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Impressionism By Mary Cassatt

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Impressionism

Impressionism by definition is: “a style or movement in painting originating in France

in the 1860s, characterized by a concern with depicting the visual impression of the

moment, especially in terms of the shifting effect of light and color.” But I think that

impressionism gives off more of a feeling, and I think that it sets a mood. I think that

impressionist paintings all have a flow to them and they are very elegant and classy.

The impressionist era started in the 1860s, and ended in the 1880s. It developed in

Paris, and spread throughout Europe. At the time, paintings of still life’s and landscapes

were not valued. So impressionist paintings brought about a very new change in the art

world. But in the early 1860s, more and more artists began to discover their interests in

impressionist paintings. These artists brought us the incredible pieces of impressionist

art we have today.

One of the artist’s I would like to address is Mary Cassatt. She was born on May, 22,

1844 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, United States. She was born into an upper-

middle-class family, that was well educated, and had a profound influence on her. Mary

traveled all over Europe as she grew up. She learned German and French and also had

her first art lessons while she was traveling abroad. It is most likely that her first

exposure to art was at the Paris World’s Fair in 1855. Her family objected to her

becoming a professional

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