Lena Rivera
Impressionism emerged in France in the 1860s when artists began to focus on capturing their perceptions of nature and the fleeting nature of the present moment, rather than creating exact representations. This often involved painting en plein air, using short, choppy brushstrokes and a vibrant palette of pure, intense colours. The Impressionists' interest in light and their desire to capture a specific moment meant that they painted quickly, resulting in work that looked unfinished compared to the accepted artwork of the time. The Impressionists' radical new style was initially met with hostility, but gradually gained acceptance and influenced the trajectory of Western art. Given the Impressionists' focus on capturing a singular moment in time, it is unlikely that they painted the same thing twice.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Impressionist painters | Claude Monet, Eugene Boudin, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cezanne, Auguste Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt |
| Focus | To express their perceptions of nature, rather than create exact representations |
| Techniques | En plein air, freely brushed colours, short "broken" brush strokes, pure unmixed colours, thick impasto application of paint, lighter and looser brushwork, painting everyday reality |
| Subjects | Landscapes, people, modern subjects, scenes of leisure, candid poses, compositions, play of light, optical effects of light |
| Style | Radical, subjective, imperfect, spontaneous, immediate, bright, varied use of colour |
| Response | Initially hostile, gradually came to be accepted and celebrated |
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Origins and influences
Impressionism emerged in France in the 1860s, when a group of young artists decided to paint what they saw, thought, and felt. They were uninterested in painting historical or mythological subjects, instead focusing on the world as they saw it, which was often imperfect. This was a radical departure from the traditional academic painting style of the time, which emphasized verisimilitude and idealized forms. The Impressionists, influenced by painters such as Eugène Delacroix, J. M. W. Turner, and Gustave Courbet, developed new techniques, such as painting en plein air, using light and loose brushwork, and capturing the effects of light and colour.
The Impressionists were influenced by the scientific discoveries of the time about optics and light, and they sought to capture the optical effects of light and convey the fleeting nature of the present moment. They often painted at times of day when there were long shadows and used complementary colours to achieve vibrant contrasts. They also rejected official exhibitions and competitions set up by the French government, organizing their own group exhibitions.
The term "Impressionist" was first used as an insult by an art critic, Louis Leroy, at the exhibition of new paintings in Paris in 1874, referring to Claude Monet's painting "Impression, Sunrise". The Impressionists' subject matter and style were initially shocking to the public, who were accustomed to grand paintings of important people and dramatic events. However, the Impressionists gradually gained a following, with crowds topping half a million people for major Impressionist exhibits.
The Impressionists' dealer, Durand-Ruel, played a major role in promoting their work and arranging shows in London and New York. By the early 1880s, artists such as Monet and Pissarro had achieved financial security, and by the time of Monet's death in 1926, his paintings were highly sought-after. Today, Impressionism is considered one of the most important movements in modern painting, and its artists continue to be some of the world's most popular painters.
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Defining techniques
Impressionist painters are known for their unique techniques and radical departure from traditional academic painting. They were interested in capturing fleeting moments and sensations, depicting everyday reality, and expressing their perceptions of nature and light. This section will explore the defining techniques of Impressionist painters, including their approach to brushwork, colour, lighting, and composition.
One of the most distinctive features of Impressionist painting is the use of loose and choppy brushwork. Artists often used short, "broken" brushstrokes of pure and mixed colours, creating a mosaic-like effect on the canvas. They applied paint quickly and thickly, sometimes using hog hair brushes developed in the 19th century, which allowed for the thick application of paint. This rapid application of paint resulted in a style that appeared unfinished or messy compared to the smooth, blended styles of their predecessors. Impressionists embraced the visibility of their brushstrokes, rejecting the illusion of reality sought by academic painters.
Colour played a significant role in Impressionist paintings. Artists often lightened their palettes, incorporating pure, intense colours and complementary colours for vibrant contrasts. They were influenced by the play of light and aimed to capture its transient effects, painting at times of day with long shadows and ever-changing daylight. The invention of paint tubes made oil paint portable, enabling artists to work en plein air and quickly capture the initial sensations of light and colour in natural settings.
Impressionists also challenged traditional composition rules. They often depicted scenes from everyday life, including leisure activities in cafés, hotels, beaches, gardens, and public parks. Figures were painted in candid poses, sometimes in motion, capturing the momentary and transient nature of life. Portraits moved away from glamorous poses, instead depicting people at rest or lost in thought, wearing ready-to-wear clothing rather than luxurious fashions. These compositions felt modern and refreshing to viewers accustomed to grand paintings of important people and dramatic events.
Additionally, Impressionists often worked on smaller canvases, a strategic choice to showcase their works in Salon exhibitions, which favoured large canvases. They also organised their own group exhibitions, independent of official competitions, further asserting their artistic autonomy.
In conclusion, Impressionist painters developed specific techniques that defined their style. From loose brushwork to vibrant colours and candid compositions, they revolutionised the art world, offering a fresh and original vision that continues to captivate audiences today.
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Pioneers
The Impressionist movement emerged in France in the 1860s, with pioneers such as Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Frédéric Bazille. These artists sought to capture their perceptions of nature and their immediate surroundings, rather than create exact representations. They focused on the fleeting nature of the moment, including ambient features such as changes in weather and lighting. This approach was inspired by painters such as Eugène Delacroix, J. M. W. Turner, and Gustave Courbet, who had previously explored similar themes in their works.
