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.
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Linen
1930s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Masonite, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Linen
Late 20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Painted from life, a pink hyacinth emerges from a clay pot. Over several days, its blossoms gradually unfurl, revealing fresh petals. The leaves transition from...
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
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Gouache
Mid-19th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
Late 20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1990s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
1980s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Oil, Board
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Illustration Board
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil Pastel
Late 19th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
Artist Comments
Three bright oranges and a green lime in a glass bowl rest on a rustic wooden table. The finger-painting technique and the use of bold, expressive strokes enhance the natural vibrancy of the fruits. The poignant simplicity evokes a sense of warmth and vitality.
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: finger painting, oranges, bowl, fruit, table, chair, lime, glass, impressionism, still life, cuisine, acrylic painting, orange
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
1950s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1980s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Oil, Board
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board, Paper
Late 20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
1960s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1980s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil