Impressionism

The Impressionism movement was introduced through an exhibition in Paris by a number of artists known as the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers, etc. in 1874. Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Camille Pissarro, along with other artists were impressionist’s establishment associates.

A panel of artists from the Academie des Beaux-Arts nominated artworks and awarded medals, where the group was integrated only by its liberation from the official annual Salon. Traditional opponents criticized the Impressionism work as to be uncompleted and sketchy but liberal critics acclaimed it for its portrayal of modern life.

In 1876, Edmond Duranty had wrote ‘La Nouvelle Peinture’ which meant ‘The New Painting’. As a rebellion painting, he wrote of their representation of modern subject matter in an appropriately advanced style. Impressionism artwork today is being recognized for its modernism, personified in its denial of conventional styles, its integration of new technology and ideas, and its interpretation of modern life.

The Impressionist movement got its name from the opponent Louis Leroy after criticizing Claude Monet’s Impression, Sunrise as being a sketch or “impression” in 1874. 

Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet in 1874.

This painting is the straightforward example of how Impressionists artists work. They use short broken brushstrokes that hardly express forms, pure unblended colors, and prominence on the effects of light. Impressionism doesn’t pay attention to detail, they extract shadows and highlights in color instead of impartial white, grays, and blacks. The loose brushstrokes that impressionists use gives a sense of freedom and naturalness that covers their often prudently created compositions. 

 'Allee of Chestnut Trees' is an oil painting by Alfred Sisley in 1878

The Impressionist movement is difficult to define because of its many features and diverse members. Indeed, its life seems as momentary as the light effects it required to apprehension. Even so, Impressionism was a movement of continuing value, as its embrace of modernism made it the foundation for later avant-garde art in Europe. 

Harvard Referencing System: Impressionism: Art and Modernity | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2013. Impressionism: Art and Modernity | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd_imml.htm [Accessed 27 March 2013]