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Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement from France that emphasizes capturing light and atmosphere through loose brushwork and vibrant colors, rather than detailed realism. Key works include Claude Monet's 'Impression, Sunrise' and Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 'Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette', both showcasing the movement's focus on everyday scenes and the effects of natural light. The movement paved the way for modern art by prioritizing the artist's perception and experience of a scene.

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10 views3 pages

ReportNotes

Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement from France that emphasizes capturing light and atmosphere through loose brushwork and vibrant colors, rather than detailed realism. Key works include Claude Monet's 'Impression, Sunrise' and Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 'Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette', both showcasing the movement's focus on everyday scenes and the effects of natural light. The movement paved the way for modern art by prioritizing the artist's perception and experience of a scene.

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arenoscimy
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IMPRESSIONISM

What it is: Impressionism is an art movement that emerged in France during


the 19th century (1860s-1880s). It broke away from the traditional, highly
detailed style favored by academies and aimed to capture the fleeting
effects of light and atmosphere.
Purpose: Impressionists sought to portray the world as they perceived it,
emphasizing the feeling and experience of a scene rather than a perfectly
rendered, realistic image. They were interested in the play of light and color
on objects, and how sunlight transformed a scene throughout the day.
Techniques:
Brushwork: Impressionists used short, loose brushstrokes, often leaving
brushwork visible. This created a sense of movement and captured the
essence of a scene rather than fine details.
Color: They used vibrant, unblended colors, often employing complementary
colors (opposites on the color wheel) to create a sense of light and shadow.
Blacks and browns were rarely used for shadows, instead, cooler colors like
blues and purples were used.
Light and Shadow: They focused on capturing the ever-changing effects of
natural light, painting outdoors ("en plein air") to observe the play of light on
a scene in real-time.
Composition: Impressionist compositions were often asymmetrical, with
unusual angles and cropped views, reflecting the way we glimpse fleeting
moments in real life.

How it has Done:


Subject selection: Impressionists often painted everyday scenes -
landscapes, leisure activities, people in cafes, etc.
Setting Up: They would typically set up their easels outdoors to capture the
scene in natural light.
Capturing the Light: Using quick brushstrokes and vibrant colors, they'd
focus on the play of light and how it transformed the scene.
Unblended Colors: Instead of meticulously blending colors, they'd place them
side-by-side to create a sense of vibrancy as the viewer's eye mixes the
colors.
Impressionism's emphasis on light, color, and the artist's perception paved
the way for modern art movements.

Claude Monet's "Impression, Sunrise" is a famous Impressionist painting


depicting the port of Le Havre, France, at sunrise.
Style: Impressionistic, with loose brushstrokes and focus on capturing the
fleeting effects of light and atmosphere.
Subject: Le Havre harbor at sunrise. The red sun dominates the foreground,
reflected in the water. Boats and distant silhouettes of ships complete the
scene.
Colors: Vibrant oranges, pinks, and blues dominate, capturing the warmth of
the rising sun and the cool mist over the water.
Importance: A cornerstone of Impressionism. The title "Impression" itself
gave the movement its name.

"Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette" (also known as "Bal du moulin de la


Galette") is a famous Impressionist painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Subject: It depicts a lively Sunday afternoon gathering at the Moulin de la


Galette, a popular open-air dance hall in Paris. People socialize, drink, eat
galettes (a type of savory buckwheat cake), and most importantly, dance.
Style: True to Impressionism, the scene is captured with loose brushstrokes,
vibrant colors, and a focus on the dappled sunlight filtering through the
trees.
Importance: It is considered a masterpiece of Impressionism, showcasing the
movement's key features, and capturing the joy and energy of Parisian
leisure culture.
Details: The painting features a large crowd, with some recognizable figures
like Renoir's friends. The composition is bustling and asymmetrical, reflecting
the lively atmosphere.

This later painting focuses on just two dancers in a more cropped


composition. The use of bold colors, particularly the orange background
contrasting with the dancers' blue and green skirts, creates a striking and
dynamic image.

Mary Cassatt's "The Boating Party" is a celebrated oil painting created in


1893-94.

Subject: A woman holding a child sits in a sailboat rowed by a man.


Style: Though known for paintings of mothers and children, this is her largest
and most ambitious work with influences from Impressionism and Japanese
woodblock prints.
Uniqueness: The bold composition features a flat background, unusual
angles, and the man's figure filling the foreground, creating a sense of
intimacy and contrasting with the vastness of the water.
Significance: This masterpiece was the centerpiece of her first solo exhibition
in America and is considered a powerful portrayal of women enjoying leisure
activities, a subject uncommon for the time.

"The Bridge at Villeneuve-La-Garenne" is an impressionist painting created


by Alfred Sisley in 1872. It depicts:

A suspension bridge crossing the Seine River.


The village of Villeneuve-la-Garenne in the background.
People enjoying leisure activities on the riverbank and in boats.
The painting showcases Sisley's signature impressionist style with:

Loose brushstrokes capturing the essence of the scene.


Vibrant colors to depict the sunlight and atmosphere.
Focus on the play of light on the water and landscape.

Camille Pissarro's "Boulevard Montmartre at Night" is a unique work in his


collection, being the only night scene out of a series depicting the Boulevard
Montmartre at various times. Painted in 1897, it captures the Parisian street
in a vibrant dance of light on a wet pavement.

The scene is rendered in the Impressionist style, with short brushstrokes and
a focus on the play of light and shadow. Pissarro uses a muted palette but
with pops of color to depict the gaslights, cafes, and reflections on the street.

This artwork is considered a masterpiece of Impressionist night scenes and is


currently housed in the National Gallery, London.

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