"Impressionism is
only direct sensation.
All great painters were
less or more
impressionists.- Claude
It is Monet
mainly a question of
instinct"
Impressionism
Impressionism developed in France in the nineteenth
century and is based on the practice of painting out of
doors and spontaneously ‘on the spot’ rather than in a
studio from sketches. Main impressionist subjects were
landscapes and scenes of everyday life.
Impressionism was developed by Claude Monet and
other Paris-based artists from the early 1860s.
Poppies; near Argenteuil, oil on
canvas by Claude Monet
Claude Monet, Woman with a Parasol
- Madame Monet and Her Son
Édouard Manet, The Luncheon on the Grass
Alfred Sisley, View of the Saint-Martin Canal
Instead of painting in a studio, the impressionists found that
they could capture the momentary and transient effects of
sunlight by working quickly, in front of their subjects, in the
open air (en plein air) rather than in a studio. This resulted
in a greater awareness of light and colour and the shifting
pattern of the natural scene.
The first group exhibition was in Paris in 1874 and included work by
Monet, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas and Paul Cezanne. The work
shown was greeted with derision with Monet’s Impression, Sunrise
particularly singled out for ridicule and giving its name (used by critics
as an insult) to the movement. Seven further exhibitions were then held
at intervals until 1886.
La Grenouillère, Renoir
Musicians in the Orchestra, 1872,
oil on canvas, by Edgar Degas
Le grand noyer à l'Hermitage, C. Pissaro
Berthe Morisot, The Cradle
Other core artists of impressionism were Camille Pissarro
and Berthe Morisot with Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet
also often associated with the movement.
Although originating in France, impressionism had great
influence overseas. Core British impressionists included
Walter Richard Sickert and Wilson Steer.
Girls Running: Walberswick Pier, Steer
Walter Richard Sickert
Café des Tribunaux, Dieppe