Introductory Visual Arts: Art History Timeline - Impressionism Monet Renoir Degas Pissarro Sisley Morisot Cassatt Caillebotte Bazille

What It Is

Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement characterized by a focus on capturing the fleeting moments of modern life and the effects of light and color. Claude Monet's Impression, Sunrise (1872) is a quintessential example of the movement's emphasis on light and color. This matters for making or analyzing art because Impressionism introduced a new way of depicting reality, emphasizing the artist's subjective experience and the importance of light and color in creating a sense of atmosphere.

Key Terms & Techniques

• Impressionism: a 19th-century art movement emphasizing light and color.
• Impression: a short, spontaneous painting capturing a moment in time.
• Optical mixing: the blending of colors on the canvas to create a sense of light and atmosphere.
• Broken color: the use of small, distinct brushstrokes of pure color to create a sense of light and movement.
• Atmospheric perspective: the use of color and contrast to create a sense of depth and distance.
• Outdoor painting: painting en plein air, directly observing and capturing the natural world.
• Rejection of traditional techniques: Impressionists rejected the traditional methods of painting, such as using a single, unified color to depict a subject.
• Focus on everyday life: Impressionists focused on depicting modern life, including landscapes, cityscapes, and everyday activities.
• Use of short, broken brushstrokes: Impressionists used short, broken brushstrokes to capture the fleeting moments of modern life.
• Emphasis on light and color: Impressionists emphasized the importance of light and color in creating a sense of atmosphere and mood.
• Monet's Water Lilies: a series of paintings depicting Monet's garden pond at Giverny, showcasing his use of light and color.
• Renoir's Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette: a painting depicting a lively outdoor dance, showcasing Renoir's use of color and movement.
• Degas' Horse Racing: a series of paintings depicting horse racing, showcasing Degas' use of movement and light.
• Pissarro's Landscape: a painting depicting a landscape, showcasing Pissarro's use of color and atmospheric perspective.
• Sisley's Landscape: a painting depicting a landscape, showcasing Sisley's use of color and outdoor painting techniques.
• Morisot's Mother and Child: a painting depicting a mother and child, showcasing Morisot's use of color and everyday life.
• Cassatt's The Child's Bath: a painting depicting a mother bathing her child, showcasing Cassatt's use of color and everyday life.
• Caillebotte's Paris Street: a painting depicting a street scene in Paris, showcasing Caillebotte's use of color and everyday life.
• Bazille's The Pink Dress: a painting depicting a woman wearing a pink dress, showcasing Bazille's use of color and everyday life.

Common Misunderstandings

• Misunderstanding: Impressionism is a style of painting that focuses on realistic depictions of everyday life.
• Correction: Impressionism is a style of painting that focuses on capturing the fleeting moments of modern life and the effects of light and color, often using short, broken brushstrokes and emphasizing the artist's subjective experience.
• Misunderstanding: Impressionism is a movement that rejected all traditional techniques of painting.
• Correction: Impressionism rejected traditional methods of painting, such as using a single, unified color to depict a subject, but still used traditional techniques, such as oil painting and canvas.
• Misunderstanding: Impressionism is a movement that only focuses on landscapes and cityscapes.
• Correction: Impressionism is a movement that focuses on depicting modern life, including landscapes, cityscapes, and everyday activities, such as dance, horse racing, and family life.

Quick Identification

1. A painting depicting a mother and child, showcasing the artist's use of color and everyday life. Identify the concept.
2. Answer: Impressionism
3. Reason: The painting depicts a everyday scene, using color and emphasizing the artist's subjective experience.
4. A painting depicting a street scene in Paris, showcasing the artist's use of color and everyday life. Identify the concept.
5. Answer: Impressionism
6. Reason: The painting depicts a everyday scene, using color and emphasizing the artist's subjective experience.
7. A painting depicting a horse racing scene, showcasing the artist's use of movement and light. Identify the concept.
8. Answer: Impressionism
9. Reason: The painting depicts a everyday scene, using movement and light to capture the fleeting moments of modern life.

Last?Minute Revision

• Impressionism emerged in the 1870s in France.
• Claude Monet's Impression, Sunrise (1872) is a quintessential example of Impressionism.
• Impressionism emphasized the importance of light and color in creating a sense of atmosphere and mood.
• Impressionists used short, broken brushstrokes to capture the fleeting moments of modern life.
• Impressionism rejected traditional methods of painting, such as using a single, unified color to depict a subject.
• Impressionism focused on depicting modern life, including landscapes, cityscapes, and everyday activities.
• Monet's Water Lilies (1899-1926) is a series of paintings depicting his garden pond at Giverny.
• Renoir's Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette (1876) is a painting depicting a lively outdoor dance.
• Degas' Horse Racing (1868-1880) is a series of paintings depicting horse racing.
• Pissarro's Landscape (1870s) is a painting depicting a landscape.
• Sisley's Landscape (1860s) is a painting depicting a landscape.
• Morisot's Mother and Child (1872) is a painting depicting a mother and child.
• Cassatt's The Child's Bath (1893) is a painting depicting a mother bathing her child.
• Caillebotte's Paris Street (1877) is a painting depicting a street scene in Paris.
• Bazille's The Pink Dress (1864) is a painting depicting a woman wearing a pink dress.