Monet is often regarded as the accidental inventor of the Impressionist style. He initially struggled to paint large canvases that incorporated his interest in transitory light effects. However, he eventually adopted a looser painting style, using smaller easel paintings and blending small brushstrokes less. This new style attracted the attention of other artists, including Sisley, Renoir, and Bazille, who began to incorporate aspects of Monet's technique into their own work.
Sisley, born in France to English parents, became one of the most dedicated proponents of the plein-air technique, along with Monet. While Monet achieved financial success and fame, Sisley died in poverty in 1899, and his paintings only gained recognition posthumously. Despite their differing fortunes, both artists remained committed to the ideals of the Impressionist school.
The Impressionists also included Edgar Degas, Paul Cezanne, Auguste Renoir, Berthe Morisot, and Mary Cassatt among their ranks. These artists were interested in painting everyday reality instead of monumental scenes. They rejected official exhibitions and competitions, choosing to organise their own group shows. Their work was initially met with hostility and ridicule, with critics deriding their loose brushwork and apparent lack of finish. However, over time, the public began to embrace their fresh and original vision, and Impressionism forever changed the trajectory of Western art.
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Critics and supporters
Impressionism emerged in France in the 19th century, and was characterized by a focus on capturing a moment in time, light and its changing qualities, ordinary subject matter, and movement. The Impressionists were radicals who broke the rules of academic painting, choosing to paint realistic scenes from everyday life, often en plein air. They also rejected official exhibitions and competitions, instead organizing their own group exhibitions.
The Impressionists faced harsh opposition from the conventional art community in France, including critics and the art establishment. The public was also initially hostile towards the movement. The first Impressionist exhibition in 1874, organized by a group of artists called the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers, etc., was met with mixed reviews. Monet and Cézanne received the harshest attacks from critics, including Louis Leroy, who wrote a scathing review in the newspaper *Le Charivari*. He made wordplay with the title of Claude Monet's *Impression, soleil levant* (or *Impression, Sunrise*), declaring that Monet's painting was at most a sketch and not a finished work. He also coined the term "Impressionists" in his satirical review, which was initially meant as a comic insult but was later adopted by the artists with pride and defiance.
Despite the initial criticism and ridicule, the Impressionists gradually gained public acceptance and support. Their dealer, Durand-Ruel, played a crucial role in promoting their work and organizing shows in London and New York. By the early 1880s, Impressionist methods had influenced Salon art, with fashionable painters like Jean Béraud and Henri Gervex achieving critical and financial success by incorporating brighter palettes.
The influence of the French Impressionists extended beyond their lifetimes and spread internationally. Artists like J.D. Kirszenbaum borrowed Impressionist techniques throughout the 20th century, and American Impressionists such as Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, and Childe Hassam emerged.
While some critics disparaged the Impressionists' departure from traditional techniques and subject matter, others recognized the movement's originality and fresh vision. The poet and critic Stéphane Mallarmé supported the Impressionists, stating that their art captured "movement, light, and life" in a way that reflected the ever-changing nature of light and subject matter. Berthe Morisot, one of the important painters of the Impressionist circle and a groundbreaking female artist, also faced particular scrutiny as the only woman in the first Impressionist exhibition. Critic Gustave Geffroy, however, acknowledged her talent and named her as one of the three great female painters of Impressionism.
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Legacy
The Impressionist movement is perhaps the most important movement in the whole of modern painting. In the 1860s, Impressionists decided to paint what they saw, thought, and felt. They were interested in capturing a specific moment in time, and in doing so, they revolutionised the trajectory of Western art.
The Impressionists were radicals, violating the rules of academic painting. They painted realistic scenes of everyday life in natural settings, often outdoors, attempting to capture a moment as experienced. They rejected official exhibitions and competitions set up by the French government, instead organising their own group exhibitions. Their early shows were met with mixed reviews, with some critics deriding their work as unfinished sketches. The term 'Impressionist' itself was first used as an insult by a critic in 1874, who described Monet's work as "wallpaper in its embryonic state".
However, the Impressionists' legacy is that they forever changed the way we look at pictures. They extended the possible subjects for paintings, moving away from depictions of idealised forms and perfect symmetry, and concentrating on the world as it was experienced. They were influenced by scientific discoveries of the time about optics and light, and their interest in capturing the optical effects of light resulted in a new way of seeing. They painted with freely brushed colours that took precedence over lines and contours, using short "broken" brush strokes of mixed and pure unblended colour to achieve an effect of intense colour vibration. They also lightened their palettes to include pure, intense colours, and avoided hard edges by working wet into wet.
The Impressionists' techniques and subjects were novel and shocking for their time. They frequently depicted scenes of leisure, such as cafes, hotels, beaches, gardens, and public parks, and their sitters were painted not in glamorous poses, but in moments of rest or thought. They portrayed overall visual effects instead of details, conveying the fleeting nature of the present moment, including ambient features such as changes in weather.
The Impressionists' dealer, Durand-Ruel, played a major role in keeping their work before the public and arranging shows for them in London and New York. While some Impressionist painters died in poverty, others, such as Monet and Renoir, achieved financial success and fame. Over time, the Impressionists found a wide audience, and their work became mega-popular. Today, we are so comfortable with Impressionist art that it is hard to understand how radical and revolutionary it once was.
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