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.
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Gouache
Artist Comments
Mallard ducks cast their reflections on the swiftly moving water, with a pair gracefully gliding near a third one perched on a log. Dynamic brushwork and pale...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil
Artist Comments
One summer morning, artist Andres Lopez visits a quiet natural sanctuary in South Florida. Hoping to connect with nature, he stumbles upon three flamingos movin...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
1960s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Archival Pigment
20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Gouache
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A solitary horse strolls through a sunlit field, its mane and tail glowing in the warm morning light. Ethereal, golden tones ripple across its form, capturing a...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
A crescent moon casts a gentle glow over a group of small birds perched on two parallel wires. The gold leaf on their wings catches the light, twinkling when ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
19th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
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
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1910s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1920s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Jennifer Ross presents a brown bird perched over its three eggs. "A bird's nest is the universal symbol of hope," says Jenni...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic
1970s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
A vibrant hummingbird perches on a branch, its jewel-toned feathers catching the light. The soft, textured strokes create an energetic display of colors. The ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Animal Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Two charming Appaloosa foals nuzzle one another in a tender display of friendship. Their speckled coats glimmer under a soft, diffused light. The pale blue ba...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Gouache
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Animal Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Oil, Panel
Artist Comments
Three birds dip their feet in a stream, with the larger two closely watching the smallest one. Leaves on slender stems surround the small flock, adding a touc...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Animal Paintings
Acrylic