Impressionist Still-life 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 Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
Artist Comments
A cherub statue and a sliced pear rest among vibrant purple flowers and lush leaves. The warm, earthy soil complements the greenery. Artist Sherri Aldawood pa...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Four bottles of bourbon stand in alignment. Their rich amber hues subtly shift under the light. They echo the profound meaning behind their name, "living wate...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Paper
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Yellow lilies and pink carnations fill a glass vase resting at the edge of a wooden table. Textured brushstrokes bring the floral arrangement to life, while pastel colors add warmth. The composition exudes a sense of joy and freshness.
About the Artist
Artist Samuel Pretorius' paintings evoke a quiet nostalgia. Each brushstroke suggests a shape, a landscape, or a subject—letting the memory of the viewer fill in the details. He invariably works with photographs, creating representations of actual locations he documents, and enjoys making bold brush movements that capture the essence of his subject in the fewest marks possible. "My paintings are best described as 'suggestionistic.' I aim to create fleeting images that you long to see again, a place that you will never forget, or one you yearn to visit," says Samuel. Originally from South Africa, he comes from a family of artists who encouraged him early to paint and draw. In primary school, his work was included in a national exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum. While growing up, his art education came from exhibiting at local art galleries, participating in open markets and plein air painting events, and joining monthly exhibitions. Recently becoming a US citizen, Samuel decided to dedicate a portion of his study to his home studio to fulfill his passion for painting. This well-lit area, often supervised by his Siamese cat, allows him to paint any time of the day. Outside the creative industry, Samuel enjoys exploring the world's beauty and creating code as a software developer.
Words that describe this painting: flower, floral, vase, bouquet, lily, carnation, pastel, bouquet, painterly, impressionism, still life, flora, acrylic painting, pink
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Paper
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Masonite, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
1970s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Fresh strawberries with a glass of sweet orange juice make a quaint breakfast scene. Textured strokes and raw application of paint exude freshness and spontan...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil