Impressionist 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.
Artist Comments
A country house stands solitary in an overgrown field, with traces of time passing evident in its exterior. The grass dances with the wind as the summer sky g...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Paper, Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Ink, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Color
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Color
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
The rolling Cotswold hills in England blend with the misty sky. Painted with a brush and palette knife, the rich strokes capture the depth and lushness of the f...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
The sky and clouds can be unpredictable, offering no certain forecast for the weather ahead. A gathering of dark clouds may hint at rain or a refreshing cooln...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
During a trip to London, artist Onleio Marrero explored the city's wonderful sites. On one of his strolls along the Thames, he noticed the neo-gothic fountain...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero depicts the bustling energy of Midtown Manhattan traffic, looking south on a rainy afternoon. Dashing yet precise brushstrokes convey move...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A woman peruses a store in search of antiques while brilliant sunlight rakes the window and objects on display. The contrasts of light and shadows match the coo...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Board
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Sherri Aldawood captures a peaceful moment from her trip to Marbella, Spain. Sunlight fills a narrow alleyway, adorned with vibrant flowers and lush pl...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Linen, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Oil, Board
Artist Comments
A majestic pronghorn antelope buck sits at the heart of a darkening prairie. The rich, warm tones and subtle background details emphasize the animal’s disti...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Cedar trees, bluebonnets, and cacti grace a hilltop near Willow City, Texas. A body of water peeks through the edge of the grass-covered ground. The painterly...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Gold Leaf
Artist Comments
A fountain flows in the center of an elegant garden in artist Sherri Aldawood's impressionist piece. "My dream came true when I visited the home and garden of one of my favorite artists of the past, Joaquin Sorolla, in Madrid," shares Sherri. Channeling her knowledge from studying Sorolla's masterful paintings, Sherri portrays the morning light and colors with soft illumination. The sunlit foliage gleams majestically in the background, sharpening the dimension and bringing the viewer's eye toward the rear of the scene.
About the Artist
Sherri Aldawood didn't intend to always paint flowers, but over time her love of gardens started to permeate her art. She focuses on the light and color of the flowers on the canvas. Sherri prefers alla prima, working with wet layers of paint instead of letting them dry. She keeps the paint as wet as possible by using walnut and clove oil...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Ruth LaGue presents an impressionist black barn with a prominent pink roof. Inspired by the shapes and patterns of the landscape, she draws the viewer'...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Lacquer, Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero captures a sense of serenity, referencing a gentle river near his home. "Almost indistinguishable is the lone patient heron poised on a ...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Lacquer, Oil
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Impressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil