Impressionism
Impressionism is a pictorial style that originated in France in the second half of the 19th century. It is characterized by its persistent experimentation with lighting (similar to luminism). The handling of light is considered a crucial factor for achieving beauty and balance in painting.
Impressionist paintings are technically constructed from rough patches of colors, which act as points of a broader polychromy, that is the work itself. Therefore, when observing the canvases, it is necessary to take a certain distance, so that lights, shadows, and figures appear.
Historical Context of Impressionist Art
By the second half of the 19th century (the period in which Impressionism was born), there was economic growth in Europe. The intensification of trade and technical progress led to the consolidation of the bourgeoisie. Social classes were reorganized, and socialist leaders from all over Europe met to discuss these changes. The philosophy of the time was positivist and realist, where things were tested and transformation of the world was demanded. Art changed along with society.
In 1874, the first exhibition of a group of young painters was organized in the "Société Anonyme Coopérative des Artistes, Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs", Paris. In this exhibition, the impressionist artistic style was named after the famous artwork “Impression” (1874), by Claude Monet.
Origin of the Name
What unites these geniuses of painting is the intention to reproduce scenes of everyday life in a creative way. Most of the time, they can be clearly distinguished by their aesthetics, blurred images, and works of an unfinished appearance.
Nature of the Style
Among the most famous impressionist artists are (in chronological order):
Impressionist Painters
What unites these painting geniuses is their intention to creatively depict scenes from daily life. In most cases, they can be clearly recognized by their style, blurred images, and works with an unfinished appearance.
Among the most famous Impressionist artists are (in chronological order):
- Camille Pissarro (1830-1903).
- Édouard Manet (1832-1883).
- Edgar Degas (1834-1917).
- Alfred Sisley (1839-1899).
- Paul Cézanne (1839-1906).
- Claude Monet (1840-1926).
- Jean-Frédéric Bazille (1841-1870).
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919).
- Berthe Morisot (1841-1895).
- Mary Cassatt (1844-1926).
- Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894).
These painters have shown that art can be created by looking at the same thing in different ways, rather than seeking a different landscape or object each time. In this way, they responded to the social controversy of the time: It is possible to create an order for everyone equally, asking each social group for their collaboration, instead of power passing from one political group to another.
Examples of Impressionist paintings in the store:
