression of the mind, as it
receives messages from the outside
world, with the much slower reflexive
process of making out their meaning.

Ummm, in English, please?...

 Delayed Decoding
Conrad presents a sense impression
but withholds naming it or explaining
its meaning until later; as readers we
witness every step by which the gap
between the individual perception
and its cause is belatedly closed
within the consciousness of the
protagonist. (knobs heads)
 Relationship b/w impressionism
and narrative
Virginia Woolf: Life is not a series of gig
lamps symmetrically arranged; life is a
luminous halo, a semi-transparent
envelope surrounding us from the
beginning of consciousness to the end.
The essence of the action is a process of
expanded moral awareness. ~ Watt
Be sensitive to the metaphorical
implications of light and darkness in the
novella!
Thats all, folks.