preview

Paintings in the Impressionist Era

Decent Essays

Around the time that the Impressionist movement began, American was becoming larger and more economically powerful, purchasing land from other countries, such as Louisiana from France and Alaska from Russia. France was experience the recent loss of the Franco-Prussian war and Napoleon III’s defeat. The Third Republic, which was originally designed to be a transitional government, became the permanent government of France, replacing Napoleon’s Second French Empire. This is also around the time that the Eiffel Tower was built in France. A group of artists, led by Claude Monet, gathered together to exhibit their original work, all created in an emerging style of art called, Impressionism. Monet’s Impressionism, Sunrise, finished in 1872, is considered to be the first Impressionistic painting. The movement was snubbed by critics who thought of the art as unfinished sketches or the “impressions” that artists would build upon to create a finished work of art. This is where the movement got its name. The art of Impressionism was focused on atmospheric conditions and natural light and the way it falls onto the setting throughout the day. The artists often painted outdoors so that they could capture this natural light’s movement. They tried to convey modern life and it’s fast pace, with the subject often being everyday life scenes, landscapes, and common leisurely activities. The colors of Impressionism were generally very bright and were not mixed on a palette but rather, applied

Get Access