Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
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.
Early 1900s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
19th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 1900s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
India Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
Late 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1890s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk, Pencil
Artist Comments
A mature oak tree stands sentry along the walking path. Sunlight filters through the lush summer canopy, casting warm patterns on the trunk. Dappled light dance...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Color Pencil
2010s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 1900s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
Late 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal, Cardboard
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
1980s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1910s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
Late 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel
2010s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Permanent Marker
2010s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Color Pencil
Early 1900s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1950s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1960s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pencil
1960s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Laid Paper
2010s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Color Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1960s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1950s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Ink
1960s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1920s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 19th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1930s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
A watercolor painting depicting a serene coastal scene. A small white boat rests on calm water in the foreground, evoking tranquility. In the background, two ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Artist Siyuan Ma presents a tantalizing view of snowcapped mountains in soothing tones of turquoise. He presents aesthetic imagery th...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
1940s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache
Artist Comments
A variety of plants thrive around Lake Temescal, nestled in the Oakland Hills of the California Bay Area. The lush greenery reflects in the still water, addin...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Crayon, Pencil
Early 1900s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
India Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Cozy cottages line up snugly on a quiet street in the coastal town of Mendocino, California. The scene leads to the top of the road, where the sky blends into...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1950s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1880s Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Graphite
Early 20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor