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.
Find a collection of authentic Impressionist art on 1stDibs.
20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
1960s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Ibis birds wander and forage under palm fronds. Their white feathers catch the dappled sunlight, while their red beaks and legs contrast with the lush greens. I...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Panel
1980s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
1940s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Paper, Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Panel
Artist Comments
Two monarch butterflies flutter gracefully against a soft, green background. A subtle glow around them brings the idea of movement. Delicate patterns and detail...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
1910s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Panel
Artist Comments
The scene captures the powerful movement and elegance of a polo player mid-game. Rich, textured brushstrokes convey the energy and immediacy of the moment. Bold...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A majestic white horse stands gracefully in a vibrant field of red poppies, the light of the setting sun filtering through its mane. Slihouetted trees rise in t...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
1910s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Adhesive, Oil
Artist Comments
A cardinal perches on a thin wire, its bright red plumage standing out against the gray sky. The bird seems like a visitor from another realm, briefly passing...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Charcoal
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Ink, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Linen, Oil
Artist Comments
Two horses graze peacefully in a sunlit pasture surrounded by trees and open fields. The morning light creates a glowing outline around their bodies. The scene ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Paper, Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A mountain goat and its kid stand tall against the rugged peaks of Glacier Park, their thick fur ruffled by the wind. Sunlight catches on their coats. Behind th...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
Artist Comments
A beautiful bobcat rests atop the petroglyph-covered wall of Toquima Cave. Its stance and intense gaze reflect a keen awareness. Lights emphasize the feline's...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Ink, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic