Impressionist painting first developed in Paris in the late 1800s. The term was coined by an art critic in reference to a painting by Claude Monet, and was adopted by the public and the artists alike although it was originally derogatory. Impressionism was not widely accepted by the art world but gradually gained acceptance with the public. Impressionism has some very distinct characteristics and techniques. The work is well known for varied use of color and for depicting modern, realistic scenes.
Composition
Impressionist painting deals with candid and modern scenes and images. At the time of the rise of Impressionism, photography was growing in popularity. Impressionist artists were able to use photography to capture everyday moments and the subtleties of light at a given moment.
Natural light and its effects on reflections are emphasized in Impressionist painting. The Impressionists also got away from focusing solely on the main subject and brought the background and surrounding objects more prominently into the composition of the painting.
Brushwork
Impressionist painting moved away from the heavy use of outline and used short, thick brush strokes and heavily applied paint. Initial applications of paint were no longer given time to dry. instead, fresh paint was applied while previous paint was still wet. This produced soft edges and allowed the colors to mix more naturally on the canvas.
Color
Utilizing premixed paint in tubes, Impressionists were able to work with greater spontaneity. Prior to this time, artists had to create their own colors. Impressionists applied colors thickly and stayed away from mixing colors on the palette. Colors that needed to be a combination of the palette were implied by placing various colors next to each other in close proximity, allowing the eye of the viewer to create the impression.
The use of dark shades like gray and black are avoided in Impressionist work. Darker hues are created with the use of contemporary colors.
Notable Artists
Often considered the founder of Impressionism, Claude Monet is generally pointed to as the embodiment of the Impressionist painter. Edouard Manet, who influenced Monet, later adopted the Impressionist style in his works. Other notable artists of the movement include Degas and Renoir. Van Gogh and Cezanne were slightly more abstract but clearly influenced by the Impressionist style.
