Impressionist Art parallels with GNU/Linux and FLOSS

I discovered today, though being a fan of Impressionist art for years, some of the history of it that made an immediate connection with me on the nature and growth of FLOSS and GNU/Linux adoption in the marketplace.

First a few revolutionary discoveries, then some brave people with the courage to adopt them, believe in them, act on them, the reaction of ridicule and condemnation by "experts" for a few years, then a lifetime - over a 100 years - of worldwide demand, appreciation and effect on future artforms.

Back in the 1870s the discovery of extraordinary new pigments and paints in continental Europe and the invention by a South Carolinian of the collapsible metal paint tube, both fomented a revolution in vibrant painting styles whilst dramatically increasing portability for all painters. People could now paint easily, accessibly, in a faster, more immediate way.

Fine examples of Monet's work can be found less than 10 minutes away from the Raleigh office in an exhibition running at the North Carolina Museum of Art. I'll be taking a trip over there with Sarah today.

Whether you are able to see Impressionist art in person or by other means I hope that your experience will be similar to mine: a richer one knowing that those Impressionist artists struggled initially - just like Red Hat has - unaware of the fantastic future ahead of them, yet leaving a legacy of enriching change behind them.

http://www.ncartmuseum.org/monet/revolution.html


"Today the prismatic colors, impasto, and quick summary style of impressionist painting receive nearly universal praise, but when these revolutionary works of art where first exhibited in the 1870s, they prompted quite the opposite response: They were ridiculed and condemned by both critics and the public. We hope Revolution in Paint will serve to remind us of the radical and unconventional nature of a new school of painting that would survive the harsh criticism of its day and come to captivate a world audience.
“Some people burst out laughing at the sight of these things, but they just leave me heartsick.
The self-declared artists style themselves the intransigents, the impressionists; they take canvas,
paint, and brushes, throw some color on at random, and sign the result.” —Albert Wolff, art critic, 1876

“The things that the impressionists put on their canvases do not correspond to those found on the
canvases of previous painters. It is different, and so it is bad.” —Theodore Duret, art critic, 1878

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