Impressionist Art
1860-1900
What is Impressionism?
• Style of painting that
began in Paris during the
mid 1800s.
• Unlike artists before them
they painted most
paintings outdoors and
liked to portray natural
objects like trees, fields,
and oceans.
• Painters would often take
materials outdoor and
paint what they saw.
Painting people
• When impressionists
painted people they
made them look like
people you would see
everyday.
• Rather than painting
religious figures or
royalty, they would often
use their own family and
friends as subjects in their
paintings.
The meaning of “Impressionism”
• It was called impressionism because artists were
not as exact about painting a realistic picture.
• They used many short brush strokes, applying
paint thickly, to create an idea, or impression of a
subject.
• Because of these short strokes, if you stand
closely to an impressionist painting they will look
like a bunch of paint blobs. When you back away,
you can see the whole picture.
Van Gogh’s “Starry Night Over Rhone”
A New Style of Art
Before Impressionism
• Painters placed main
subject in center.
• Background not important.
• Painted religious figures or
royalty.
• Interested in painting
figures to make them look
realistic.
Impressionism
• Painters put emphasis on
the scene than the person
or subject.
• Painted the main subject off
to the side rather than in
the center.
• Painted everyday people
doing normal activities.
• Interested in painting an
impression of a figure.
Study of light and impressionism
• The way the light changed
the shadows and colors of
subjects was of much
interest to impressionist
painters.
• Claude Monet often
painted in series, making
many pictures of he same
subject at different times
throughout the day and
seasons to see how the
lighting affected his
paintings.
Famous Impressionist Artists
• Claude Monet
• Mary Cassatt
Mary Cassatt
“The Child’s Bath” 1893
• Born in 1844 in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• She is the most
recognized female painter
in Impressionist style art.
• Enjoyed painting images
of women with an
emphasis on the bond
between mothers and
children.