Impressionism

1870s - 1890s

Impressionism (the word) came from a painting by a fellow named Claude Monet. The painting was titled, "Impression Sunrise" and it depicted (among other things) sunlight dancing and shimmering on water. The movement lasted from around 1870 to 1910 and included artists such as Monet, Degas and Pissarro. Light, surface, color and capturing fast fleeting moments... that's what Impressionism was all about. Hard to believe that in the late 1800's, many folks hated the stuff, given all the impressionists art calendars we see today...
 
Important Artists (selected list):

• Bazille, Frederic
• Boudin, Eugene
• Caillebotte, Gustave
• Cassatt, Mary
• Cézanne, Paul
• Degas, Edgar
• Manet Edouard
• Monet Claude
• Morisot Berthe
• Pissarro Camille
• Renoir Pierre-Auguste
• Sisley Alfred

Recommended Books:
Critical Readings in Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: An Anthology (Ahmanson-Murphy Fine Arts Books)
Impressionism: 50 Paintings You Should Know
The Age of Impressionism at the Art Institute of Chicago

Image:
Claude Monet
Impression: Sunrise

By Andrea Mulder-Slater