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.
California Desert Landscape w/ Sand Verbena by Elizabeth Hewlett Watkins c.1940s
Located in San Francisco, CA
California Desert Landscape w/ Sand Verbena by Elizabeth Hewlett Watkins c.1940s Beautiful vintage oil painting of California desert sand d...
Canvas, Oil
Lights Reflection After the Rain. Union Station, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Viewed from Union Station, the rain creates a romantic and cozy atmosphere in downtown Denver. Cars park on both sides of the road while a cycle rickshaw crosse...
Oil
Provincetown Summer, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The artwork is an abstract landscape piece with a textured, impasto technique. The composition transitions from a lush, green base that represents a grassy field. Above, a medley of ...
Acrylic
Mum's Garden, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This artwork is a vibrant and textured landscape, teeming with abundant blooms in delicate whites and lush greens. The use of impasto techniques adds a dynamic, three-dimensional qua...
Acrylic
Greenfields, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The artwork is an expressive landscape painting with vibrant brushstrokes that create a lively, textured impression of a lush, open field under a vast sky. The palette predominantly ...
Acrylic
Doncaster, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The artwork created is a vibrant and lush representation of a landscape, primarily using a palette of greens, yellows, and hints of orange and red. The brushwork is dynamic and expre...
Acrylic
Sheffield, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The artwork is a vibrant abstract landscape, utilizing thick impasto technique that enriches the canvas with texture and movement. A harmonious palette of greens, yellows, and blues ...
Acrylic
Feeling Happy, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This artwork features a vibrant bouquet of flowers against a rich, warm background. The piece is characterized by a striking use of color and texture, with a focus on white and yello...
Acrylic
Again on Fire, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Fiery clouds drift across the sky, creating a mesmerizing display of color. Broad and swift brushstrokes capture their fleeting beauty. Artist Benjamin Thomas s...
Acrylic
Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Oil of Tremezzo Monastery, Lake Como Italy.
Located in ludlow, GB
Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Oil of Tremezzo Monastery, Lake Como Italy. Rene Jerome Legrand (British, Born 1953) Tremezzo Monastery, Lake Como i...
Oil
Folkestone, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The artwork is a beautifully rendered landscape with lush hills and verdant fields. The artist has skillfully employed a palette of greens and yellows to capture the vibrancy of natu...
Acrylic
Storm Over Garden, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The artwork presents a vibrant scene of yellow flowers set against a textured blue background. The flowers, likely sunflowers, are depicted with broad, expressive brushstrokes that c...
Acrylic
Coton in the Elms, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This landscape painting is a vibrant exploration of nature's lush greenery. The artist uses bold brushstrokes and a rich palette of greens, yellows, and hints of brown to create a te...
Acrylic
Brighton, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The artwork showcases a vibrant landscape with a rich palette dominated by yellows and greens. The brushwork is expressive, creating a sense of movement and vitality in the foliage a...
Acrylic
West on Muhammad Ali Blvd, Original Painting
By Judy Mudd
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
This watercolor painting captures the rhythm of an urban street alive with daily activity. Cars line the road while pedestrians move along the sidewalks. Soft w...
Watercolor
Heavenly Garden, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The artwork is a vibrant, textured painting depicting a bouquet of flowers. The composition is a rich tapestry of colors, primarily featuring pinks, yellows, and greens. The flowers,...
Acrylic
Folkestone, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This landscape painting is a vivid celebration of pastoral beauty rendered with a bold use of color and texture. The artwork conveys a sense of rolling hills, utilizing a palette dom...
Acrylic
Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting of Villa San Michele Capri
Located in ludlow, GB
Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting of Villa San Michele Capri. Large bright Impressionist oil painting showing Villa San Michele Capri with flowers in dappled sunlight and view of the Amalfi Coast. Rene Jerome Legrand...
Oil
Iris Spring, Oil Painting
By Jay Jensen
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Iris flowers sway among the grass in a sun-dappled landscape. Their petals reveal subtle shifts in color, from soft greyish purples to deep burgundy tones. Hint...
Oil
$21,800
“Dering Harbor Panorama” DIPTYCH, impressionist landscape, Shelter Island, NY
By Viktor Butko
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Dering Harbor, Panorama" is a diptych, which means it's two separate canvases to form one image. Each canvas is 30 x 36 inches, so the total dimensions of both canvases together is ...
