Impressionism (1860s – 1880s)
Impressionism takes its name from Claude Monet’s painting Impression, Sunrise (1872), which critics mocked at the time. The movement was inspired by modern life in Paris, scientific discoveries about light and colour, and the invention of portable paint tubes, which allowed artists to work outdoors. Impressionist artists painted quickly with visible brushstrokes to capture fleeting effects of light, atmosphere, and movement. Instead of detailed realism, they focused on the impression of a moment. By the late 1880s, Impressionism evolved into Post-Impressionism, where artists like Van Gogh and Cézanne pushed colour and structure in new directions.
Learn more Wikiart - Impressionism
Artworks to be inspired by-
Click the artist and artwork to find a larger image of the work to inspire you
Camille Pissarro – Landscape (sketch watercolour and black chalk)
“Here’s an Impressionist landscape sketch by Camille Pissarro. Painted in watercolours with loose, visible brushstrokes, it captures light and atmosphere rather than fine detail. Impressionists often worked outdoors, using paint quickly to catch a fleeting moment in time. Although this work is in watercolours final works were usually competed in oils.
See Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas for Pastel works”
Key Artwork example of the movement
Claude Monet – Impression, Sunrise (1872)
This painting gave Impressionism its name. Monet used quick, loose brushstrokes and soft colours to capture the changing light over the harbour at Le Havre. The scene looks almost unfinished, but that was exactly the point — it conveys the fleeting impression of a moment in time. This focus on atmosphere and perception, rather than detail, is central to Impressionism.
Artists to Research:
Claude Monet
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Edgar Degas
Berthe Morisot
Mary Cassatt
Camille Pissarro
Alfred Sisley
Gustave Caillebotte
Frédéric Bazille
Édouard Manet (often considered a precursor but linked closely to the group)