How Impressionism Changed the Art World and Continues to Inspire Us Today

Admired by art experts, popular with the public, and widely exhibited in the world’s top museums, Impressionism has dominated the art world for nearly 150 years. Renowned for its painters’ pioneering approach to art, the groundbreaking genre has facilitated the emergence and shaped the evolution of several art movements, solidifying its role as the catalyst of modern art.

While Impressionism’s distinctive aesthetic is undoubtedly one-of-a-kind, the context of the canvases is just as captivating. Here, we explore the background, characteristics, and legacy of Impressionism to illustrate the the iconic movement’s profound impact on the history of art.

What is Impressionism?

Impressionism is a movement of art that emerged in 1870s France. Rejecting the rigid rules of the beaux-arts (“fine arts”), Impressionist artists showcased a new way to observe and depict the world in their work, foregoing realistic portrayals for fleeting impressions of their surroundings.

History

Throughout the 19th century, most French artists produced work that adhered to the traditional tastes of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, a Paris-based organization that held annual salons. Showcasing a selection of hand-picked artwork, the salons tended to favor conventional subject matter—including historical, mythological, and allegorical scenes—rendered in a realistic style.

Tired by this age-old approach to creativity, a group of artists decided to skip the salon hype and, instead, host their own independent exhibitions. Known as Société Anonyme Coopérative des Artistes Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs (“Cooperative and Anonymous Association of Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers”), this band of artists—which included Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, and Camille Pissarro—held their first exhibition in 1874.

Set in the studio of Nadar, a French photographer, the exhibition featured several paintings by 30 artists, with the most notable being Claude Monet’s Impression, Sunrise (1872).

The exhibition saw mixed reviewed from critics, including journalist Louis Leroy. When analyzing Impression, Sunrise, he infamously wrote: “Impression—I was certain of it. I was just telling myself that, since I was impressed, there had to be some impression in it … and what freedom, what ease of workmanship! Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished than that seascape.”

Though clearly intended as an insult, his review actually helped the movement—it inadvertently (and ironically) gave it its well-known name!

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Source: mymodernmet.com