Impressionist Animal 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.
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Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Ink
1920s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
1970s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
1890s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Two hummingbirds spread their wings, soaring gracefully against a pastel green backdrop that evokes the vibrancy of a sunlit garden. Inspired by artist Karen ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Panel
20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Artist Comments
A pair of hummingbirds soars above, searching for a place to land. Their rich, jewel-toned bodies stand out against the soft sky. Inspired by artist Karen Bar...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
1970s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Panel, Oil
20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1920s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
1990s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Ink, Oil, Acrylic
Late 19th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1920s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Masonite, Oil
1960s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Panel
20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
1910s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
1890s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1910s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Two jewel-toned hummingbirds engage in a delicate interaction as they search for a place to land. Their vibrant green and red feathers stand out against the d...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic, Board
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Panel, Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
19th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Board
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero presents an impressionist scene of ducks wading by a river. "I went to a nearby lake to observe ducks in order to paint this scene of Pe...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Watercolor
1920s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Linen
Artist Comments
A robin lifts its wings, absorbed in the quiet, timeless work of building a home. The soft, dreamlike background, touched with hints of green, suggests the firs...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
A sparrow perches on a snow-dusted branch. The soft and misty background highlights the delicate brown and white of the bird's feathers. Artist Joanie Ford pa...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
1940s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Linen, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero presents an impressionist piece exploring ponds, koi, and goldfish—part of his ongoing series focusing on freshwater fauna. "Koi and Goldfish are considered lucky because, despite their bright colors attracting predators, they have useful survival instincts," shares Onelio. These fish take advantage of reflections of the sky and trees on the water's surface to hide from predators. Onelio capitalizes on the effects of the clear sky and silhouetted trees reflected on the pond to partially mask the exotic fish.
About the Artist
Artist Onelio Marrero paints impressionist city scenes of everyday life. He captures the romanticism of New York City, from the picturesque fountains in Central Park to a glistening city street on a rainy afternoon. He creates a sense of nostalgia and intimacy with his work, offering the feeling that you have visited this particular scene before. “Each play of light, each texture, and each movement of a figure can have a captivating effect on me,†says Onelio. He studied at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art where he mastered discerning color and values, giving his work a more spontaneous appearance. Onelio’s work is an appreciation for beauty in all of its greatest forms; nature, art, and people.
Words that describe this painting: koi, goldfish, water, pond, lake, swim, reflection, liquid, rocks, pebbles, animal, oilpaint, impressionism, impressionism, animals, oil painting, green
Hidden Gems...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil