1860s - 1900s (originated in France before spreading through Europe and America)

Stresses atmosphere & sunlight on subject matter

Ordinary people being leisurely

Mostly outdoor landscapes (“en plein air”) on small canvases that could be done quickly, before sun shifted

Artists not interested in painting history, mythology

The goal was to capture a spontaneous “impression” - not perfection

Quick, short, loose brushstrokes (dabs of colour meant to be viewed from a distance - pointillism)

Critics found this art to be “unfinished” and “amateur”

• Considered “low-class art” because it was painted outside and did not have fine details

• Genre paintings; people doing ordinary things

Impressionists: Interested in colour and developed a fascination with the effect of light & spontaneous rendering.

• Wanted to express an immediate impression, not a detailed analysis (making light and colour their subject matter)

“Momentary glimpse of nature” is achieved based on what they saw - bright, glaring and high-keyed with coloured light penetrating shadows

Artists

• Degas

  • Master of line and drawing (carefully considered the positioning of people and objects)

  • Doesn’t use the blurring technique

  • Earliest of impressionism so it’s the closest to realism

  • Known for drawing bodies in motion and different perspectives

  • Carriage at the Races, The Ballet Class, The Belleli Family, Glass of Absinthe

    • The Ballet Class series is when he used softness to express action or material

    • Planned asymmetric balance

• Manet

  • “Not as they are, but as they appear to be”

  • Painted The Railway in a very flat manner and mundane (not realism’s detail with shadows and depth) with unblended paint

  • The Waitress, Luncheon on the Grass, Impression Sunrise, Boulevard des Capucines

• Monet

  • Perfect example for broken colour (eyes naturally blend the colours)

  • Made 30 paintings of hay bales in different seasons and times of day, “The sun sets so fast, I cannot follow it”

  • Water-lilies series with dry brush technique, no horizon line

  • Rouen Cathedral

    • He wanted to analyze changes in the sun’s movement or interruptions of clouds or haze

• Renoir

  • Interested in painting women and nude figures

  • Blurs edges to blend subjects with their surroundings (In the Meadow)

  • Used blue paint instead of black in some paintings

  • Luncheon of the Boating Party, The Swing