Immersed in Impressionism
- Emily Wong
- Mar 8
- 4 min read
In the 19th century in France, Impressionism emerged as a renowned art movement. It is considered the start of modern art. It is widely known for its soft and loose brush strokes in capturing the wonders of ordinary sceneries effectively. Prioritizing emotional response to a fleeting moment, artists focus on documenting their impression of their subject matter over realistic depictions. This art movement redefined personal expression on canvas and established the foundation for following modern art movements such as Expressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, etc.
THE HISTORY OF IMPRESSIONISM
From Gustave Courbet of Realism movement
The movement before Impressionism, Realism, was led by Gustave Courbet. The French artist opposed the Académie des Beaux-Arts (Academy of Fine Arts), which at the time was highly influential in promoting Academic art, one of these influential works is The Birth of Venus by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. The Academy favoured classical artwork in themes of history, religion and mythology and had control over cultural ideology, shaping public taste in art.
Courbet criticized idealism and mythical approaches of Academic art by leading a new movement: Realism. He was inspired to depict everyday life in his work, addressing social issues and capturing the working class. This motivates numerous artists to break free from the Academy in downplaying creativity. Courbet put forth ordinary subject matter over idealistic figurines and emphasized that ordinary subjects are worthy of artistic representation. This move strongly influenced Impressionism and future art movements, as it promoted en plein air painting (outdoor painting) and shifted the subject matter to commonly seen landscapes and ordinary people.
Transitioning figure: Édouard Manet
The criterion for a quality painting at the time was outlined figurines of antiquity. Hence Édouard Manet, who painted between Realism and Impressionism, played a crucial role as the transitional figure between the movements. His work established the foundation of characteristic loose brush strokes that are hallmark traits for impressionists, and his focus on light in composition influenced the impending movement.
Birth of Impressionism (1873-1874)
In December of 1873, a charter was signed by a group of artists in the formation of Société Anonyme Coopérative d’Artistes-Peintres, Sculpteurs, etc. The group included notable artists like Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissaro, Edgar Degas and Berthe Morisot. In April 1874, the group held the first-ever Impressionist exhibition in history. The motive was to display their work independently from the Salon, the official exhibition of Académie des Beaux-Arts, including some previously denied art pieces. However, the exhibition was mocked by the public for being unfinished, lowbrow and only a limited audience appreciated those later world-known pieces.
REPRESENTING ARTISTS
Father of Impressionism: Claude Monet
The movement was named after the famous piece: Impression, Sunrise (1872) by Claude Monet. He was the painter of light. His extraordinary sense of colours allows paint utilised in abstract complexity. He often applied colours side by side instead of blending, allowing the viewer's eyes to mix them visually, creating a vibrant effect. He skillfully paired saturated colours in light hues with delicate, thin strokes, such as loose blue strokes sided with hints of creamy yellow for the reflectiveness of water. The hazy brushwork reveals an immediate response to the fleeting moment of daylight.
Monet played a leading and pivotal role in this artistic revolution by defining the movement with his work. Whereas, his emphasis on the beauty of everyday life continues to resonate with contemporary art. Thereby, impressionism laid the groundwork for subsequent periods of growing innovative approaches to personal expression.
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas is well known for his lively paintings of dancers, especially ballet dancers, as well as female figurines in general. He created numerous indoor compositions, different from most Impressionists. Degas expresses his admiration and fascination towards the lively human forms and complexity of emotions through his work. Whereas, his unconventional angles and framing of each captured scene offer viewers the immediacy of the movements captured. This distinctive feature of his art further impacted the emerging medium of photography.
IMPACT OF THE RISE OF PHOTOGRAPHY ON IMPRESSIONISM
As photography became more common and accessible, it brought shadow to the value of realistic artwork. Therefore, Impressionist artists started exploring ways to distinguish their work from a photograph, where photographs could only capture a plain sight before the camera. Artists thus adopted more subjective approaches to differentiate between capturing reality and depicting emotions on canvas. This suggests how the rise of photography had gradually increased people’s level of acceptance to the new movement.
INFLUENCING BORN OF POST-IMPRESSIONISM MOVEMENT
Artists continued exploring use of colours and brush strokes in portraying personal emotions abstractly and symbolically. Famous masterpieces includes Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh and The Scream by Edvard Munch. Both used a vibrant palette and unique techniques in conveying emotional depth and psychological insights.
The impact of Impressionism on modern art and our taste is believed to continue into the far future.
Other References:
Books: ‘Christoph Heinrich: Monet’
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