The Artistic Style of Impressionism By Kelly Lingel

By Kelly Lingel

Eventually, my eyes were opened, and I really understood nature. I learned to love at the same time.

-Claude Monet

The artistic style of Impressionism can be considered the beginning of modern art. It developed in Paris in the 1860’s with the artists Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, and PIerre-Auguste Renoir. These artists rejected the official government-sanctioned salons/exhibitions, and were consequentially shunned by the powerful art institutions. The Impressionists were not interested in creating art with the fine finish and detail the classically-trained artists (realists) aspired to. Impressionism aimed to capture the momentary, sensory, emotive effect that the scene had on the viewer. The name “Impressionism” came when the art critic, Louis Leroy, attacked one of Monet’s early paintings: Impression—Sunrise. He stated all the paintings in the exhibit where this painting was displayed were just “impressions,” not finished paintings.

Although Impressionism developed in Paris, its influence spread throughout Europe, Russia, and eventually the United States. The invention of the American, John Rand, in 1841, of paint in a tube, revolutionized the art world. This technology offered portable, pre-mixed paint, that allowed artists to take their process outdoors. Many Impressionists moved from the studios to the streets and countryside, painting “en plein air.” This freedom made the spontaneity and appearance that the Impressionists were striving for, possible.

To paint like an Impressionist, one needs to determine what is important in the painting and simplify the rest. When Monet was asked why he painted so many paintings of haystacks, he replied, “Haystacks? I am not painting haystacks. I am painting light!” An Impressionist strives to communicate the message of the painting in as few words (brushstrokes) as possible. If you look closely at Monet’s paintings, you will see he uses a combination of colors and brushstrokes that optically blend together when viewed from a distance. This gives his paintings depth, vibrancy, and a feeling of emotion that prior artists were not able to achieve. Seen up close, many impressionist paintings look like “blobs” of color. From a distance, they “read” correctly, with the eye blending the colors to make sense of the subject matter.

Characteristics of Impressionism:

1. Broken color

2. Loose and fluent brushwork

3. Relaxed drawing

4. Style of capturing the image of an object as one would see it if they caught a glimpse of it

These paintings, by Claude Monet, are evocative of scenes on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. How fortunate we are to be able to enjoy such beauty and richness of light! With the lifting of quarantine, and spring in bloom, nature calls to us to get outside and enjoy her beauty!