Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Emerging in 19th-century France, Impressionist art embraced loose brushwork and plein-air painting to respond to the movement of daily life. Although the pioneers of the Impressionist movement — Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir — are now household names, their work was a radical break with an art scene led and shaped by academic traditions for around two centuries. These academies had oversight of a curriculum that emphasized formal drawing, painting and sculpting techniques and historical themes.
The French Impressionists were influenced by a group of artists known as the Barbizon School, who painted what they witnessed in nature. The rejection of pieces by these artists and the later Impressionists from the salons culminated in a watershed 1874 exhibition in Paris that was staged outside of the juried systems. After a work of Monet’s was derided by a critic as an unfinished “impression,” the term was taken as a celebration of their shared interest in capturing fleeting moments as subject matter, whether the shifting weather on rural landscapes or the frenzy of an urban crowd. Rather than the exacting realism of the academic tradition, Impressionist paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings represented how an artist saw a world in motion.
Many Impressionist painters were inspired by the perspectives in imported Japanese prints alongside these shifts in European painting — Édouard Manet drew on ukiyo-e woodblock prints and depicted Japanese design in his Portrait of Émile Zola, for example. American artists such as Mary Cassatt and William Merritt Chase, who studied abroad, were impacted by the work of the French artists, and by the late 19th century American Impressionism had its own distinct aesthetics with painters responding to the rapid modernization of cities through quickly created works that were vivid with color and light.
Find a collection of authentic Impressionist art on 1stDibs.
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
Artist Comments
Golds, reds, and plums capture the brilliance of fall at Coot Lake in Colorado. The water mirrors its surroundings, reflecting billowing clouds and distant moun...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Artist Comments
A serene alpine lake in Crested Butte is the epitome of summer in Colorado. Towering pine trees line the water's edge, their green leaves contrasting with the bright sky and billowing clouds. A sunlit, rocky shoreline adds warmth to the scene.
About the Artist
Artist Patty Phan captures the beauty of Colorado’s landscapes in her impressionist watercolor painting...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Artist Comments
A still lake reflects the trees, rocks, and surrounding mountains. The lakebed shows through the clear water, adding depth to the scene. The blend of golds and ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1890s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
1990s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Early 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Late 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
2010s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Color Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor, Charcoal
Late 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Late 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
1890s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Laid Paper
Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar captures the peaceful ambiance of a September morning in the countryside. She paints a view of Harmony, a tiny town along the central California coast just south of Cambria. The iconic farmhouse is enveloped by soft golden grasses and cool blue hills, imparting a tranquil feel to the scenic surroundings.
About the Artist
Impressionist Catherine McCargar expresses her deep admiration of nature through landscape paintings of Northern California...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Artist Maurice Dionne shows a view of the Rocky Mountains under a thick layer of snow. The skier, enticed by the vast expanse of pristine white powder, gracef...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Late 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Permanent Marker
1880s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
1930s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1990s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Oil, Cardboard
Late 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
Late 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Permanent Marker
1980s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Artist Comments
Artist Siyuan Ma presents a snow-capped landscape enveloped by light fog. The abstract imagery takes the viewer into a dreamlike worl...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Late 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
1920s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1970s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
1890s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Artist Comments
A place with the name Green Valley lives up to its name in this painting. The impressionistic handling of the subject gives room for the imagination of the viewer to draw on personal memories of the joys and promises of spring. This piece is painted to the edges of the paper on heavyweight watercolor paper. It will need a frame for display.
About the Artist
Catherine McCargar created her first work of art at five years old, a snowman drawn on blue construction paper. A group of artists invited her to try plein air painting and she fell in love. In her eyes, the time spent composing and recording in the open air is invaluable to breathe life into a painting. Catherine currently lives in California and loves tending her garden and being creative in the kitchen when she;s not painting. Fun fact: she occasionally writes stories for her granddaughter with accompanying ink drawings; she recently wrote a series called Baby Owl Learns to Fly.
Green Valley Spring...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
2010s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1960s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1920s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache, Pencil
1990s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Late 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Late 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Canvas, Oil
1940s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Late 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1960s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor