Impressionism (painting style)
Impressionism is a distinctive painting style that emerged in France during the late nineteenth century, characterized by its focus on capturing fleeting moments and the effects of light on subjects. The movement was initiated by a group of artists who called themselves the Independents, rejecting traditional art norms and techniques in favor of outdoor painting, or "en plein air." They employed thick brush strokes and vibrant color palettes to depict landscapes and scenes of urban middle-class life, often working quickly to convey the impressions of light and atmosphere as they observed them.
Key figures in this movement included Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, among others. Initially met with criticism for their unconventional approach, the Impressionists were often dismissed as having created unfinished or amateurish works. Despite this, they continued to exhibit their art, gradually gaining recognition, particularly from American collectors in the late 1880s and 1890s. Their techniques, such as using pure colors placed side by side and employing impasto to create texture, were revolutionary and laid the groundwork for various modern art movements that followed. Impressionism ultimately transformed the art world by emphasizing individual perception and experience over established artistic conventions.
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Impressionism (painting style)
Impressionism was a major movement in painting in France in the late nineteenth century. The artists who broke from tradition and started the movement were called the Impressionists. The Impressionists, or Independents as they preferred to be known, rejected the traditional, formal art of their day and instead sought to capture what the eye sees in a fleeting moment. Many Impressionists abandoned the studio to paint outdoors en plein air (in open air). Using thick, short brush strokes and dabs of unusually bright colors, they painted landscapes and urban, middle-class scenes, focusing intensely on the effect of light on their subjects at a particular time of day. The Impressionists were initially panned by art critics, who thought the artists' works looked sloppy, unfinished, and amateurish. The Impressionists included art giants Claude Monet (1840–1926), Camille Pissarro (1830–1903), Alfred Sisley (1839–1899), Edgar Degas (1834–1917), Paul Cézanne (1839–1906), and Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919). The artist Édouard Manet (1832–1883) inspired and supported the group but did not consider himself an Impressionist.
Brief History
Ironically, Impressionism, a major art movement that resulted in a new style of painting, stemmed from an uprising about being rejected by the Salon, the official state-sponsored exhibition, which was the only way for artists to exhibit and sell their work in France. Paintings to be exhibited in the Salon were chosen by a jury, which was known for its conservative nature. The Salon was an annual exhibit; therefore, if an artist's work was not selected for exhibition, he or she had to wait a year to try again. Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Sisley had all been rejected by Salon jurors.
Some artists, such as Manet, were breaking away from the academic style of painting favored by jurors. The subjects of these detail-oriented paintings were prominent historical, mythological, and religious figures, who were painted in dark colors. The artists who rejected this style wanted to paint landscapes and middle-class urban life—but to do so risked being shunned by Salon jurors. When Manet's art was rejected by the 1863 Salon, it sparked outrage among the art community, and many artists began meeting in cafés to discuss their work and concerns. They created such a ruckus that Napoleon III allowed them to hold their own exhibition, the Salon des Refuses (Salon of the Refused). These artists called themselves the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers, Etc. and pooled what little resources they had to rent a former photography studio for their exhibition.
Two years before their exhibition in 1874, their new way of painting had been dubbed "Impressionism." Monet had exhibited his painting Impression, Sunrise (which featured a harbor at dawn) in the 1872 Salon. Art critic Louis Leroy sarcastically referred to the painting as an impression because he thought it looked unfinished, like a mere suggestion of something. The name stuck, even though the Impressionists preferred to call themselves the Independents. At the 1874 exhibit, Leroy claimed the artists were hostile to good artistic manners and not devoted to form. The Impressionists, however, continued to create art that reflected their new way of seeing the world.
The Impressionists held eight art exhibits from 1874 to 1886, but they did not sell many paintings or earn much money. Neither critics nor the public appreciated what they had sought to accomplish. They did not like the way they used color or their thick, visible brush strokes. Some Impressionists reverted to older art styles that were more marketable, such as still lifes and portraits. After their exhibitions, the Impressionists focused on their individual careers, but most remained friends into their old age.
Impressionism finally gained popularity in the late 1880s and the 1890s. American art collectors considered the paintings innovative and acquired many of them. In 1897, the Musée de Luxembourg in Paris held an exhibition of Impressionist art. This and other exhibitions significantly increased the value of the paintings.
Overview
The Impressionists recreated a sensory perception of their surroundings. They understood that what the eye sees differs from what the brain interprets. They aimed to capture what the eye sees when it quickly glances at a subject.
The Impressionists broke away from tradition in many ways. They challenged the artistic training offered at the cole des Beaux-Arts, the national school of art in France, where aspiring artists were taught to paint indoors and in great detail and to cover their finished canvas with a fine, varnished finish. The Impressionists refused to take their subjects from history, religion, or mythology that was the accepted practice then. They did not think that a subject's shadow should be painted in the same color as the subject (with some black and brown paint mixed in) as artists were taught to do.
The Impressionists wanted to paint the real world around them—landscapes and outdoor scenes. The way natural light at a particular time of day affected a subject was central to their work.
Standing in front of their subjects, these artists often worked quickly, trying to capture an image before the light changed. This meant they did little, if any, sketching prior to painting and used broken brush strokes and sometimes just dabs of paint. Their use of color was unconventional—if the light made a river look purple, they painted the river purple. Once the light changed, they stopped painting and returned on another day at about the same time.
Their techniques included impasto, a thick application of paint, and creating a rough texture on the canvas. They did not mix colors, but instead placed them side by side, so viewers would mix them with their own eyes. They painted their subjects on white canvas to emphasize further their use of bright colors. The people in their paintings were candid, not posed. For example, Sisley painted children playing in a meadow, and Pissaro painted country folk working.
Monet was especially concerned with the way light affected his subjects. He created series paintings, in which he painted the same subject at different times of day. He painted about twenty canvases showing how the Rouen Cathedral looked from dawn to dusk. Monet also painted a series of canvases of water lilies, haystacks, and the Waterloo Bridge.
Bibliography
Callen, Anthea. Techniques of the Impressionists. Chartwell Books, 1993.
"Guide to Impressionism." The National Gallery, www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/learn-about-art/guide-to-impressionism. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.
"Impressionism." The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/movement-impressionism.htm. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.
"Impressionism: Aims, Greatest Impressionists, Impact on Western Art." Encyclopedia of Art History, www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/impressionism.htm. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.
The Impressionists Handbook. Barnes & Noble Books, 2000.
Samu, Margaret. "Impressionism: Art and Modernity." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Oct. 2004, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd‗imml.htm. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.
Wolf, Norbert. Impressionism: Reimagining Art. Prestal, 2015.