From Impressionism to Post Impressionism

Even more than one hundred years past its peak, Impressionism continues to be one of the most popular and instantly recognizable styles in the art world. Even a casual museum visitor can instantly spot a Claude Monet, Manet or Cassatt from across the gallery.

 

Impressionism is also sometimes referred to as optical realism due to its interest in the actual viewing experience, including such things as the effect of light and movement on the appearance of the objects in depicted in the artworks.

The Impressionists created one of the most important artistic movements of the nineteenth century and it got its start in France. The theme of the Impressionism movement teaches, “the human eye is a marvelous instrument”. The worldwide impact of Impressionism was large and lasting.

 

Claude Monet and Impressionism

Claude Monet is widely recognized as the father of the Impressionist movement, and his work Impression: Sunrise is widely recognized as the first work of this new movement. Fascination with color, light and movement formed the core of the Impressionism movement. With the right exposure of light and movement, just about any subject became a fitting subject for a painting. Impressionism focused on directly describing the visual sensations derived from nature. Devotees of Impressionism were not concerned with the actual depiction of the objects they painted. Instead they were concerned with the visual impressions aroused by those objects.

 

There were two basic ideas behind Impressionism. The first was that a painting done quickly is better able to accurately record the general appearance of a landscape. The second idea behind Impressionism was that art benefits from a naïve vision. This idea grew out of the naturalist and realist movements, from which Impressionism evolved.

 

The most well known members of the Impressionism movement include:

- Mary Cassatt – Known for painting beautiful and striking images of women, particularly mothers and children.

- Edgar Degas – Degas was known for capturing pieces of modern life, and he is well known for his paintings of bathers, dancers and other ordinary people. Degas is also known for his scenes of cafes and bars.

- Edouard Manet – Manet is best known for the striking Olympia, The Bar at the Folies Bergere and Dejeuner sur l’Herbe. Manet’s works are renowned for their complexity and enigmatic meanings.

- Claude Monet – Renowned for his striking use of light, Monet is most famous for paintings such as the WaterLilies series, Haystacks and the Rouen Cathedral.

- Berthe Morisot – Another woman who defied traditions discouraging women of the period from becoming artists. Like Cassatt, Morisot created her own special niche within the Impressionism movement.

- Pierre-Aguste Renoir – Renoir is best known for his decorative images. He is best known for his nudes and for his wonderful images of women.

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From Impressionism to Post Impressionism

 

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