Impressionism

Time Period: 1872-1880

  • Painters worked in plein-air; artificial atmosphere inhibited artistic expression; artists moved out to capture the effects of atmosphere and light 
  • Relied on the transient, the quick, and the fleeting 
  • Impressionist brushstrokes seek to capture the effects of light 
  • Times of day and seasons affect the appearance of objects 
  • Spectacular color range; stark contrasts to subtle harmonies 
  • Concentrate on landscape and still life painting 
  • Influence of Japanese art; imitated flatness; compositional qualities
  • Anti academic and antibourgeois 
  • Monet most important figure