Linen, Oil
Rocking Chair, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Light spills through a window onto a vacant rocking chair in a striking silhouette. A basket of yarn rests patiently at its side, waiting to be used. The painti...
Oil
Whimsy in Bloom, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The artwork presents a lively arrangement of flowers, each petal infused with warmth and color. A hummingbird hovers on a bloom while a ladybug lingers on a lea...
Oil
Mandalay Beach, Dusk, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
This seascape captures a fleeting moment at Mandalay Beach, where the day yields to the beauty of dusk. A burst of light breaks through the clouds, illuminating...
Oil
Feeling Rosy, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Vibrant pink roses and purple irises stand out against a teal blue background. Soft, flowing brushstrokes suggest the delicate movement of petals stirred by a g...
Oil
$3,226Sale Price|20% Off
Victorian Landscape Marine Watercolour Shipping on the Grand Canal Venice
Located in ludlow, GB
Victorian Landscape Marine Watercolour Shipping on the Grand Canal Venice. A large and very attractive signed Victorian Watercolour on paper mount...
Watercolor
Brooklyn Bridge at sunset, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original Oil painting by Ukrainian artist Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska This vibrant artwork captures a mesmerizing sunset over a cityscape, with the iconic image of a suspension...
Oil
St. Angelo Bridge in Rome, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original Oil painting by Ukrainian artist Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska This captivating artwork vividly portrays a stunning sunset over a historic European cityscape. The vibrant ...
Oil
Evening Venice. Grand Canal, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This vibrant artwork vividly captures Venice’s enchanting nighttime allure. Executed in luscious, bold strokes, the painting portrays the Grand Canal's shimmering reflections under...
Oil
Trinita dei Monti in Rome, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original Oil painting by Ukrainian artist Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska This vibrant artwork captures the essence of a picturesque European plaza dominated by a historic church wit...
Oil
The beauty of Tuscany, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original Oil painting by Ukrainian artist Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska This vibrant artwork captures a sunlit vineyard landscape, radiating with rich, dynamic colors. A symphony o...
Oil
Evening Riomaggiore Italy, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This vibrant artwork depicts a dramatic coastal town illuminated by the golden hues of sunset. Richly textured brushstrokes capture the vivid interplay of light and shadow, creating ...
Oil
Wilting Rose, Peach, Knife, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A still life features an arrangement of a rose, a knife, and a peach. Loose strokes and muted colors give textural variation to the composition. During the summ...
Oil
Head Study, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A portrait of a woman with closed eyes captures an ethereal and haunting mood. Artist Sara Sisun painted the piece from a live model, a student based in Florenc...
Oil
Toffee Rose, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A toffee-colored rose sits in a fishbowl. The mirror beneath reflects and enhances the vibrancy of the composition. Artist Sara Sisun drew inspiration from an u...
Oil
Figures in a Landscape, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Figures stand in a verdant landscape, sharing a moment of quiet intimacy. Artist Sara Sisun captured the scene on location in Tuscany during a painting retreat....
Oil
The Carpathian Harmony, Painting, Oil on Other
Located in Yardley, PA
Colorful houses and trees are nestled in a serene valley surrounded by rolling, verdant mountains with a vibrant sky overhead. A stream runs through the foreground, leading the eye t...
Oil
Harbor Scene with Boats
Located in Milford, NH
A fine impressionist coastal painting with boats in the harbor and a cabbage garden in the foreground by French artist Louis Abel-Truchet (1857-1918). Louis Abel-Truchet was born in ...
Canvas, Oil
Petaluma Alley, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Quaint houses line a quiet alleyway, where overgrown weeds and trees bring a sense of life. Warm tones and impressionistic strokes add charm throughout. In this...
Acrylic
Sun on the Marsh, Original Painting
By Janet Dyer
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Various shades of green hint at an abstract landscape. It depicts a marsh with scattered pools that reflect the colors of the sky. Artist Janet Dyer painted the...
Acrylic
Bay, Ireland, Original Painting
By Janet Dyer
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A peaceful bay stretches along an Irish countryside, where the hills slope down to meet the soft curve of the shore. Bold strokes and earthy colors capture the ...
