Impressionism
A
movement in painting that originated in France in the
1860s. Impressionist painters were fascinated by the
relationship between light and colour, painting in
pure pigment using free brushstrokes. They were also
radical in their choice of subject matter, avoiding
traditional historical, religious or romantic themes
to concentrate on landscapes and scenes of everyday
life. The movement's name was initially coined in
derision by a journalist, who saw one of Monet's
paintings entitled 'Impression - Sunrise'.
Monet's late series of paintings of waterlilies, with
their interest in colour for its own sake, paved the
way for abstraction.
Representative
painters:
Alden, Bazille, Bonnard,
Cassatt, Corinth, Degas, Frieseke, Hassam, Liebermann, Monet,
Morisot, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley, Twachtman, Utrillo, Weir