Oil painting artists known as impressionists
Impressionism
was a 19th century art movement that began as a loose association
of Paris-based artists who began publicly exhibiting their art in
the 1860s. The name of the movement is derived from Claude Monet's
Impression, Sunrise (Impression, soleil levant). Critic Louis Leroy
inadvertently coined the term in a satiric review published in Le
Charivari. Characteristics of Impressionist painting include
visible brushstrokes, light colors, open composition, emphasis on
light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of
the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, and unusual visual
angles.
The influence of the Impressionists is thought to have spread
beyond the art world, leading to Impressionist Music and
Impressionist Literature.
Impressionism also describes art done in this style, but outside of
the late 19th century time period.
Impressionist techniques
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Short, thick strokes of paint are used to quickly capture the
essence of the subject rather than its details.
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Colors are applied side-by-side with as little mixing as
possible, creating a vibrant surface. The optical mixing of
colors occurs in the eye of the viewer.
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Grays, and dark tones, are produced by mixing complimentary
colors. In pure Impressionism the use of black paint is avoided.
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Wet paint is placed into wet paint without waiting for successive
applications to dry, producing softer edges and intermingling of
color.
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Impressionist paintings do not exploit the transparency of thin
paint films (glazes) which earlier artists built up carefully to
produce effects. The surface of an Impressionist painting is
typically opaque.
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The play of natural light is emphasized. Close attention is paid
to the reflection of colors from object to object.
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In paintings made en plein air (outdoors), shadows are boldly
painted with the blue of the sky as it is reflected onto
surfaces, giving a sense of freshness and openness that was not
captured in painting previously. (Blue shadows on snow inspired
the technique.)
Content and composition
Before the Impressionists other painters, notably such 17th century
Dutch painters as Jan Steen, had focused on common subjects, but
their approach to composition was traditional. They arranged their
compositions in such a way that the main subject commanded the
viewer's attention. The Impressionists relaxed the boundary between
subject and background so that the effect of an Impressionist
painting often resembles a snapshot, a part of a larger reality
captured as if by chance.[10] Photography was in fact gaining
popularity, and as cameras became more portable, photographs became
more candid. Photography inspired Impressionists to capture the
moment, not only in the fleeting lights of a landscape, but in the
day-to-day lives of people.
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