Acrylic
General Post Office New York City
Located in Milford, NH
A fine impressionist cityscape in New York City by American artist William Maynard (1921-2016). Maynard was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, and was a...
Canvas, Oil
Svalyava Region, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Painting, Oil on Canvas Size: 39.4 W x 31.5 H x 1.1 D in Ships in a Tube :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by...
Oil
Prayer for Ukraine, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Vibrant hues dominate a scene with large bells hanging amidst tall columns, set against a backdrop of colorful architecture. A silhouetted figure in the foreground adds to the dynami...
Oil
Kolochava Surroundings, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Vibrant colors create a lively landscape featuring a flowing river, surrounded by trees and mountains. A vivid blue sky with scattered clouds enhances the dynamic composition of the ...
Oil
Spring in the Valley, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This vibrant artwork captures a picturesque mountain landscape filled with vivid, expressive colors. The rolling hills are depicted in rich purples and blues, creating a serene yet d...
Oil
Spring Rhapsody, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Vibrant pink blossoms in ornate vases are arranged against a lush green background, accompanied by scattered fruits on a draped white cloth. The composition exudes a lively and color...
Oil
Green Serenity, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Vibrant colors depict a rural village scene with a winding path leading through greenery and quaint houses. Mountains with striking hues serve as a backdrop under a partly cloudy sky...
Oil
Light in Silence, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Vibrant colors depict a rural landscape with rolling hills and a small house nestled among fields. A winding path leads through the scene, surrounded by lush greens, bold blues, and ...
Oil
July Twilight, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The image depicts a lively rural scene with vibrant colors, showcasing quaint houses against a backdrop of rolling hills and mountains. A figure is tending to the land, adding a sens...
Oil
Borzhava, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
A vivid display of autumn colors surrounds a calm lake. The reflection of trees and sky in the water adds depth to the scene. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an...
Oil
Hutsul Autumn, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Capture the essence of autumn in the mountains with "Hutsul Autumn," a vibrant landscape painting. This colorful artwork depicts a charming village nestled among rolling hills, wit...
Oil
Thinking About Dinner Plans, Oil Painting
By Karen Barton
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A raccoon stands against a soft blue background, its curious gaze full of life. Artist Karen Barton was inspired by the animal’s charm and cleverness. Using b...
Oil
Every Year Spring Comes, Original Painting
By Judy Mudd
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A weathered yet sturdy barn stands quietly in a grassy landscape. Artist Judy Mudd captures the regenerative spirit of spring and the enduring rhythm of farm li...
Watercolor
$2,503
Your Song Refreshed My Soul, Original painting, Woodland, Landscape, Summer
Located in Deddington, GB
‘Your Song Refreshed My Soul’ is an original acrylic painting by Sarah Ollerenshaw. This painting resonates and inspires for a moment a spiritual transportation away from the busynes...
Acrylic, Board
Desert Sunset, Oil Painting
By Mandy Main
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Palm trees and desert vegetation frame a road stretching into the distance. At the horizon, purple mountains rise under a sky filled with multicolored clouds. A...
Oil
Escaped Land 08, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The book "Het Ontsnapte Land" by Geert Mak served as a source of inspiration for this painting. The artist incorporated texts fragments in the painting with leaf metal: “At the ...
Acrylic
AutumnWalk 02, Painting, Acrylic on MDF Panel
Located in Yardley, PA
"AutumnWalk 02" captures the essence of a radiant autumn stroll through the woods. The canvas comes alive with a dazzling array of colors, reminiscent of nature's fleeting beauty a...
Acrylic
Reign, Original Painting
By Nava Lundy
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Rendered in bold strokes and a vivid, expressive palette, this acrylic painting captures the focused intensity of a horse mid-match. The cropped composition dra...
Acrylic
Arthur J. Krakower "Sunday" Original Oil Painting c.2000
Located in San Francisco, CA
Arthur J. Krakower "Sunday" Original Oil Painting c.2000 Arthur Krakower took up painting well into his 80s. The response was amazing from the get-go! His works are now highly sough...
Oil
Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting Langdale Pikes, Lake District
Located in ludlow, GB
Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting of the Langdale Pikes in the Lake District. A Large Framed Oil on Canvas showing the Lake and the Mountains behind shrouded in Mist...
Oil