Liberty Leading the People, Eugene Delacroix, 1830, Paris
Rue Montorgueil, Claude Monet’s, 1878, Paris
Oath of the Horatii, Jacques-Louis David, 1784, Paris
I like Impressionism as a style and I love Postimpressionism with a passion. I think very three dimensionally and when I am personally painting I approach the canvas in a sculptural manner and I personally use a combination of Impressionism and Realism. I think the two are not so far removed in the emotions they evoke but simply go about evoking the emotions in different ways. For example, Claude Monet’s painting, Rue Montorgueil, has a strong patriotic feeling with movement and energy. In Delecroix’s Liberty Leading the People, the style of realism is used to evoke a similar sense of movement and especially patriotism. Also the two paintings establish a feeling of organized chaos with the way the crowds are depicted in both paintings.
I find both works very engaging, but fascinates me is that both piece inspire me to go out and make change for the better, politically, even though I am not French. I think that Monet’s piece does a better job of transcending time because it is not as specific as Delecroix. Monet’s is not telling the viewer exactly what is happening, rather he allows the viewer to bring their own experiences to the table and react to the work.
The Oath of the Horatii, by Jacques-Louis David, is another political painting in different time period and style, Neo-Classical, which evokes similar emotions through a realistic depiction of an event. When I see the work it makes me want to be brave, bold, and stand up to protect an iconic idea. In contrast Monet’s, Rue Montorgueil, makes me want to protect ideals that a raw and in the moment for what I am going through, rather than a specific fight with physical weapons. For me this is the amazing power of Impressions and especially Postimpressionism. This style contacts each person and is more prone to generating strong feelings from several areas of emotion at the same time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_the_Horatii
http://www.musee-orsay.fr/index.php?id=851&L=1&tx_commentaire_pi1[showUid]=7081&no_cache=1
http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/romanticism-in-france.html
joelisaak 
I agree with your view on Post-Impressionism, it definitely catches my eye more than Impressionism. Good job of bring specific pieces to support your views, it was very interesting to see your perspective on them. The Rue Montorgueil is very symbolic and the way it is painted, I believe adds a lot the the piece. Nice job, it was a good read.
I enjoyed your post. I share your opinions regarding Impressionism and Post Impressionism. I too favor Post-Impressionism, however I personally wanted to narrow my post to one and decided to write about Impressionism. You chose relevant examples to illustrate your explanation of realistic subject matter such as patriotism delivered in an “impression” technique. Relating the style of this era and that of the Neo-Classical era to your own personal painting added a sense of purpose to your choices and analysis.
You successfully mentioned all of the factual information such as the artist’s name, title in italics, date, and place of creation. Your aesthetic reaction was clearly explored with specific works cited from both Impressionism but also the required “other” eras were included in your post.
Good Work!